Pipe Costs - What's In a Name

[mso489]

You probably have to work quite a bit harder to shop for good smoking pipes at the low price end,

unless you stick with MM cobs, Dr. Grabow, and low-end Savenelli's and Stanwells and other well

established pipes. But they are certainly there. When you pay $200 and up, the materials and

craftsmanship should be at least good, and usually very good to outstanding. Even well above that,

I hear, there are pipes that don't smoke well for one reason or another. What you usually get for your

money as you move up the price scale are superior materials, excellent workmanship, dependable

quality control, and (no small matter) bragging rights. I'm not sure I could live up to a Dunhill at the

local pipe club or pipe show, but I think folks who smoke them there get a lift out of having a classic

clenched in their teeth. But back to the inexpensive pipes, if you learn brands, something about briar,

and are observant of how good pipes are put together, you can get some life-long keepers for $30,

$40, $50, and $60 -- not every time, but eighty percent or better. Then there are some really great

carvers back in the country ... but never mind about that.

 

[lucky695]

for the most part the big hole and the little hole from pipe to pipe don't vary much. they may be bent or straight but Cosmic is right, you just need the basics done well. You pay for esthetics, and name recognition beyond a certain point. You nailed it when talking about the basket pipes at the B&M..those are throw aways. Just like purses for women...if they were just for carrying shit they would all look the same.

 

[pitchfork]

As folks have said, there are a lot of factors. But at a given price level, you're paying for different things. A $250 Peterson will have nice grain and some care was probably taken in the drilling and finishing. For a $250 handmade pipe, you're paying for good engineering (the airway) and a nice, comfortable stem. For a $250 Dunhill, you're buying a used pipe because Dunhill doesn't make $250 pipes. In that case, you're paying for the name, but also the overall high quality the name represents (great fit and finish, clean briar and a nice stem).

 

[ocpsdan]

Threads come up like this all the time, and I'm not sure why I read them the whole way through. It always seems like the same set of arguments time and time again.
Guy 1: "I don't get why people buy expensive pipes, there is no way low-cost pipe A can smoke any worse than high-cost pipe A, so please help me understand why folks buy and produce pipes like high-cost pipe A."
Guy 2: "Factory pipes under $100 and cobs; you're set for life and everything else is lesser in my eyes through years of experience."
Guy 3: "But Guy 2, there is certainly value and great smoking qualities in high grade factory pipes and hand made pipes because of reasons X, X1, and X2 that I've found through my own set of experiences."
Guy 2: "But I own low-cost pipe B, and it smokes just as well if not better than high-cost pipe B for reasons X3, X4, and X5. You can't tell me high-cost pipe B smokes better than low-cost pipe B on reasons X, X1, and X2 alone."
Guy 1: "You guys are missing my point, let me clarify: Take out important pipe variables X-X5. Now tell me how low-cost pipe A and high-cost pipe A can possibly differ."
Guy 4: "You all are missing the greater point; there are simply too many variables to consider between low-cost pipe A and high-cost pipe B to come to any kind of heading on this subject. Smoke what you like, and like what you smoke! That's MY motto."
Guy 1, 2, and 3: "Rabble Rabble Rabble----"
And so it was, that much discourse and gnashing of teeth ensued on a recurring issue that never gets solved. Everyone left their computers feeling satisfied that their viewpoint was indeed the best and most valid one, and nobody truly stirs from their perspectives and attitudes.
Stay tuned next week for another rehash of this subject in the thread: "My pipe is better than yours, nana-nana-boo-boo"

 

[lordofthepiperings]

My personal take on it is as follows:
The more expensive factory pipes, talking pipes around $150 and up, tend to have a more substantial bowl that's lighter and more well balanced. The drilling on them tends to be more precise and so the draw on them is far more effortless. The stem is almost always completely flush with the shank as well. There are also less flaws in the briar when you go higher up in price. From a smoking stand point I get a cooler, smoother, drier smoke.
Now I will say artisan pipes are a totally different animal. I have two Don Warren pipes that I got for $100 each and they smoke just as well as my $225 Peterson Pipe of the Year. Being an artisan he pays more attention to drilling and selection of briar and so on. You can find some up and coming carvers who are very talented and make a superb smoking pipe for a reasonable price. There are also some of the more known carvers with decades of experience who's pipes are just as good if not better, but the price tag is far greater.
There are some basket pipes that give a good smoke and cobs are pretty reliable as well. I just personally think when you buy higher end or artisan pipes you're getting a great smoke, an ah-ha smoke. That nirvana of what pipe smoking is all about.
I also agree with the old adage of smoke what ya like and like what ya smoke.

 

[natibo]

I used to think price did not matter until I started buying higher end Italian pipes (Castello, Caminetto, Radice, etc.). They do smoke better than any Peterson or Savinelli I ever owned.

 

[peckinpahhombre]

I personally would never spend more than $80 on a pipe.

 

[lucky695]

either you meant to say less than $80 or you forgot a zero.

What about impersonally? would you spend more than $80 then?

 

[griffonwing]

I have an old Alpha pipe (shape is sort of a freehand prince) from ebay for 10 bucks. It smokes clear and pure, as good a smoke as my Ser Jacopo Compta. I assume its due to the high quality aged briar used, as well as its current age of creation.

 

[willc]

I do tend to clean and not abuse my more expensive pipes so I guess that will lead them to a longer life than their cheaper brothers.

The 2 artisan pipes I own are quite nice and I think are worth every penny but I continue to reach for my MM cobs more often than my briars.

 

[Chasing Embers]

I've been puffing a pipe for more than twenty years and have paid as little as $3 for a cob, all the way up to $600 for my newest Bruce Weaver. You can burn tobacco in both, and enjoy the experience in both. Why pay more? For the artistry and the craftsmanship. Should you pay that much more? Heck no. If it works for you, then smoke away. Each person finds their own pleasure in a particular pipe, and that is how it's suppose to be. Most of my collection averages around $150 and around once per year I treat myself to a commisioned Weaver masterpiece. A pipe's real worth is the pleasure it brings to the smoker. As it has been said before, smoke what you like, and like what you smoke.

 

[darthcider]

I know they come around at intervals, but I like these sort of threads. Its like a group of blokes sat round having a chat. Its not even about being right sometimes, as there may not even be a correct answer. You can give your opinion or experience and no one can really say that you are wrong. I don't know anyone who smokes a pipe, so love coming on here to chat with "my mates". Some of you have opinions that I may disagree with, but I will still sit here and listen. Thank you.

 

[sablebrush52]

"My pipe is better than yours, nana-nana-boo-boo"

My pipes ARE better than yours.

Nyah nyah nyah!

 

[Chasing Embers]

But mine are prettier! lol Just can't figure out how to post pics. :?

 

[mustanggt]

I've bought all sorts of name and price range pipes and have come to the conclusion that my 3 Ashton's smoke incredibly well and are my best smokers. I have several Dunhill's and they are very consistently good smokers with a 1935 group 3 billiard that is a flake smoking dream. I have two Rad Davis pipes, one I got off ebay and the other I had him make. They both smoke excellent but can't beat the Ashton's. I have many Pete's from $50 ones to several Sherlock Holmes series pipes and the Holmes pipes all smoke equally well and are my favorites as far as their classic good looks. I've smoked other less expensive pipes and with the cheaper ones it's very hit or miss as to whether you have a good smoker or not. Rad Davis without a doubt makes the best stems I've ever used. I have some Petersons that have the most gawdawful fat stems that it's a damn good thing I don't clench or they'd have been down the road along time ago. As was said earlier it is a product of nature and as such won't be consistent as we'd all like.

 

[wayneteipen]

In my experience as a pipe smoker, collector, and maker, I have found that there is a tangible difference between most low end pipes and most high end pipes. I say most because there are exceptions on both ends of the spectrum. You can find some low end pipes that are properly constructed (or at least sufficiently constructed) and you can find some high end pipes that aren't. The single most influential aspect of a pipe that effects how it will smoke is proper airway engineering. Making sure the slot is properly cut in the stem and that the airway doesn't restrict. Tapering the stem airway up to the slot. Countersinking the tenon airway. Making sure the airway in the stummel matches up with the airway in the stem. The high end pipemaker typically takes extra care to minimize any turbulence in the airway. The high end pipemaker should be polishing their stem airways so moisture has less to grab onto. The high end pipemaker makes sure there isn't a large gap between the tenon and mortise floor for moisture to collect. The high end pipemaker makes sure the airway ends center bottom of the tobacco chamber. These are all details that affect the way a pipe smokes and helps to ensure an optimal smoke. These are all aspects of what a high end pipemaker does that a low end pipe maker can't afford to do at their price.
Aside from engineering, you're paying for fine details that make the bit more comfortable in your mouth and the design and finish more aesthetically pleasing. You're paying for better use of grain.
Sometimes, you're paying for better cured briar but I suspect that factors in less than you might think since the majority of briar being used these days are all processed similarly if not the same.

 

[dieseltech]

To keep it simple. Part of the enjoyment of the hobby is the prestige, the ritual, the feel, the flavor, and the personal experience. Besides having the physical side there is a psychological side for some people. Me personally. My $8 corncob is one of my favorite pipes. Then theres an $80 savanelli I really love. I have a pipe I spent almost 400 bucks on almost 20 years ago and I never smoke it. I think it burns hot, it's not comfortable in my hand, I just don't care for it. I have a calabresti I paid $25 for around the same time. I think it's the best smoker in my collection. So I feel price tag and name have absolutely nothing to do with the experience you have with it. it's about how you enjoy the smoke, the feel, and all that. It all comes together to make your experience.

 

[keith929]

Why pay more? For the artistry and the craftsmanship.

+++1

 

[saltedplug]

The standard on the forums is "a good smoker," but no one ever defines what that is. Just because it doesn't gurgle and the draw seems unimpeded doesn't make the pipe good, not in my mind, as most pipes irrespective of price meet this standard.
But high-grades are often made from hand-selected, well-cured briar, not that I know what difference that makes. Maybe it contributes to how it tastes, but I never taste the wood, however delectable; I taste tobacco. The last one-quarter inch of the stem is said to be the most influential as regards the comfort of the bit; but I use softies since the advent of an alligator-gentle clench, and the softies obliterate the issue of a comfortable bit.
The engineering is, as Mr. Teipen says, critical, to avoid gurgle, etc,, but all I know is that it has no obstruction, that is I can infallibly draw pipe smoke through it; and the logical requirement of it being the same size all the way from the draft hole to the bit is lost on me. For instance I had to open the draft hole on an estate Edwards, and based on where the bit gripped inside the shank, I could tell that its airway was not of the same size. Yet it smokes fine, and it also smokes better given opening the draft hole. That was a problem. It would seem that smoke would flow better through the airway if it was the same size, but my standard is lack of obstruction, and if the size of the airway is constant, I can't tell as my puffs, ostensibly of the same force, get me what I want, smoke, whether this is true or not. In the same vein the skillfulness of the joining of the mortise tenon leaves much to be desired in many pipes of all price ranges. I refer to the gap between the two. Also, tenons and mortises are routinely not chamfered; and though you would think that this would impact airflow, it not being done doesn't seem to affect anything.
Yet for all of this I am a pipe chowhound and regularly seek out the sites that sell them.