Savinelli Is Messing Up Badly

[didimauw]

The stain wouldn't bother me all that much. Atleast it's not blotchy. And stain can seep through from the outside, no matter how careful the carvers are.

 

[Hillcrest]

Being sensitive is no fun.

Your video is interesting. Go to 2:02 and you will see the man use a brush to put a purple-ish liquid into the mortises before he fits the stems on. That purple stain looks like the same stain I see in my mortise. Those pipes are judging from the yellow stems, I think, from the Miel series which get a very light stain which is nothing at all like the purple liquid he is putting in the mortise.

By the way, look at the first picture I posted. The whole mortise is full of purple stain. You can see the bare briar (which is a light ashy color) only inside the draft hole.

I agree with salt and alcohol recommendation for 24 hours. Clearly Savinelli isn't your brand. If that doesn't work put it up for sale on the sale thread here and someone will buy it and use the money for something else. I just bought a NOS italian pipe and the chamber coating went all the way up the draft hole ... it took 2 alcohol soaked bristle cleaners and 2 regular both ends to clean it out. It happens.

 

[Chasing Embers]

I expected more people to be agree with me about stain tasting bad and about stain in the mortise

I've never noticed an off taste from chamber coatings or stain. Stain in the chamber and mortise really isn't going to affect anything but if you are unhappy with the purchase, I'll agree with the sending it back comments.

 

[olkofri]

Yes, I agree. I purchased my first Savinelli last February and there was stain in the mortise: easy to tell because the alcohol-soaked cleaner came off red after swabbing the mortise.

Worst part was this:




Obviously their QA is shit.

 

[hoosierpipeguy]

I'd smoke it 5 or 10 times. I can't fathom the unpleasant flavor wouldn't be gone by then. Then, do them a favor and don't buy from them again.

 

[captainsousie]

"I'm sensitive to smells" does not match with "I'll use acetone next!"

 

[Zamora]

It seems so many esteemed brands like Savinelli and Peterson are slipping with quality control. I intend to eventually purchase pipes from both but I'll probably go the estate route. You won't save much money getting an estate from those two but at least there's reasonable assurance it's a quality smoker.

 

[olkofri]

"I'm sensitive to smells" does not match with "I'll use acetone next!"

Acetone smells quite nice, actually.

 

[Chasing Embers]

It seems so many esteemed brands like Savinelli and Peterson are slipping with quality control.

Don't forget Dunhill and Castello!

 

[Zamora]

Don't forget Dunhill and Castello!

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I didn't know the White Spot has slipped too. That's okay, I've never been particularly interested in getting one because for the price of even their cheapest lines I could just commission something from an artisan.

 

[Chasing Embers]

because for the price

Estates can sometimes get them for under $50. One fellow here got one for $1 at a yard sale.

 

[Zamora]

Estates can sometimes get them for under $50. One fellow here got one for $1 at a yard sale.

That doesn't surprise me, I certainly would get one if it was at a reasonable price let alone an undersell. Most antique dealers probably have no idea about how much different brands generally go for and obviously neither do the people selling their grandpa's pipes after he died, pipes are pipes to most people.

 

[Chasing Embers]

pipes are pipes to most people.

Even to some of us.

 

[Sobrbiker]

Glad I’ve been buying estates, I’ve gotten a rack full of middle 20th century American pipes, new cobs and a meer over the past three months that all smoke great for less than the cost of one new top brand production pipe.

 

[dPero]

Over the past few weeks I have bought and returned several "high end" Savinellis. What a joke this brand has become. They all have stain in the bowl and even worse in the mortise. I have had too many bad experiences with stain in bowls and especially the mortise of pipes. Stain in the mortise especially imparts a very unpleasant taste to the smoke. Funny enough I dealt with this with a very expensive Dunhill. Like the idiot I am I smoked one of these Savinellis so now I cannot return it. I tried removing the stain from the mortise with alcohol but it did not budge. This weekend I will try removing it with acetone. Imagine spending several hundred dollars on a pipe to then have to do science experiments on it.

Here are some pictures of the one that arrived today. This is a Punto Oro Gold which is supposed to be a premium pipe. Can anyone explain why there is dark stain in the mortise?

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Needless to say I will not be smoking this one. This thing is going back immediately and I don't think that I will ever bother buying another Savinelli. I don't know what the hell you need to do to find a decent pipe these days, but if anyone has a clue let me know.

Should I let the seller (smokingpipes.com) know? Do you think they can tell Savinellli to fix their crap? Do you think they care? Nobody seems to care about anything anymore.

Try other italians if you want italian pipes- posella; rinaldo; radice…

 

[craig61a]

Perhaps you should read the rules…

12. Complaints About a Service / Product / Maker / Brand

Publicly posting a complaint about any service, product, maker, or brand is only allowed AFTER you have contacted them directly with the issue, and given them 36 hours to respond, and another 24 hours to resolve the isuue.

We DO NOT ALLOW posts like this:

"I am unhappy with this pipe I just bought because of....... How in the heck could they even sell this thing... blah blah blah. Should I call them and complain? Should I return it?"

Yes. You should contact them before making a post about it, and you should only post about it if it is unresolved.

 

[LeafErikson]

I've never noticed an off taste from chamber coatings or stain. Stain in the chamber and mortise really isn't going to affect anything but if you are unhappy with the purchase, I'll agree with the sending it back comments.

He said his palate is a bit sensitive and it bothers him. I wouldn't taste the difference either but I believe him when he says he does.

 

[LeafErikson]

I have cheap French pipes full of fills but with zero stain inside the bowl or mortise. They smoked perfectly and tasted great from the first bowl.

In my experience, pound for pound, french pipes are the best factory-made briar pipes. I love my savinellis as well but man those old french pipes are something else. There are so many old stummels laying around St. Claude from decades ago (when many more pipes were sold annually), that they are just off-loading them for a lower price. The only negative I can find with them is that the vulcanite is of a lower quality so I'd suggest having a few on hand for rotating. Smoking the same one all day could end up oxidizing the stem quicker. The good news is that 3 of them can be shipped to you door for $100 and I'd bet you that those pipes on your doorstep were originally carved for Comoy, Dunhill, Genod, Wally Frank, or some other famous pipe brand.

 

[Chasing Embers]

but I believe him when he says he does.

Never said I didn't, I was just telling him to send it back if unhappy with the purchase.

 

[anotherbob]

Oh I am sure that smokingpipes would accommodate me. I'm not worried about that at all. But what should I know about acetone? I think I remember mixing acetone and styrofoam together in my hands when I was a kid. I think it is flammable too.

yeah it is I know because I was such a freaking pyro as a child that I can legit consider every day a bonus.