These new Kaywoodies are an outstanding value, IMHO. While I don’t own any, I did see them at the last Chicago Show and was impressed. One of our forum regulars owns the company now. I have forgotten. Is it Crash? It would be interesting to hear from him.
I’m afraid that I have long ago lost any real perspective on the mass market pipe market since I have long ago moved on to much more expensive pieces. BTW, have you noticed that if the pipe’s expensive then it’s a “piece” rather than simply a “pipe”? :P I imagine that I would be shocked at the percentage of pipes sold for under $80.
It’s much the same with tobacco. From where I sit, the tinned non-aromatic blends rule the tobacco world, but the reality is that Lane Ltd and Mac Baren’s Sutliff sell far more tobacco in bulk, and most of it is aromatic. Let’s not even talk about the tobaccos formerly sold as RYO cigarette blends and rebadged as pipe tobacco to skirt federal cigarette taxes. The RYO market is huge compared to pipe tobacco. Reality is far different from perception in the pipe world.
As for the estate market, it’s still heathy, but from what I can tell it’s cyclical. Brands go in and out of favor, driven in part by sales of new pipes at remarkably high prices to the Chinese market. Yet, a fellow I smoke with every week who owns dozens of Jess Chonowitsch pipes claims that the estate market for them has dropped significantly over the years. It’s hard to imagine while seeing them regularly selling for north of $3k on SP. The chatter I heard amongst vendors, big and small, at the end of the last Chicago Show was that the pipe market was back this year following a couple years of downturn attributed to smokers’ focus on tobaccos as a result of the closure of McClelland, looming FDA rules, and ever-increasing taxes.
It’s encouraging to see one of our best local shops, Arlington PIpe and Cigar, really making a push to re-invigorate their pipe business. While they’re staying away from the artisan business, they are regularly stocking and selling nice Petersons and Savinellis and doing a good business selling tinned tobaccos. They’ve even hired a pipe specialist, Amu, who a wonderful young woman who does pipe restoration as a side business. On the other hand, Iwan Ries seems to be out of the new very high end new pipe business. It could be that they simply can’t acquire them, with the limited production going to SP and some fine European and Asian shops, let alone the burgeoning and lucrative direct sales market. They still get some of the best Dunhills and Castellos, though.