Pipe for my son

[mano]

I smoked a pipe about 30+ years ago, gave up tobacco and then started in on cigars about 10 years ago. My son used to royally break my stones about them until he turned 18, tried a cigar and liked it. We'd smoke and bond.
A buddy gave him a pipe in a Peterson's box (he doesn't think it was a Peterson) and now he pretty much smokes only a pipe. Usually sweet tobaccos in bulk.
He's now 20 and I'm thinking of getting him a decent pipe and maybe even one for myself. I'd like to stay under $75 for a bent pipe, preferably smooth with nice figuring. The big three are safe bets but others, especially Nording freehands call out to me. I've never seen one up close but they appear to be big pipes. He's a 30-45 minute smoker and neither of us is big.
As a new smoker he wants something new vs. an estate pipe.
Any suggestions? I'm open to buying something from a member here (I saw the 30/30 rule) but want to support the vendors, as well.

 

[tobakenist]

Well go for a Peterson, I'm sure you can pick up a Standard system one for $75 ish in the states.

 

[cyndi]

Welcome! There are lots of quality pipes for under $75. I'm linking to SmokingPipes.com because they're running a great sale this week!
Savinelli's are a great deal and I have never had a bad one: http://smokingpipes.com/pipes/new/savinelli/
Nording has some in your price range after the sale - I think I need to send the top one to my husband as a Christmas present wish-list item!: http://smokingpipes.com/pipes/new/Nording/
Pipes and Cigars is running a sale on Butz Choquin, which is a nice sturdy pipe: http://pipesandcigars.com/butzchoquin.html
Good luck and I hope you and your son have a lot of fun!

 

[jchaplick]

I love my peterson now, paid 75 for it, took a while to break in, but works real good now

 

[buster]

I just picked up a Butz Choquin for $65 at a local store and a pouch for $20 to go with it. If you have a local pipe shop it is good to support your locals. As for our vendors 4 noggins treated me well. You can order samples from them as well for cheap as stocking stuffers. Smoking pipes is great also! I think this pipe is awesome and it is only $65 on sale! It was $135 talk about a deal!
http://www.smokingpipes.com/pipes/new/vauen/moreinfo.cfm?Product_ID=77034

 

[pipeinhand]

I would go for Brigham, Heritage or Algonquin series. Really nice pipes, traditional and great grain. Not your ordinary pipe and under $75. Smokingpipes.com has a big selection.
My 2P.

 

[tslex]

Peterson, Savinelli and Brebbia all make very nice pipes that can be had at that price point. I have never gotten a bad one of any of those. You'll find something you want at the online shops linked above.
FWIW, I am not a fan of the "system" Petersons, especially for a newer smoker. Nor the p-lip. Just go for a standard pipe and fishtail bit to start. But opinions vary.

 

[cyndi]

I'll echo tslex on the Petersons:

FWIW, I am not a fan of the "system" Petersons, especially for a newer smoker. Nor the p-lip. Just go for a standard pipe and fishtail bit to start. But opinions vary.

I wouldn't recommend either for a newer smoker either. The p-lip tends to burn the roof of my mouth, but I have a very small mouth and the smoke hits the roof at a very high temperature. Also, Pete's had (and sometimes still have, depending on how long the pipe has been on the shelf) a problem with the way they stained their pipes. They dip the entire pipe in the stain and at times, the stain can get in the bowl or shank and I've heard of debris being left in the draft hole to solidify with the stain making the pipe unsmokeable until it was repaired.

 

[hobie1dog]

I'll put in my two cents worth(and that's all it's worth too)....all the above are good choices, I like Peterson's alot and only buy the P-lip models as I like the smoke to hit the roof of my mouth instead of bombarding the front of my tongue.

Different strokes/pipes for different folks.

 

[olderthandirt]

Greetings and welcome to the forum Mano.
Very handy tool for getting ideas, besides chatting on the forum here of course, is the Pipe Locator on smokingpipes.com.
Setting preferences for under $100 and Bent Billard for example just now returned 142 pipes from 9 or 10 different manufacturers. Gotta love "window" shopping on the web!
ETA: Love my Pete's, specially the ones with fishtail bits.

 

[cyndi]

Oooh yeah, Al Pascia has a Pipefinder too!

 

[ichbinmuede]

I would go for Brigham, Heritage or Algonquin series. Really nice pipes, traditional and great grain. Not your ordinary pipe and under $75. Smokingpipes.com has a big selection.
My 2P.

Brigham will always get a +1 from me if not the first suggestion. Fantastic pipes for the dollar. We Canadians have a long history of loving a bargain (almost as cheap as a Scot..hah I kid) and that's one of the reasons why Brigham pipes are so popular here.

 

[billm67]

I have a few few Petersons and I do not like the P Lip's or the system pipes. My first "non basket" pipes were Savinelli's and I liked them. They look like really nic pipes for under your price...Here is one that has tempted me.

 

[olderthandirt]

Hey, the Pipefinder on Alpascia is fun cyndi! (-:

 

[cyndi]

I wasted HOURS earlier on it, OTD. :D

 

[mano]

Thank you all for the great responses. I have a lot of info to sift through but will avoid the P system.
The pipe locator is helpful and I'm narrowing things down a bit, but still welcome recommendations.
A few questions. What's a basket pipe and is Neerup well regarded?

 

[pstlpkr]

What's a basket pipe and is Neerup well regarded?

Yes to the Neerup being well regarded.

As for the basket pipe question...

That's a bit harder to address.

I used to actually search through the basket on the counter for a decent cheap pipe.

Cheap to me being circa $20. I have to say that the three that I have purchased in the last 35+ years and added Churchwarden stems to have been friends indeed.

Welcome Mano!

::

 

[lonestar]

Neerups are awesome pipes. He worked under Eric Nording for quite some time. There are similarities between the two brands, one of those is that they are great value and (imo) above average smoking pipes.

Neerup might be a better choice for you since they tend to be smaller than a lot of Nordings, but the same value, some really nice shapes and a great finish.

You cant go wrong with any of the pipes mentioned, but I'd have no problem putting a new Neerup at the very top of this list.

 

[hauntedmyst]

You might want to consider going on ebay and getting him a Mario Grandi. You can get a gorgeous pipe for that price.

 

[mano]

hauntedmyst, the Grandi pipes made me smile. Not I'm watching a few and while I may not get any this time around I really like their whimsy.
Also, any recommendations for tobacco in bulk? My son is into the sweet fruity flavors and I'd like to nudge him toward something slightly more complex.
IIRC, waaaay back when one of my first tobaccos was Borkam Riff.