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

[jpberg]

Through watching the forum for years now, and participating and learning through discussion and debate... I can't believe that someone would hold the idea that if one person believes a pipe isn't a good pipe, then everyone would agree that it sucks. What I have learned is that the quality of a pipe is up to the beholder. There is no one objective good or bad in pipes.

I've seen it hundreds of times now... one guys says a pipe sucks, and passes it on to someone else who claims it is the best pipe ever.

Just like food, clothes, cars, or anything... (even wives) the perception of quality is subjective, and different for everyone. And, claiming that there is one level of quality that we can all behold is kind of ridiculous.

Yeah. Sometime around 1988 I was a pipe genius. One year in and I had it all figured. Too bad there wasn’t an internet then, I could’ve shared all my knowledge.
Today, I’m mostly confused, and figure that I like my pipes and everybody else likes theirs.

 

[anotherbob]

Also I would say that pipes are the perfect thing to illustrate diminishing returns. In my experience the difference in what you get for 30 dollars and less then 30 dollars is huge, 60 to 30 pretty big still, 60 to 120 is noticable, 120 to 240 it's a touch nicer, and at some point you're paying 1000 dollars for a bird to be painted on the outside of the bowl. That said I've had one pipe in my life that I didn't enjoy smoking and my first expensive pipe blew me away at how much better it handled (can't think of a better word).

 

[olkofri]

my first expensive pipe blew me away

What pipe was that one?

 

[anotherbob]

What pipe was that one?

The Brebbia. Not sure how much it was supposed to cost. I wouldn't say it's smoked better but it was shocking to me how much easier it was to smoke it well (what I meant by handling). I got it for 30 bucks actually but that's cause my local shop owner refused to sell me a pipe before it went on sale and then someone bought it. So I got the offer of sale price on the other pipe for the Brebbia. And full disclosure I consider anything over 60 bucks to be expensive (since you're paying for extras and the service the item imparts can be bought for much less).

 

[bnichols23]

I did not know about Morgan Bone Pipes.
Thank you very much for sharing.

Bones are good pipes. Excellent for anybody who wants a good-enough pipe for a not-outrageous amount of coins. I've got 2-3, one of which is a little apple I normally keep in the car console to make sure I always have at least one available.

 

[curl]

So I got with the program, and bought one of Chris’s tampers, too. Plus a Tulip is on the way!

 

[goldenmole]

I agree with the praise for Morgan Bones pipes and comparable simple but honest pipes. I love the unfinished feel of "raw" wood, the sandblast exposing the flaws/character and giving me that tactile feel.. while at the same I need not be overly careful with the pipe.

 

[curl]

We returned home from our little Christmas trip and this was waiting in our mailbox. It’s a good clencher.

 

[danimalia]

I bought a Radice on Christmas from sp.eu and noticed something. The EU version has different pricing for many pipes. If you look ar their selection of Savinellis you will see that many are significantly less than on the American site. They do free shipping for orders above 75 euro, but i think its only 7 euro if you don't qualify. I also don't believe they collect sales tax like the American site has to for certain states*. All this adds up to savings.

*To be clear I do not have any issue with SP collecting sales tax. On the contrary, I appreciate that they're willing to comply and keep offering goods for sale to my state.

 

[bent1]

solid choices & easy reading, helpful reviews, especially for those new to piping. Thx for the Tsuge Tasting pipe info, didn’t realize that line was available.

I have over 300 pipes in my collection spanning a range of price points, artisan & production briars, meers, cobs, Falcons, & estate pipes. My every day knock a-bouts are the Missouri Meerschaum Cobbit line. Have always been a cool dry, flavorful smoke.

My $0.02 regarding estates, pre 1980 GBD’s & Comoy’s seem to deliver a consistently good smoke And span a wide range of finishes & shapes. But, i’d only purchase from a reputable estate sellers. A few that come to mind, Pipestud, Marty Pulvers, Smoking Pipes, just to name a few.

 

[bent1]

I'll take an estate GBD or Comoy's over most mid-price new pipes, just for the stemwork alone. But, the need cleaned and some might have stubborn ghosts, so that route is not for everyone.

Agree on stemwork. If it’s not comfortable, thin, comfortable, or fitting the lines of the pipe, it doesn’t work for me.

Enjoy reading everyone’s input on this thread.

 

[bullet08]

started with morgan bones. still have them. saving them for aromatics. right now only smoke peterson. i like the way peterson pipes look. but for the price, morgan bones are hard to beat.

 

[docrameous]

I've got a Rossi that i picked up for about $55. Excellent pipe! That combined with a couple of straight stemmed cobs, I really don't 'need' anything else.... of course 'need' is relative and I might pick up another briar at some point... but functionally for the occasional smoker I am, I have all my bases covered for well under $100.

 

[Idahojoe]

I would agree with many here in that shopping for estate pipes can provide quality pipes for reasonable prices. Some of my best smokers were acquired from Ebay.
That being said, I have had great success from newly purchased pipes (all for under or just over$100) by makers such as Chacom, Comoy's, Gasparini, and Savinelli. Additionally, I purchased a Dr. Grabow from Amazon a while back on a whim ($35) and it has proven to be an excellent smoker.

 

[alaskanpiper]

I would agree with many here in that shopping for estate pipes can provide quality pipes for reasonable prices. Some of my best smokers were acquired from Ebay.
That being said, I have had great success from newly purchased pipes (all for under or just over$100) by makers such as Chacom, Comoy's, Gasparini, and Savinelli. Additionally, I purchased a Dr. Grabow from Amazon a while back on a whim ($35) and it has proven to be an excellent smoker.

Yep, as mentioned in the OP estates are an excellent option that should be explored.

Never heard of Gasparini! I’ll have to take a look.

 

[subsalac]

Thank you for this. Sometime this year I shall resume ebaying, and this thread has been a very informative study.