I dont think older are better but I do buy estates. Im thrifty and I also seem to like like buying pipes. Some estates are expensive but I get pipes by folks like Kai Nielsen, Peter Klein, Paul Becker as well a Ser Jacopo for the cost of a nicer new Pete. To me its just no contest.
Quality of Modern Pipes vs Good Quality Vintage Pipes
- Thread starter jtkuga
- Start date
Site Sponsors
PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor
PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor
PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor
PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor
Stampings matter if you are buying a "collector's piece".
Or if you are are a collector or looking at re-selling down the line
I buy pipes primarily for my enjoyment and to be smoked. They are not intended to be rack queens.
I have quite a few pieces that have been overbuffed and where the stampings or hallmarks are illegible.
That's not a deal-breaker for me, if I like the pipe in question.
I have bought from that vendor before.
He does a good job of cleaning up his pipes, and I have been very happy with the ones I've gotten from him.
You would be pretty safe buying an unsmoked estate if you like the pipe. A presmoked pipe from a reputable dealer, like smoking pipes, is also pretty safe and the description is usually accurate. I'm sure the shipping will be cheaper if you buy both pipes but why not just get the unsmoked one and save your money for a pipe from a different maker. It's a dead certainty that you'll see something that tickles your fantasy. 
I believe the pipes you get now are an order of magnitude better! Why? Back in the day pipe smoking was much more popular than it is today. They could not source good quality brier as there was pressure on the resource. Now the quality of the wood is much much higher, because there is less of us and the wood is simply getting older and better before it is hacked down to make a pipe. The grain of today vs what they had 50 years ago was leagues ahead. Now this does not always mean it is a better smoker but it is better wood from the start. Go look at a smooth pipe from yesteryear, look at the grain then go to a high end pipe maker and look at the grain. There is no comparison, what you have for yesteryear is nostalgia, myth and whatnot. 20 years ago it was very hard to find a Savinelli even the rusticated ones like the alligator that did not have fill. Today you can get smooth flawless Savinelli's something that was simply not the norm. It is funny if you consider the pipe is already rusticated so you should not need any filler, but even they had fillers as the quality sucked!
I own around 150 pipes but have restored over 300. I have a few pipes that I have paid well over $300 for but most of my pipes are old estate pipes that were in rough shape that I have restored. I would say my average dor an estate pipe is around $15-$20. I only own 2 pipes that I consider to be poor smokers. In general the older estate pipes(even some of the least expensive Dr Grabows) smoke about the same as my high end artisan pipes. We have to remember that a pipe is essentially a delivery system for tobacco/nicotine. Most pipes, old or new, inexpensive
or expensive do so that fairly well. Just my 2 cents.
or expensive do so that fairly well. Just my 2 cents.
I agree with it. Late "Palmer era" Petes are quite questionable by quality and need to be inspected very thoroughly. However, I can say that "Laudisi era" Petes are also non-sinless. Yes, QC process has been improved, but, still, my retailer has plenty of pipes to send back. I check every Pete I buy very carefully despite their grade (I smoke only Petes and have 90 of them, so far).
About vintage vs modern: yes and no. Yes, because the good briar was more accesible than now. So, even fabric serial pipe yo get may be better than modern - lighter, drier, more tasty. No, because if the pipe is good, you won't put it out for sale and use it more often. If you see it for sale, sometimes, it may be expensive, often over-priced, so you can take the modern pipe with similar quality cheaper - if you are able to choose the good pipe, indeed.
Few pipes smoke better than a classic briar from the 1960’s with a soft ebonite stem that has been (and this is the key) expertly cleaned and refurbished by a reputable reseller. Buying a 50-year-old briar pipe on eBay from just any seller is a gamble. I hesitate to list names, but a pipe from a well-known seller like MBSD, Redeemed, Deadman’s Pipes etc. is likely to be tobacco ready and will provide hours of smoking enjoyment.
Read the description of the item and seller carefully and grab a bottle of food grade mineral oil or Obsidian Oil to protect the ebonite/vulcanite stem from sunlight and chances are you will enjoy your purchase for years to come. There’s just something special about the draw from aged briar and the mouthfeel of an ebonite button.
Read the description of the item and seller carefully and grab a bottle of food grade mineral oil or Obsidian Oil to protect the ebonite/vulcanite stem from sunlight and chances are you will enjoy your purchase for years to come. There’s just something special about the draw from aged briar and the mouthfeel of an ebonite button.
To the OP’s question I’ll say I’d buy the new old stock over new for the factor you pointed out-vulcanite/ebonite vs acrylic. My teeth have yet to find acrylic buttons I can comfortably clench, to the extent I’m not tossing money that direction at all. It’s getting tough to find a good new pipe for the price I’m willing to pay, which is way lower than most here. Honestly, once the price goes much north of $125 I’m looking at needs of other hobbies I choose to feed (horses, Harleys, second amendment items, and of course-more tobacco).
I have a “collection” of pipes, but am not a “collector”, but I also choose to drive a twenty year old truck I could have rebuilt for the cost of six months worth of payments on a new truck that I’d never put to use doing the things I actually do in a truck for fear of dinging an expensive item…
YMMV
If you are attracted to Savinelli pipes but the price makes you hesitate, have a look at Rossi. Rossi is to Savinelli what Blue Point is to Snap-on. I have 2 of their pipes and have no complaints.
I would agree. Rossi makes great pipes for the price.
I'll' say it again, if you are in the new pipe market and have an interest in quality of make, i.e. how they smoke: You cannot beat Briarworks for the money.
I have never had one that had a smoking issue.
They may not be the classic brand choice but they are the best smokers I own.
How they smoke vs old pipes, well how does any new pipe smoke vs their older generations? I don't really know that one.
This is just a plug for the new ones being made.
I will say this, I know the makers there personally and they all have some pretty high standards. Things I couldn't notice or tell were wrong get pipes thrown out by those guys. So the QC/QA is always there and very active.
I have never had one that had a smoking issue.
They may not be the classic brand choice but they are the best smokers I own.
How they smoke vs old pipes, well how does any new pipe smoke vs their older generations? I don't really know that one.
This is just a plug for the new ones being made.
I will say this, I know the makers there personally and they all have some pretty high standards. Things I couldn't notice or tell were wrong get pipes thrown out by those guys. So the QC/QA is always there and very active.
I own quite a bit of vintage Britwood, as well as modern artisan made pipes. I completely disagree with your thesis.
Excellent quality briar XXX plateau was available and used 140+ years ago, just as it is used today. I've seen antique pipes with stunning grain that equals anything on the market today. The reason there is far less in the way of grain queens pre WW2 is because companies didn't cut and shape for grain. That didn't become a thing until after WW2
Besides, you can't smoke grain. I doesn't improve a pipe's smoking qualities, to the contrary, straight grain is structurally weaker than mixed grain. But that's about toughness, not smoking qualities.
One thing companies like Barling and Comoy did that few contemporary makers do, was run their own harvesting, seasoning, and milling operations in Algeria. They controlled the quality from the ground to the sales counter, and they were very committed to quality. The age of the burls selected started at 65 years and went up from there.
Bottom line, excellent pipes are made in every era and crap is made in every era. The biggest differences, to the extent that they exist, are styles and shapes, bite and button design, and airway size. Many contemporary artisan carver have a more open draw than traditional pipes. But even traditional Britwood used variable airway sizes. Charatan straights were drilled at 4mm and the bents were drilled at 4.7mm, very open.
Generalities are easy to comprehend, and often incorrect.