The Quality and Value of Pipes Costing Below $96

[jah76]

As usual it's always nice to see a varied response.
I built up the majority of my collection with mid grade factory pipes. I've rotated out the ones that didn't work for me and I've got a nice stable of reliable pipes. I finally bought my first $300+ new pipe and I have to say it smokes finer out of the gate then any other pipe I have. Flavors just taste "richer" in it.
Aberration? Is it justification on my part? I don't know, but there's something going on with this pipe that even with a bare wood bowl everything tastes better in it.
All that being said...I love finding a nice virgin finish (or I strip it), old piece of briar for 20 bucks on ebay and rehabbing it. Some of those old Belgium Hilsons smoke fantastically dry and smooth.

 

[bigpond]

OP:
I don't like smoking cobs. I know people love 'em but for me, cobs taste like corn and smoke wet. This is a personal thing.
My peterson has at least one fill, the bowl was delivered out of round, there's a gap between the tenon and stem and the stem itself is drilled inconsistently and isn't smooth where the fish tail flares. My savinelli has no issues at all. None. Small sample size I know. If I was going to buy another pipe from either I would expect the best from Sav vs hope for the best with Pete.
I think I paid somewhere from 100-130 for my sav 320 and it came with a free 3.5 oz tin. You can certainly find 320's within your budget. I'll take 1 decent 320 over 30 cobs anyday. I've smoked it back to back to back with a simply wiping down of the bowl and a few pipe cleaners in between. No problems. And yes, that was a looooogggggg smoke :puffpipe:

Pipes adhere to the same rules of nearly every other material item or service....you get what you pay for! I'm not trying to be curt or give you a smart ass answer, but the more you pay for an item the more features you will get, whether that is better fit and finish or better briar or a more comfortable stem or better air flow etc..

I'm glad to say I've found the above doesn't always ring true with pipes. Let's face it, pipes aren't complicated tools. Large factories that spit out thousands of the exact same pipe are more likely to imho to make a well smoking pipe than a carver that essentially reinvents the wheel each time.
It took me a while to figure out why expensive hand made one offs didn't always offer a smoking experience as good as my $25 busted up Comoy's. A good block beats a bad one and bad blocks still sneak past good carvers.
If I had my druthers, no pipe would ever be sold unsmoked since thats the only way to really tell. Mark Twain was on to something!

 

[pitchfork]

Variants of this question come up all the time. I always recommend Stanwell in this price range -- I've never been let down and have never encountered one with any kind of defect. Very consistent pipes with a nice, open draw. Stems are all acrylic, though, so you either like acrylic or you don't.
I'm sad to see that Petersons are now priced over $100 on Smokingpipes. With their hit-and-miss quality control, that pretty much means I won't likely buy another new Peterson, even though I like the shapes and finishes.
I've never owned a Savinelli, but others who have always recommend them. Ditto with Sebastian Beo -- I don't own one, but they appear to be a great value.

 

[tarak]

+1 pitchfork on the Petersons, I've heard way too much mixed reviews, and with prices going up, I won't be risking one.
If no one has said it yet- this why estates are a great route. Spend that $96 on an estate and you'll really be holding something.

 

[beastkhk]

I usually stay in the under $50 dollar range with either estate or budget level pipes. I came across a deal on a donegal and wanted to get it for someone as a gift. When it arrived I looked it over to see what these over $50 pipes were all about. I have to say I was not overly impressed by the fit and finish for that level of cost. Granted I didn't smoke it (which is all that matters in my mind), but the draft hole looked kind of off which is a red flag in my mind.
I later picked myself up a Stanwell Vario from P and C for less than half the price of the Peterson and that is currently my favorite pipe. Draft hole drilling was far superior.
If smoking is the hobby I don't think you need to spend more than $50 to be able to fully enjoy it; if pipes and collecting is the hobby I can easily see it being in the $150+ range for that satisfaction.(Unless that pipe collecting satisfaction is supplemented from getting a really good deal on higher end estate pipes)

 

[menuhin]

I have to add that there are many unsmoked 'estate' pipes out there, (French, English, Scandinavian, German, American) that should smoke decently well, and definitely within the $96 price limit OP set. Better than my new Peterson's pipes at least. I rarely buy pipes totally new these days.

 

[frozenchurchwarden]

Ok I just started working on my second Ashton and they are definitely not drilling their buttons right.

The airway in the stem is nice and large but they don't maintain the same volume when transitioning to the button, exploring it with a dental pick there is a definite lip where the slot meets the end of the airway.

Imagine putting a square slotted cover on a round shaft, that's what the button is on both of my Ashtons.

 

[frozenchurchwarden]

After finishing with that one the airway still isn't as open as the first and hasn't changed a lot, though it wasn't bad to begin with (I am comparing a straight pipe with a full bent so that might also have something to do with it)

The level of air restriction isn't the entire issue, knowing that there are snags in the airway by design is just odd.

 

[maxx]

NorthernNeil - smokingpipes has several Sebastian Beo Dublins, a shape I intend to get. I'll think about this.

 

[brass]

To my tastes cobs open the flavor of most blends. Briars, in contrast, subdue and focus the flavor, if that makes any sense. I have have over two dozen cobs and they all smoke well and I've never had one gurgle.
There are some blends that do better for me in a briar, and vice versa with cobbs. And then you have real meerschaums, which are their own deal.
My favorite briar smokers are Savinellis and Stanwells. I have a few more prestigious makes that smoke great but not necessarily better. You can spend big bucks on Savs.
Pax

 

[northernneil]

Maxx, I think you will be very happy with a Beo Dublin. Just note the dimensions of his pipes, they tend to be smaller than standard. That being said, the Dublins look to be slightly larger then his other pipes.

 

[settersbrace]

There are many very good factory pipes out there that smoke great that fall between the $40-$80 price range, too many to list here. What's important is for the buyer to educate themselves on how to select a cream puff from the pile. The number of people that come in to buy pipes that never even look inside the bowl astounds me, learn to take your time and be critical of what your looking at. Cobs are great for what they are, solid smokers that can endure the rough stuff, or not and you've not lost a great sum of money. Any machine made pioe can become a great smoker if it comes from decent briar stock and is drilled and fitted properly, at least to within reason. We would all love to smoke nothing but the very high end of the pipe world but reality often leaves us just wanting to. Take your time, pick the best pipe you can afford.

 

[mso489]

Amen to settersbrace's post. Getting a good pipe at a moderate price is a matter of sweat equity. You have to accept the learning curve and enjoy shopping for a while without buying anything, so you get a feel for what's available. There are always excellent pipes available in the forty to fifty dollar range, but also a lot of clunkers and junkers, so you have to learn what you're looking at, how a good piece of briar looks and hefts, and how a durable pipe is fitted together. Men tend to shop in a brisk decisive way, but this is more disciplined, with a lot of looking and thinking before any buying goes on, weeks or months isn't too much time. Learning the brands is useful. Something you know and recognize is a better bet than something unknown. Lately I've noticed a lot of cheapo basket pipes; baskets used to be where you could locate some great seconds, but not so much right now, not where I'm looking. I think buying a few new pipes is a good education before venturing into estate pipes, so you get a feel for what a baseline pipe shopping experience is like.

 

[maxx]

Speaking of shopping briskly, last night I was on eBay looking at pipes and racks (bought a rack) and nearly bought a plastic pipe!! I thought it was just ebony stained briar, and I couldn't find info on it for quite a time using Google and Pipedia - because it was the pipe called "the Pipe". Not too easy to search for, but I found a site devoted to it and the others of the same kind and maker. The dang thing is plastic with a lining in the bowl. This was only $30 and the seller didn't mention that it wasn't briar.

 

[cigrmaster]

In my expereince you get what you pay for. I would much rather spend 200-250 for an estate Rad Davis or Brian Ruthenberg or Bruce Weaver than own 4-5 50 dollar pipes. For my tastes the smoking qualities is like night and day. I love a pipe that never needs a pipe cleaner to soak up excess moisture, a pipe that smokes cool and dry every time and a pipe that has a wonderful stem that is comfortable and that adds to the smoking quality of the pipe. In lower end factory pipes the stem in many cases takes away from the smoking quality of the pipe. When a stem is not made right, it can whistle, it can produce a wet smoker which in turn makes your tobacco not perform up to it's best. I have had many stages in my collecting and I did have many estate pipes that were in the 50.00 range and while some were definitely decent smokers, not a one compared to the artisan pipes I own now. Now of course money is an issue for everyone and if I could not affrod to buy what I do now, I would go for estate Castello's, Radice's, Ardor and other Italian makers including Savinelli. My first pipe was a Sav and I still own it because it is a good smoker. At one time I had over 75 pipes in my collection, now I own only 38 pipes and all but 3 are American made artisan pipes. A guy once told me, quality over quantity is the way to go, I followed his advice and I have never been happier with my collection. There are some great deals out there if you know what to look for.

 

[pitchfork]

Harris, that's a good point -- if you're willing to pay a big more than $96, you can get a fantastic pipe that smokes like a dream.
Also, great to see you posting again!

 

[cigrmaster]

Thanks Pitch. I would much rather own a 100.00 estate Radice than any 2 50.00 pipes. Hell if you get lucky, you kight find a Radice for less than a 100.00.
Here are some pipes that I believe are a great bang for the buck if the price stays in a certain range.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/SAVINELLI-ORIGINAL-HANDMADE-ESTELLA-815-EX-PIPE-PIPESTUD-/151653012172?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item234f3952cc I once scored one of these for 75.00. He has 3 others along with this one that should all be fantastic smokers if you don't mind acrylic stems.
Here is an artisan pipe that will be a fantastic smoker. I have one in the same shape with the same stem only mine is blasted and it smokes as good as any 1000.00 pipe I have ever smoked. If you can get it under 200.00 it is a bargain.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/STEPHEN-DOWNIE-BALL-SHAPED-PIPE-WITH-CUMBERLAND-STEM-PIPESTUD-/151650656334?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item234f15604e
This pipe was made by 2 legends, Ascorti and Radice. These older Caminetto's smoke as good as any Castello and can usually be bought for 125.00 and under in perfect shape. I have owned a number of these over the years and all were fantastic smokers. I would still own them if it were not for my aversion to acrylic stems.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/CAMINETTO-BUSINESS-118-GOLD-MUSTACHE-ERA-PIPE-PIPESTUD-/391116857774?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item5b1061a1ae
I personally would rather spend the money on a pipe like this than a new Peterson or many other new factory pipes. One thing I have learned over the years is that in general, Italian factory pipes smoke cooler and drier than any other countries pipes.

 

[maxx]

I must admit, I'm attracted to many Italian designs. They're robust, and I love robust things. Savenelli, though, I see as a filter pipe, even though not all of them are; and I don't place them in the same category as the Italians I like.

 

[chalbach72]

Savinelli often offers a replacement/filler to put in place instead of the filter, so that really shouldn't be in the equation.
In my nubile experience, I've found that the factory-mades most definitely hold their own. I'd rather smoke my Neerup, but there's nothing stopping me from putting it down and picking up my Rossi, which is still one of my favorite pipes.
If you like the way it looks, the way it feels, I say you can't go wrong, my friend!

 

[lordofthepiperings]

I love my Petersons. I have yet to get one that wasn't a good smoker.
I definitely second going the estate route. SmokingPipes has an excellent restoration department that does top notch work. You can get some nice estates at a very good price from them.