This Pipe Has No Right Being This Good! What is it?

[Dshift]

The last pipe of an estate lot I finished restoring was this Goldenpoint and as soon as I touched I had a feeling that it would be an amazing smoker. Boy was that an understatement… This guy outperforms all the pipes I’ve ever tried… I mean dunhills, Petersons, anything Italian or Danish… it’s not even close! It is supposed to be German made but I don’t trust that, I feel it could be something else and maybe they used the “goldenpoint” as a model name… I don’t know. Three bowls in and it feels more and more like a dunhill or a Parker or maybe a Charatan’s, but way better. When I say better, I mean it feels very solid while being extremely light, smokes very very cool, never overheats and most importantly it gives any tobacco, I put in it, a very prominent sweetness that is just not there in another pipe…Make it make sense

 

[Chasing Embers]

Make it make sense

Sounds like you're eyes are opening. The big names don't corner the market in quality. Seems the Goldpoints are made by Heibe.

 

[BingBong]

The last pipe of an estate lot I finished restoring was this Goldenpoint and as soon as I touched I had a feeling that it would be an amazing smoker. Boy was that an understatement… This guy outperforms all the pipes I’ve ever tried… I mean dunhills, Petersons, anything Italian or Danish… it’s not even close! It is supposed to be German made but I don’t trust that, I feel it could be something else and maybe they used the “goldenpoint” as a model name… I don’t know. Three bowls in and it feels more and more like a dunhill or a Parker or maybe a Charatan’s, but way better. When I say better, I mean it feels very solid while being extremely light, smokes very very cool, never overheats and most importantly it gives any tobacco, I put in it, a very prominent sweetness that is just not there in another pipe…Make it make sense View attachment 391944View attachment 391946View attachment 391947

Magic briar. Rare as rocking horse shit in the Red Sea. I have one unassuming example, like it has pixie dust on tap.

 

[Hillcrest]

That pipe is not real !!!

 

[Bbailey324]

Must be Algerian briar.

 

[Dshift]

Must be Algerian briar.

Does it really make such a stark difference?

 

[Bbailey324]

Does it really make such a stark difference?

No it was a 'tongue in cheek' comment. Certain members extoll the near magical virtues of Algerian briar while others are adamant that briar source is rather irrelevant.

 

[chilllucky]

Briar is an organic material. The burls do not grow with the pipe smoker in mind. Some pieces will be perfect smokers, some will be less so. There is no guarantee.

 

[agnosticpipe]

I'm not surprised that it smokes great. Pot shaped pipes with thick walls always smoked good for me. They're not the most popular pipe shape but they seemed designed to be really good smoking pipes. Hope you continue to enjoy smoking it!

 

[telescopes]

I'm not surprised that it smokes great. Pot shaped pipes with thick walls always smoked good for me. They're not the most popular pipe shape but they seemed designed to be really good smoking pipes. Hope you continue to enjoy smoking it!

+1

Does it really make such a stark difference?

No.

Good briar is good briar. I have amazing smokers from all genres of briar.

The myth of grain from my perspective probably is derived from the fact that great looking long grain briar is hard to find, free of defects, and representative of high quality briar. My Charlatan Make pipes each have high quality long sinewy grain that wraps can be found vertically along the pipe. This briar is near perfect if not perfect. And of course, the pipes smoke wonderfully well. It isn't the near perfect grain but the fact that the briar itself is just perfect for a pipe. Italian, Greek, Algerian...I detect differences in hardness, but so long as the pipe has a quality construction, is free of defects inside the bowl, a good smoke is most likely in the future.

 

[telescopes]

Our good preacher on the benefits of Algerian briar leaves out some of the downsides.

The Dunhill oil curing process seemed to make the Algerian briar less like a soft sponge. I could be imagining this, but my Dunhill Algerian briar pipes are very very different than my Marxman Algerian briar pipes. My French Algerian briar pipes can be easily sanded and molded.

I found the softer more porous Algerian briar in the later two examples listed above to be more likely to ghost, soak up tars, and more likely to turn sour over time.

Just my experience. One can see this in the Marxman pipes as they quickly color to a dull boring unremarkable oxblood that makes them look cheap and unappealing..