New Smokers,
After a long stint in the cigar world, I began smoking pipes in April of 2019, a mere 7 months ago. To say I have been enthusiastic about my entrance to the hobby would be an understatement. Aggressive, Reckless, Passionate, Foolhardy, Frivolous, and "Balls to the Walls" are probably more accurate. As a result, I wanted to share an important observation that I think may be valuable to newer pipe smokers. This is a personal opinion, and I welcome the opinions of smokers with far more experience than I in this thread, as I believe all decisions should be made with as many opinions and as much information as possible.
My simple observation in my experience so far, having owned pipes in nearly every price point between $5 and $700 from a variety of makers in this time, is that new pipe smokers (or any pipe smokers for that matter)
simply do not need to spend significant amounts of money on new pipes. Now, I'm sure you are thinking, "of course not, there are estates and cobs out there!" which is both a valid point, and an option that should probably be utilized with all the various benefits and detriments they can provide. But I want to talk about today is the myriad options out there for the pipe smoker for NEW BRIAR at a reasonable price that will smoke as well as many pipes in higher price points.
In my limited experience so far, I have found that beyond good drilling, decent briar, and reasonable construction, there is little benefit to be had in paying for expensive pipes beyond aesthetic attachment and artisan sculpting. While these do hold value (there is little prettier in this world than a beautifully carved piece of wood with exceptional straight grain or birdseye) they are
absolutely not necessary to a good smoking experience.
However, knowing where to find decent smokers at a bargain price is not something that comes without a significant amount of research, trial, and expense either. For that reason, I have compiled what I find to be a good amount of the best options for reliable, decent quality pipes that I wish I had known about prior to starting to collect a rotation. I would encourage all new smokers (and experienced smokers looking for good work horse burners) to investigate the following options.
Genod
A french pipe maker in the birthplace of the Briar pipe, St. Claude, France. I am listing Genod first because I find them to be, quite simply put, the best Value in briar pipes on the market today. French makers don't get a lot of recognition these days, and that is understandable given some of the pipes that have come out of the country, but Genod in my opinion is a clear exception. In fact, I have heard it mentioned that Dunhill even attempted to reproduce many of their shapes for their own line back in the day. Many of their pipes don't have the prettiest Briar, but in picking through them you can find some that do. More importantly, every pipe I have touched from Genod tends to have perfect drilling, thick chamber walls, great shaping, and excellent construction, even in the price range of $50-$100.
Rossi
Rossi pipes are made by Savinelli, well known to be one of the most prominent makers on the planet and for good reason. They are available in price points as low as $40 in both rusticated and smooth finishes, and you will find them to have the same excellent drilling and construction as most Savinelli pipes, although they are not quite as pretty to look at. A huge benefit of Rossi is the exceptional amount of various shapes and sizes they can be found in.
Brigham
Although originally a Canadian Company, these pipes are now manufactured in either Italy or France. With mostly classic, but unique shaping, they are constructed very well and are available in a variety of finishes in price points from $40-$100. The quality of their pipes is absolutely fine, but I have made a point to include them on this list as they come with an ingenious rock maple filter system that will still pass a pipe cleaner for those who prefer a filter.
Tsuge
Tsuge pipes are quite famous for their higher end offerings, such as the Ikebana line. However, they do offer a line of very affordable pipes called "The Tasting". These pipes are often a simple black sandblast, in only a few shapes such as billiards and mini stacks, but they have excellent construction and drilling, are super lightweight, and make excellent work horse rotation pipes for around $50.
Chacom
Opinions on Chacom pipes vary, but they are generally well respected smoking devices. I have included them on this list not only for that reason, but also because they have a huge selection of various shapes and finishes for those looking for more specificity in a work horse pipe, and because many of their affordable pipes actually DO have some nice aesthetics and are available in a very wide variety of shapes and finishes.
Ropp
Another french maker, supposedly utilizing a good amount of old stock Chacom Briar to produce their more affordable lines. These pipes are generally well constructed, and are offered in a variety of shapes with some of the better sandblasts I've seen on cheaper pipes. I have included them in this list specifically because the pipes they produce in their low end lines are extremely lightweight, which I would strongly recommend for a newer smoker to practice clenching.
Scott's Pipes
Full disclosure, I do not own one of Scott Klein's new "Burner" series pipes, so take everything I say here with a grain of salt. What I have done, is consult people I find to be reliable on their experience with them, and I have heard nothing but good things. Given the pipes origins, this is not a surprise. These pipes are not particularly pretty, and are only available in a few shapes, but from what I've heard are very well constructed and in an unbeatable price point of around $50.
Chris Morgan Bones
These pipes are showing up more and more and gaining rapidly in popularity and for good reason. The Bones line from Chris Morgan are made with good briar, and usually a good sandblast, and demonstrate absolutely perfect construction and drilling. You will find flaws in these pipes. Little pits, etc and the pipes come in a natural finish. They are aesthetically pleasing and available in a wide variety of shapes and sizes for $45-60.
So there you are. A list of what I find to be the best options out there for cheap, reliable burners that will smoke as well as almost anything. Another thing I would add is that I would strongly recommend buying straight stemmed pipes from any of these makers. You are much more likely to get good drilling on a straight pipe, and lets face it, when you get down into this price point good drilling is not always a given. Straight stemmed pipes may limit your exposure to drilling issues.
To add a little more personal opinion and provide a jumping off point, if I had to pick three of these makers that I am most happy with, and would recommend first, I would go with
Genod, Rossi, and Chris Morgan Bones. I think these are the most reliable and well constructed of the above options, as well as the most aesthetically pleasing.
Okay folks. Please fire away with critiques, other suggestions, huge omissions, corrections, and all the varying and conflicting opinions that will undoubtedly arise from the pool!
