PSA (long): New Smokers: You Do Not Need An Expensive Pipe

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Parsimonious Piper

Can't Leave
Oct 12, 2019
337
944
Being, well, parsimonious, I second the OP. Very nice write up. I have a fairly hard rule not to spend more than $75 on a pipe (broken once), largely because I like my cobs so much it’s hard to justify the difference in price. There really are a number of good quality smokers to be had under $50, particularly if you’re not as concerned with high end finishes. For me, it helps that I’m drawn to classic shapes—mostly straight billiards/lovats/Canadians—and that‘s largely what you find among the lower priced brands.

My only “pretty” pipes are 50+ year old estates on which site sponsor SmokingPipes.com did a bang up job restoring the birdseye grains.
 

Jef

Starting to Get Obsessed
Oct 10, 2019
296
521
67
North Carolina
I have come to the same realization. I like my expensive pipes but none reliably deliver the depth of flavor of my $80 Savinelli Tortuga 673 (pictured below). It sets the standard for all my other pipes, regardless of price point, to live up to.

I have a $400 Ardor that pissed me off for about 2 years because it made the flavor of every blend taste thin compared to the old trusty Savinelli. It finally came around after putting 4-5 tins of Balkan Blue through it. The whole thing makes me think that the sheer number of times a pipe is smoked might be a major factor in how well it performs.
160306d1508522973-what-s-your-bowl-imga1235.jpg
Nice pipe!
Jef
 

Chasing Embers

Captain of the Black Frigate
Nov 12, 2014
44,672
115,720
I know that I have a habit of keeping all my good smokers and selling off all the crappy ones. I'm sure this practice is very common among pipe smokers. This makes me wonder if the majority of the estate market is made up of inferior pipes.
I've not gotten but three or four bad ones out of dozens, but I keep the good ones and throw the bad ones, new or estate, into the trash. I won't pass a bad pipe on to someone else.
 

sablebrush52

The Bard Of Barlings
Jun 15, 2013
20,566
48,353
Southern Oregon
jrs457.wixsite.com
This was an excellent post, very well thought out, well written, and chocked full of useful information. I don't disagree with any of it. A high end pipe is wasted on a beginner. In any case, the pipe itself is only 25% of the equation. The other 75% is technique, packing, cadence, moisture levels, etc. Until the smoker gets down the rudiments he/she isn't going to get the best out of any pipe.
But there are a few differences between modestly priced pipes and more expensive pipes that aren't just a matter of aesthetics, that many of us come to appreciate over time. Chief among them is the design and shaping of the stem and bit, and the airway therin. Hand made stems can be as much or more work than the bowl. The shaping of the bite zone to a comfortable thinness and the slot for spreading out the smoke can enhance the smoking experience. Hand work costs money, so what you get in the lower range is a molded stem, which functions adequately, which is all the beginner needs.
 

alaskanpiper

Enabler in Chief
May 23, 2019
9,430
43,805
Alaska
This was an excellent post, very well thought out, well written, and chocked full of useful information. I don't disagree with any of it. A high end pipe is wasted on a beginner. In any case, the pipe itself is only 25% of the equation. The other 75% is technique, packing, cadence, moisture levels, etc. Until the smoker gets down the rudiments he/she isn't going to get the best out of any pipe.
But there are a few differences between modestly priced pipes and more expensive pipes that aren't just a matter of aesthetics, that many of us come to appreciate over time. Chief among them is the design and shaping of the stem and bit, and the airway therin. Hand made stems can be as much or more work than the bowl. The shaping of the bite zone to a comfortable thinness and the slot for spreading out the smoke can enhance the smoking experience. Hand work costs money, so what you get in the lower range is a molded stem, which functions adequately, which is all the beginner needs.
Thanks! Certainly true, and a good point. Probably under emphasized in my OP (directed mostly at beginners) so thanks for adding that! This is part of why I chose to experiment with various shapes until I got it down, then pick out some higher end pipes in the shapes I had found out I liked once I got the hang of smoking.
 

danimalia

Lifer
Sep 2, 2015
4,456
26,915
42
San Francisco Bay Area, USA
I don't know how I missed this when it was first posted, but great job!

I'd suggest Savinelli's Unfinished pipes as another option. They're certainly not the prettiest, but I bought one for my first briar, and it is probably still my favorite pipe to smoke. Everything tastes great, and smokes dry and easy. Site sponsor Bolito Pipe has them priced so cheaply, you could buy 2 and even after shipping from Italy, you'd be under a hundred bucks. Maybe even 3 when they're on sale like they are right now!
 

mso489

Lifer
Feb 21, 2013
41,210
60,605
I'm a thrifty pipe buyer, I mean fairly tight. I don't in any way diminish the beauty and art of higher end pipes, and I own a few. Some of the less expensive pipes are pretty wonderful in their own right, if you know what you're getting, that in fact you may never be able to buy again in good shape. If you shop a lot more than you buy, you can get a lot for not much money. Unfinished Savinelli are a fine experience and grow into a glow and luster, roughly a fine Walnut stain finish with an inner glow. After thirty years, they are just getting started.
 

Humblepipe

Lifer
Sep 13, 2019
1,873
6,909
Guerneville, CA
I don't know how I missed this when it was first posted, but great job!

I'd suggest Savinelli's Unfinished pipes as another option. They're certainly not the prettiest, but I bought one for my first briar, and it is probably still my favorite pipe to smoke. Everything tastes great, and smokes dry and easy. Site sponsor Bolito Pipe has them priced so cheaply, you could buy 2 and even after shipping from Italy, you'd be under a hundred bucks. Maybe even 3 when they're on sale like they are right now!

I just bought 2... Black Friday special.
 
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alaskanpiper

Enabler in Chief
May 23, 2019
9,430
43,805
Alaska
I don't know how I missed this when it was first posted, but great job!

I'd suggest Savinelli's Unfinished pipes as another option. They're certainly not the prettiest, but I bought one for my first briar, and it is probably still my favorite pipe to smoke. Everything tastes great, and smokes dry and easy. Site sponsor Bolito Pipe has them priced so cheaply, you could buy 2 and even after shipping from Italy, you'd be under a hundred bucks. Maybe even 3 when they're on sale like they are right now!
Wow! Did not even know about these. I must have.....
 
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saintpeter

Lifer
May 20, 2017
1,158
2,636
I don't know how I missed this when it was first posted, but great job!

I'd suggest Savinelli's Unfinished pipes as another option. They're certainly not the prettiest, but I bought one for my first briar, and it is probably still my favorite pipe to smoke. Everything tastes great, and smokes dry and easy. Site sponsor Bolito Pipe has them priced so cheaply, you could buy 2 and even after shipping from Italy, you'd be under a hundred bucks. Maybe even 3 when they're on sale like they are right now!

Total agreement. They smoke great and are fun to play with.
10353
10354
 

danimalia

Lifer
Sep 2, 2015
4,456
26,915
42
San Francisco Bay Area, USA
Wow! Did not even know about these. I must have.....

Keep in mind they will have some fills, and they're not done very artfully. Mine has a ton of gashes, which stand out even as the pipe takes on color. You can see mine with a bunch of those fills below, though I think mine is a particularly rough example. That's the only catch. Otherwise, it's a Savinelli pipe at basket prices.

10355
 

alaskanpiper

Enabler in Chief
May 23, 2019
9,430
43,805
Alaska
Keep in mind they will have some fills, and they're not done very artfully. Mine has a ton of gashes, which stand out even as the pipe takes on color. You can see mine with a bunch of those fills below, though I think mine is a particularly rough example. That's the only catch. Otherwise, it's a Savinelli pipe at basket prices.

View attachment 10355
I figured as much. Any pipe at a price like that from a known maker is likely to have pits or fills. I was just perusing the site and my wife caught me. I'll have to make it happen monday at work.
 

hauntedmyst

Lifer
Feb 1, 2010
4,010
20,775
Chicago
That's a silly post. You buy a Chonowitsch once and never have to upgrade because there aren't any. Silly frozen brained Alaskan.
 

curl

Part of the Furniture Now
Apr 29, 2014
722
462
I’m very happy with my natural Savinelli lumberman. It has a couple pits filled in that are visible, but it has still darkened up nicely. I like its matte finish, too.
 
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