On Stanwells and pipes:
To tell the difference between made in Denmark vs made in Italy: if it says made in Denmark – Danish made, if it says Danish Design – made in Italy, it is that easy.... . Stanwell only started making pipes in Italy in the last 2 years, having moved the plant for financial reasons. It is my understanding that the design work is still done exclusively in Denmark, with only the manufacturing done in Italy. I own one Italian made pipe to date, a 173 Rhodesian, and it is as good a smoke as any other, Danish made Stanwell in my possession... .
As with everything else, most of the pros and cons are based on personal experience and preference. Over the last 20 + years I have been smoking Stanwell pipes exclusively and consider them the best pipe made. Outside of the superb smoking qualities, the fact that they were initially designed by some of the most famous pipe makers in the world and are sold at very reasonable prices is the fact that the company stands behind their product and will always make good on any issues related to the quality of their product.
As with any mass produced items, mistakes happen. Over the last 20 years I had 3 defective Stanwell pipes make way into my collection. In each case I simply packed the pipe in a box, attached a letter explaining my complaints, mailed it to Stanwell and received a replacement pipe with apologies inside 4 weeks, no questions asked. When one of my Stanwell bamboo pipes needed a new stem, Stanwell made it at no cost – they also refurbished the pipe completely while it was in their shop!
It is the quality, the cost and the manufacturer’s support that have kept me going back for more.... .
Hope that helps....
To tell the difference between made in Denmark vs made in Italy: if it says made in Denmark – Danish made, if it says Danish Design – made in Italy, it is that easy.... . Stanwell only started making pipes in Italy in the last 2 years, having moved the plant for financial reasons. It is my understanding that the design work is still done exclusively in Denmark, with only the manufacturing done in Italy. I own one Italian made pipe to date, a 173 Rhodesian, and it is as good a smoke as any other, Danish made Stanwell in my possession... .
As with everything else, most of the pros and cons are based on personal experience and preference. Over the last 20 + years I have been smoking Stanwell pipes exclusively and consider them the best pipe made. Outside of the superb smoking qualities, the fact that they were initially designed by some of the most famous pipe makers in the world and are sold at very reasonable prices is the fact that the company stands behind their product and will always make good on any issues related to the quality of their product.
As with any mass produced items, mistakes happen. Over the last 20 years I had 3 defective Stanwell pipes make way into my collection. In each case I simply packed the pipe in a box, attached a letter explaining my complaints, mailed it to Stanwell and received a replacement pipe with apologies inside 4 weeks, no questions asked. When one of my Stanwell bamboo pipes needed a new stem, Stanwell made it at no cost – they also refurbished the pipe completely while it was in their shop!
It is the quality, the cost and the manufacturer’s support that have kept me going back for more.... .
Hope that helps....
