Storient Regret

[checotah]

No, this is not another story of an order with Storient gone bad. Rather it is a lament of an opportunity missed. When Yavuz brought out his PM2012 pipe last year, I had just ordered, and received, his LVC pipe, and was really thinking about ordering the PM pipe, but had to wait a bit for the pipe budget to rebuild. About that time, he went South on us, and the rest is history. I just still regret not getting one of those pipes....no, I won't order from him, but the longing for the pipe remains.....

 

[foggymountain]

I ordered the Lee Van Cleef. He said he had 10 in stock and would ship it the next day. 2 weeks later he said shipping was slowed down because of Ramadan. Then he admitted he had none and would make one soon. I asked how he got the color. He said the Owen method. I asked what that was. He said put on wax and stick it in the owen. A few days before a month was up I made a Paypal claim and they returned the money.

 

[easterntraveler]

With all the complaints why do people still buy from them. Some sort of sick self torture?

 

[voorhees]

He only sells to vendors now, I'd buy one, just not through him directly. My LVC is a great pipe.

 

[cigrmaster]

voorhees, please do not take this the wrong way and of course do whatever you feel is right, but even if you buy one of Storients pipes from a vendor, you are still supporting a guy, who has robbed a lot of people. By buying one of his pipes from a vendor you would be allowing him to stay in business,and a guy like that should be in jail, never mind operating a thriving business. Just my thoughts on the subject.

 

[dnietosi]

Hey at least you did not get a sour plastic smelling strambach and are still waiting to get a replacement! :P

 

[voorhees]

Harris, I understand your feelings and honestly by the time I ever buy another Meter, Storient will be just a memory. I value your opinion and actually was looking at meer pipes made by Baki that come from inside the USA. I was only saying I would own another due to its good design. Cheers.

 

[rigmedic1]

It is a shame though, that things turned out like they did regarding Storient. I enjoy my meer regularly, it is a good pipe, and only my second Turkish meer. I have a couple of African meerschaums, and there is a huge difference between the two types. On a different note, Checotah, you should be able to commission a pipe like that with other meerschaum sellers. If I was longing for a pipe, I would consider that alternative.

 

[JimInks]

Rigmedic1: would you please tell us what you feel the differences between African and Turkish meers are?

 

[dnietosi]

I was actually checking Baki pipes web. The have this BC511 that is very similar in design to the sitter. Probably more expensive than the storient but very good looking and good smoker for sure. Maybe next year by my birthday when I recover (psychologically) from my Strambach fiasco.
Cheers,

 

[cigrmaster]

voorhees, I understand where you are coming from. I think Baki would be a great choice as I have only heard great things about his work.

 

[bentmike]

I had already purchased a Storient meer before the PM edition came out. As mentioned the whole Storient debacle is unfortunate and I wish it hadn't gone down like it did. I still love my #11 and I look at it this way; Yavuz didn't carve my pipe, A turkish Artisan did. Yavuz was just the middle-man. Fortunately PM has a new meerschaum sponsor that is a pleasure to deal with and one I will do business with again.

 

[jerry]

Regarding Baki pipes: I have five of them and they are my most smoked pipes. I hold them in very high regard, as I do Deniz Ural, who sells them.

 

[rigmedic1]

Turkish meerschaum is very lightweight, perfectly white, and seems to color evenly. All of the African meerschaum I have handled was off white, almost yellow, and is very heavy by comparison. The Pioneer African Meer I still own was stained black, and typically the African meers were stained because the natural color is irregular.
I did find the smoking qualities to be similar, and both types chip easily when dropped.

 

[slownumbers39]

No, this is not another story of an order with Storient gone bad. Rather it is a lament of an opportunity missed. When Yavuz brought out his PM2012 pipe last year, I had just ordered, and received, his LVC pipe, and was really thinking about ordering the PM pipe, but had to wait a bit for the pipe budget to rebuild. About that time, he went South on us, and the rest is history. I just still regret not getting one of those pipes....no, I won't order from him, but the longing for the pipe remains.....

I was lucky enough to get that exact pipe (above), from Storient, just before everything turned bad. It took some work to get it as his communication was terrible, but luckily he sent it out to me. I really like the pipe, but I also wanted the LVC, and missed out on that. Seems my situation is the opposite of the OP and we each covet the other's pipe choice, lol.
Does anyone know of other vendors that have the LVC pipe available or was it just Storient?

 

[jerry]

Altinok has the LVC pipe: http://altinokmeerschaumpipes.com/search_results.asp?iLevel=1&txtsearchParamCat=ALL&txtsearchParamMan=ALL&txtsearchParamVen=ALL&txtsearchParamType=ALL&txtFromSearch=fromSearch&txtsearchParamTxt=Lee&Submit.x=0&Submit.y=0

 

[gothamtobacco]

I think Meerschaumstore.com (this websites sponsor) makes lvc pipes
There is also a good vendor that sells you the exact pipe you see in the photo ( unlike turkish vendors) They are located in europe but they ship worldwide.
Here is their website ( in german but hit "pfeifen" then "meerschaum" and you will see the meerschaum pipes)
http://www.pfeifenstudio-frank.de/

You can ask them in English (preferably send a photo of the pipe you are interested )

Here is their email : info@pfeifenstudio-frank.de

 

[colcolt]

Storient is a very sore spot with me but, I won't get into all that as I've already done it some while back. Harris knows the story. Suffice it to say he started good. I was probably one of his first few customers and couldn't believe I got my pipe in just a few days all the way from Turkey. I was elated and most happy with it. The second pipe was a disaster. He lied about it, backed up and blamed it on the carvers and on and on until I finally demanded my money back which I did receive. He was like a Jekyll/Hyde. Who knows, maybe he has a bipolar problem.

 

[gothamtobacco]

colcolt storient or altinok ..I heard enough horror stories about both of them on forums.

I don't want a new meerschaum right now but when I want one I ll buy a Baki or a meerschaum pipe from a reputable European / American vendor.

 

[slownumbers39]

jerry & gothamtobacco, thanks for the information and the links. When I am ready to purchase it, I will look them up.