I guess this is what you get for $45. Broken mortise, but it was drilled wayyyy off center and couldn’t pass a pipe cleaner anyhow. Not a bad looking pipe, but now it’s probably just going in the trash. You get what you pay for, as they say.
Ropp Failure
- Thread starter Johnny_Pipecleaner
- Start date
Not even worth it for that jalopy
Don't get me wrong, but what is there to proof? It's a $45 pipe, which doesnt seem a lot of money for a briar pipe if you take into consideration the process front to back. I think there are ppl who smoke a $45 or less pipe for years and years and don't have those problems, same as ppl spend 3 figures on a pipe and get the same problems or shoddy drilling.
@Johnny_Pipecleaner: Hey you could bunch it together with a few other burnt out cobs and then claim you found them in a cupboard at some University. Put a label on the bottom of the rack saying 'Property of A. Einstein' and sell the whole group for a gazillion dollars and buy yourself a thirty day set of those really nice pipes like the one you just purchased! Just a thought.........
Damn, I got three of them and they are fantastic. I’d return it.
Or save it for a camping or yard pipe. You certainly won't mind if it gets roughed up.
I recently turned on to a couple Ropp princes and love them. They are straights though so airway alignment isn't typically an issue. Great little smokers for the price for sure.
Keep in case you ever decide to get into repair and refinishing. Or send it to me to destroy!
I have two Ropps that were inexpensive but smoke very well. I think low priced factory pipes are like that, but it is a lottery the customer usually wins. In general French pipes deliver well above their price point, but I wouldn't blame you for having a low opinion of the brand. That sort of stays with you. I'm assuming you've tried this one and it is a bummer. Sometimes everything is wrong but they smoke great.
It's a natural material, manipulated by man and machines, there are bound to be failures. Trash it if you wish. Salvage it if you wish. But, your next purchase may be worse or better.
@warren Its comments like that make me appreciate your posts! Brilliant. Absolutely brilliant!
Prices have nothing to do with it IMHO could happened to a pricy briar , it’s wood after all ! One of my 4$ cob is in top condition even after 4-5 years 800 bowls+ and smoke even better than a castello i purchased for $400.
Warren spits gold sometimes. He's like my opposite. He almost never says anything but it's always plainly accurate. I talk none stop and mostly bollocks.
That's to bad. My oldest ropp is only a week or two but I probably smoke 5-6 bowls a day from it and I'm pretty happy with the half dozen I own so far. Then again I'm a newbie that probably couldn't tell the difference between a 40$ pipe and a 400$ pipe.
To be clear, are you saying the Stummel doesn't pass a pipecleaner? Or are you just saying that while assembled the stem and stummel combined won't pass a cleaner?
Almost no bent pipes will pass a cleaner through stem and stummel at once, but this summer I paid $280 for a Peder Jeppesen pipe that won't even pass a pipecleaner through the stummel alone. Major pain and major disappointment.
As long as you can easily clean the pipe while it's disassembled you're doing well.
While assembled it won't pass a pipe cleaner. I know this is not uncommon in the bent world, but it's annoying. I often get a gurgle midway through a bowl when I smoke bents, and I like to be able to quickly remedy that with a pipe cleaner.
Yes I know I could do the wrist fling trick, or simply buy bent pipes with spigot/military mount so they can be disassembled hot.
This thread shouldn't even exist. As a fellow Dutchman said a few posts above, what am I trying to prove? Sorry for wasting everyone's time. I just wanted to bellyache about my cheap pipe. Go back to your knitting, everyone
