Report on Vintage Hilsons

[foggymountain]

Early this year I asked for opinions here about Hilson pipes. The comments were positive so I got one. Then a few more, etc. Now I have 15. These pipes were turned in the 1970s, then the company closed. It was sold not too long ago and the buyer received a lot of unfinished small pipes. Most are about a Dunhill #2 size. The pipes were finished and they were sold as Vintage Hilsons. There are two versions. The best are labelled Special Grain. The Specials sell for about $106 at Alpascia, the others cost approx. $70 at Pipes & Cigars. Predictably the regulars do not smoke quite as well as the Specials, which have a tighter grain. The regulars have a metal device at the tenon which prevents passing a cleaner through. It is easily removed and discarded. The stems of these pipes are quite slim. One of the 15 had the tenon broken off inside the pipe when I tried to remove the stem. Way too tight, but this is sometimes a problem with much more expensive pipes as well. Overall these Hilsons are the best smoking pipes for the price that I have tried. Once broken in, the Specials are as good as anything. I often smoke one when I want a short smoke, and recommend them. They are all smooth finished and the stain does not ruin the taste of the pipe. A bargain.

 

[numbersix]

Thanks for the report foggy. I saw them at P&C, sadly they're not in the budget right now - but good to know anyway.

 

[mso489]

I've seen Hilsons at P&C and one or two other sites, and they always intrigue me. I think at one point the Hilsons were made

in The Netherlands, and maybe for a while in Belgium. I would think all of the briar is more than well-aged. I've recently become

more of a fan of small pipes. It's surprising what a good smoke you can get out of a Group 1 or 2, sometimes 15 or 20 minutes

or more depending on the blend and cut. Foggy, you really took the plunge with 15 pipes; I think you are now the Forums Hilson

expert.

 

[foggymountain]

MSO: I am an expert at getting cursed out by my wife, not about Hilsons. I do have more Hilsons than any other brand except Dunhill. That is because they are a remarkable value and I love smoking them.

 

[jah76]

I have 5 Hilson's, 4 of which I think are Belgium made. Four of them are great smokers. I haven't bought any of the NOS that you mention Foggy, but I have been thinking about getting one. I've yet to knowingly smoke an oil cured pipe as of yet, since 99% of my pipes are off ebay and I'm unsure if my Hilson's got the oil treatment that some of those vintage pipes got.
One particular Hilson Dublin I have is hands down one of the best pipes I own. It just smokes flakes better then any other pipe I own.

 

[nsfisher]

I have a beauty that I picked up at an Old Guy's Barn Sale this past Spring. It is a great looking pipe, light and easy to smoke, but for some unknown reason, I just can't get into it. Came with a carry case and baccy pouch, for $10.00.

 

[admin]

I have a couple myself -
Hilson Prince Vintage Special Grain

Hilson Vintage Special Grain (Strawberry Shape?)

 

[admin]

Here is some info I have from a source that asked to remain anonymous:
The Royal Dutch Pipe Factory has had many ups & downs due to being a family owned company for so many years. Most recent as in the last 10-15 years it goes like this.
The uncle dies who is the main owner and chief. So then you have a son and son in law fighting for control. Business goes down for pipes as cigars go up. Son in law gets kicked out or bought out, who knows. New sole owner is in deep for several years so I guess in spring of 2012 he goes bankrupt in order to get rid of staff, lower costs, and shed some debt.
He had a very good idea of what he needed to do since no one with with any common sense would be interested in buying a pipe factory. After a month or 2 he was able to buy the company back from the bank and restart things under a new corporation & keep selling all the same stuff. Please keep in mind that this info is NOT 100% for sure info as I was told bits and piece of the story by the owner ...
Lord only knows what the REAL story is with so many years of drama. Big Ben is his main focus and Hilson is a much smaller part of the line.
With regard to the Vintage Hilson pipes ...
These bowls were turned in the 1960's and 70's but never used because almost all the production since 1980 when Royal Dutch bought Hilson has been 9mm for the European market. A few years ago the bowls were re-discovered and finished to be Hilson Vintage pipes.

 

[plateauguy]

I had firmly made the decision to concentrate on 3 pipe brands: Peterson, Comoy and GBD.
Now I see Kevin's Hilsons and think, "What the hell, 4 is a good number. Add Hilson to the list." You guys are not good influences!

 

[jah76]

Thanks for the info Kevin. I like their old Prince shapes.
Roth, I kind of wondered that.
Their shapes have really varied over the years. Some of the older pipes are "smaller" and classic shapes and some of the slightly older pipes are weird sitter/freehands, dromedarys(ies?), and bigger more danish styles. Then there is the whole Fantasia line.
And now some of their newest seem to move in a whole different direction. I've been promising myself thatmy first "expensive" (for me) pipe is going to be new and Italian but some of the newer Hilson's I've seen look really nice at least via the interwebs.