Thinking about adding a Pete

[billypm]

What an amazing list of problems! Yikes. I guess I should consider myself lucky, since I've owned a dozen or so Petes over the years and never had a single one with any problems whatsoever. Lucky for me, since I love the styles and shapes so much I'd probably buy them anyway.
If fills bug you, go for a rusticated finish. And I would certainly buy an estate Peterson over a new one if possible. Break-in with a Peterson can be long and difficult-- worth it in my opinion, but why not let somebody else do it for you? A well cared for but well smoked Pete will stand a pretty good chance of smoking well-- since somebody smoked it a lot and took care of it in the process. If you want the full experience, buy a system pipe in the rusticated finish. If the system seems like it might be a tad fiddley to you, try a Donegal.
Or just pick one you like the looks of and roll the dice. I have never regretted doing so.

 

[mso489]

I've been lucky with Petersons. The ones I have, all of which are good smokers, are Killarneys 999 P-Lip (bent Rhodesian)

and a B11 bent brandy smooth ebony; an Around the World bulldog (Ireland); and a Kapet author. Also a Shannon B11

bent brandy, and a Belgique Group 1. Most of these were bought at least two years ago when prices were better, and

apparently so was quality. I have no System pipes and only the one P-Lip.

 

[puffdoggie]

I have 5 older System Petes that I bought new many years ago and have never had a problem. I just bought 2 recently (317 & calabash) but haven't smoked them yet. They don't show any flaws and both pass the pipe cleaner test. I don't anticipate any issues. Happy puffin',
Dave

 

[rcstan]

If you have the chance to examine it in person, and/or discuss with a live person what you're buying, you should have no issues. Estates are fine too. Remember, eBay is a pig in a poke, even with a decent return policy, that's too much trouble.
junkyarddawg, if you don't mind me asking, where did you buy said Petersons, and more importantly, having (presumably) noticed those issues with them, why did you decide to smoke them instead of returning them?
To stay on topic, I would get a Donegal Rocky either new or estate. They are rusticated and hold their finish pretty well. They're overall good reliable smokers.

 

[mrenglish]

I've got 23 Peterson's in my rotation. One more and my pipe rack will be full and that will be it. The newer ones may issues, not all but a good amount. Just make sure to ask lots of questions. I've probably traded off another seven or eight Peterson's because they were not smoking good enough, didn't like the shape, smoked wet, etc.
If you go the eBay route, ask questions on what was smoked in the past. I've only gotten a few estates and there were a chore to rid of previous tobacco out of, even on so called ready to smoke estates.
If you go with a bent pipe, I highly recommend getting something with a military mount. Smokingpipes.com has a sandblasted Kildare series for less than a hundred bucks. Nickle mount and fishtail military bit. I've got four of them and they are great smokers. Just ask them to examine the pipe to make sure the drilling is good, it passes a cleaner, etc. Note most bent Peterson's usually do not pass a cleaner into the bowl. Even the non system pipes have a little well that catches the cleaner.
My recommendation would be to get a new one, like Kildare or unsmoked old stock.

 

[wilson]

I don't have a Pete, but I understand your desire to own one. They are an iconic brand and the military mounts are classic. If I ever stumbled on a deal, I'd take the plunge. Good luck, I hope you find a great one.