Tobacco Reviews Website Down

[Old_Newby]

I tried to search if anyone has discussed this already, but it’s pretty tough trying to search on “Tobacco” or “Reviews” and not get 95% of articles.

Does anyone know what is going on with TR site? Been down for maintenance for about 5+ days. No biggie but just something I noticed.

 

[forloveoffreedom]

Down for me in Oregon.

 

[bootlegpipes]

Down since yesterday afternoon for me.

 

[pylorns]

Yep, still down - I had someone reach out to me recently asking if I'd help replicate it that's a huge project, my thought is I can expose the personal reviews on thepipetool.com to the public "IF" you choose to do that.

 

[Chris T]

Pipesmokersdens has a thread open since Saturday. Nobody seems to know, but speculation is that the website is involved in STG's recent acquisition of companies. So it might be back up and improved, or it might be something completely different if it comes back.

 

[SBC]

Yeah it's been several days. I'd been surprised not to see a thread about it here, before now.

 

[bootlegpipes]

Pipesmokersdens has a thread open since Saturday. Nobody seems to know, but speculation is that the website is involved in STG's recent acquisition of companies. So it might be back up and improved, or it might be something completely different if it comes back.

STG is involved since TR was bought by MB or Sutliff a little while back.

 

[bent1]

STG is involved since TR was bought by MB or Sutliff a little while back.

Was it owned by Lauduci (Smoking Pipes) at some point?

 

[Meerschaum Maestro]

Raises Fist...STGGGGG

 

[swilford]

Was it owned by Lauduci (Smoking Pipes) at some point?

Yes, Laudisi owned it, but hasn't in almost 20 years. Jon Tillman created it in late 2000. In 2001, it became part of Laudisi when Jon was working for Laudisi on Smokingpipes and I was helping with TR. Jon traded his part of Laudisi for TR when he left the company in late 2005.

He sold it to Speccomm--which owned Pipes & Tobaccos Magazine--sometime around 2010, I think. I think it was owned by Phillips & King for a brief time after Speccomm folded in 2017 or 2018, and then Sutliff bought it sometime around 2019. And now STG owns it.

(All dates are from memory, so I might be off a bit here and there).

TR has a special place in my heart. It was Jon's idea and project, but we worked on it together enough that I sort of feel like the project's uncle. When Chuck Stanion (who has been at Laudisi for many years now) was running it at Speccomm, I was occasionally involved in helping with bits and pieces. But we haven't controlled it or had any real influence on it in a very long time.

Sykes

 

[skydog]

So it might be back up and improved

I wish I had that type of optimism! If STG is involved my assumption is they're royally screwing it up. Why do pipe smokers need a tobacco review site when STG is attempting to further cut the number of blends available for pipe smokers significantly? Once they start scrapping the least profitable STG blends it'd be better for their bottom line if all mention of the old blends is wiped from existence, so they might as well start now haha.

 

[woodsroad]

My uninformed and wholly speculative guess is that they are going to screw it up.

 

[georged]

My uninformed and wholly speculative guess is that they are going to screw it up.

yeah, yeah, sure, sure

You're such a Debbie downer...

Why don't YOU try starting and running a tobacco-related company sometime? Then your opinion might be worth something.

 

[woodsroad]

yeah, yeah, sure, sure

You're such a Debbie downer...

Why don't YOU try starting and running a tobacco-related company sometime? Then your opinion might be worth something.

No, you are right. I'll go back in my corner. I think there's an unopened tin of JC Smyrna there.....

 

[khiddy]

No, you are right. I'll go back in my corner. I think there's an unopened tin of JC Smyrna there.....

If you can’t find your tin, I have a recipe that some kind fella posted around here to make it at home!

 

[sablebrush52]

The current version is a complete mess. The version before this one was an incomplete mess. TR was much better when it was a simple well integrated site with few bells and whistles.

I hope that it pops up again, even though I rarely visit it anymore.

 

[karam]

I was getting some cloudflare warning but thought it’s just my work computer not letting me get to it (it stops me going into any site it think is about tobacco, gambling, alcohol…).

The older site was objectively better, but even the new one was helpful. Can we get it by wayback?

 

[forloveoffreedom]

Doubt I need more reasons to never do business with STG or any of their companies. Hope this TR issue doesn’t add to the fire.

 

[SBC]

Once they start scrapping the least profitable STG blends it'd be better for their bottom line if all mention of the old blends is wiped from existence

If you're right, it will be a uniquely low-blow, and will erase the most centralized repository of @JimInks work. But, "History is written by the victors."

 

[shikano53]

I was getting some cloudflare warning but thought it’s just my work computer not letting me get to it (it stops me going into any site it think is about tobacco, gambling, alcohol…).

The older site was objectively better, but even the new one was helpful. Can we get it by wayback?

You were surfing tobacco related products AT WORK??? Shame on you!!
lol just kidding! I was getting the same warning.
Now I just look it up here on the tobacco review page. Usually always assured Jim will post his comments in there.