Rattray's Pipe Quality

[Parkland_Puffer]

I have two that I really like

 

[PaulTheScandinavian]

The majority of Rattray's pipes of today are made in St Claude France

 

[Peter - CCB]

Picked up “the judge” poker new for $80 on eBay. I was going to sell but liked it enough to keep and smoke. It’s my only one. I really like it but I have had a bit of an issue with the airway being narrow. For some reason it keeps clogging when my others done. Filter or no filter… I may widen the airway eventually. I like the pipe aside from that though. I’ve heard it’s a higher end Butz Choquin essentially but by quality or fanciness and name? I don’t know the brand enough to say.

I took a better look at the airway and it’s not drilled that wide at the end, into the bowl. I’m going to use a hand drill and open it up. Beyond that, it’s great. I believe at the time, they were made by Butz Choquin but yeah. It’s varied.

 

[Nicolasylvain]

They look great but I hate the hiding behind cliché names and having to do detective work to find out where a pipe was even made.

For that reason I cant bring myself to buy a Scottish themed German pipe made in 3rd and 4th countries X and Y.

 

[mso489]

If Rattray's are made in St. Claude, that would be a good thing, since France has a highly cultivated pipe industry. However, I would prefer to buy that French history and quality from one of the established French names, since Rattray's point of origin seems changing and uncertain. France was where briar became a major commercial pipe material, and many of the "classic English pipe" shapes originated in France. French pipes are consistently above their price point in quality, including in design. But stick with the established French pipe makers.