Uh oh... Grammar cop is back on the beat. Well at least you contributed something. Keep it up. I'm pullin for ya.
Tom Eltang Pipes
- Thread starter Tennessee Dave
- Start date
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Yes but it still reflects the natural grain of the briar, some carvers look for the best of straight grains to produce perfect ring grain blasts. Rustication looks like a dog chewed it up.
Ah, if you had have used my full user name I would have gotten a notification of this post rather than finding it accidentally. No longer with Rich, but with Jeff and during the passing of the torch, many here expressed displeasure with the new management. Why complain on a public forum? Because as you may have read in said "bashing", 4noggins isn't answering calls or emails to address customer complaints and seeing that others are having similar issues means they are not just isolated incidents.
Oh yes, I get it, depends, we could say, where you get it from and how much.
Castello hiding flaws in their Rustication would certainly turn heads....
I think you're misunderstanding flaws. It might be too strong a word but indeed rustication and bowl coating, despite all the advertising and flowery language, are techniques developed to hide "flaws". 95/100 times these flaws aren't mechanical, simply blemishes/visual "flaws".
So yes, Castello, Savinelli, all your favorite people make rusticated pipes because they are not smooth-finish "quality". This doesn't really have a causation relationship with "how good it smoke" but strictly literally yes they are all used to hide flaws.
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Another Eltang shape that I believe was influenced by the designs/shaping of Sven Knudsen from the early 1960's.
View attachment 58671
I've been eyeing an M grade "walrus" or "elephant foot" for a while now... Just eye candy mostly though.
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Had my eye on one of those from the DPS but ended up going with a poker because I like the functionality of a sitter, but the natural cutty is a beauty.
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Doesn't even have to be blemishes or pits, it could just be lack of or less than ideal grain.
The most useful of pipe designs.?
I didn't even know he was making that shape! I just checked it at DPS!
Jesse Jones did a very good example of the shape some time back,
The detail on the older Larsen made shape 49 that is not seen is the deliberate variation of the rim's thickness.
Ok, I just pulled the trigger on an Eltang (yes, I’m serious). Let’s see what the hype is about.
Also, I do have pounds of Frog Morton.
Also, I do have pounds of Frog Morton.
? - nice, which one did you decide on?
Like I've said earlier in this thread (and it may be the reason why people who haven't tried an Eltang aren't that impressed with them) but his stems are his best feature, the sit really well in my mouth both for sipping and for molar lunting.
Tom Eltang pipes are objectively excellent. They are well-made from high-quality materials and well-designed. Keep in mind that your personal experience smoking them is a different thing entirely and there's no way to be completely sure that any given pipe will smoke well before actually smoking it. We all buy pipes assuming that they're well-made and that they should provide a pleasant experience, but there's no guarantee since we're all different people with different techniques and tobacco preferences.
That aside, Tom's pipes are very much worth the cost, especially the rusticated stuff. An Eltang rusticated pipe is hands-down one of the best values out there. And no, rustication is not only for covering flaws, some wood just isn't that pretty, even if it's high-quality. I see way too many younger artisans finishing out nearly bald blocks smooth just because there's no huge "flaws". The same goes for sandblasted pipes; if there's little grain structure, it'll be a boring blasted finish. But it is true that pretty much every maker would only make smooth pipes if briar was consistently "flawless".
I've said it many times, but a discussion of value is only so helpful. Buy the best pipe that you can afford that is aesthetically pleasing to you.
I could ask a wide audience whether or not I should buy a KIA or a BMW, and many will say that the KIA is a better value, and those who have experience with both might suggest that an experienced driver would notice and appreciate the many small details that make the BMW an objectively better vehicle. You have to ask yourself what you're after, not ask others what they're after.
FWIW, I drive a KIA and I mostly smoke Eltang, Former, J. Alan, and Chonowitsch pipes.
Oh, and suggesting that Tom's work is "boring" is hilarious. Clearly you have not seen enough of his work. He's famously the most daring and creative carver of our time. Don't confuse the Danish functionalism that has always been in high-demand, for his creative ceiling. He's made an insane amount of wild and gorgeous art, and a lot of straight-up workhorses for those of us who want more bang for our buck (pipes that will see a lot of action).
Knife pipes, literal Snails, the Arne Jacobsen Lamp, Calabashes made entirely from Ivory, Saturn with little planets in orbit... haha, "boring" indeed.
That aside, Tom's pipes are very much worth the cost, especially the rusticated stuff. An Eltang rusticated pipe is hands-down one of the best values out there. And no, rustication is not only for covering flaws, some wood just isn't that pretty, even if it's high-quality. I see way too many younger artisans finishing out nearly bald blocks smooth just because there's no huge "flaws". The same goes for sandblasted pipes; if there's little grain structure, it'll be a boring blasted finish. But it is true that pretty much every maker would only make smooth pipes if briar was consistently "flawless".
I've said it many times, but a discussion of value is only so helpful. Buy the best pipe that you can afford that is aesthetically pleasing to you.
I could ask a wide audience whether or not I should buy a KIA or a BMW, and many will say that the KIA is a better value, and those who have experience with both might suggest that an experienced driver would notice and appreciate the many small details that make the BMW an objectively better vehicle. You have to ask yourself what you're after, not ask others what they're after.
FWIW, I drive a KIA and I mostly smoke Eltang, Former, J. Alan, and Chonowitsch pipes.
Oh, and suggesting that Tom's work is "boring" is hilarious. Clearly you have not seen enough of his work. He's famously the most daring and creative carver of our time. Don't confuse the Danish functionalism that has always been in high-demand, for his creative ceiling. He's made an insane amount of wild and gorgeous art, and a lot of straight-up workhorses for those of us who want more bang for our buck (pipes that will see a lot of action).
Knife pipes, literal Snails, the Arne Jacobsen Lamp, Calabashes made entirely from Ivory, Saturn with little planets in orbit... haha, "boring" indeed.
Tennessee Dave, the Eltang is your call, of course, but I would beware of the "last pipe" illusion. I've been buying my last pipe for the last forty years, and it never comes true. For the money, I'd lean toward several commissions with up-and-coming carvers who do comparable work. Or one commission and spend the rest on something else you enjoy.
Don’t own one and never smoked one, I don’t doubt their quality. They may be hands down the best smokers since pipe smoking was invented. Visually, I feel they are some of the most underwhelming pipes for their price point. He has some real beauties, but most are entirely forgettable (I googled pics before writing this and I can barely remember a single specific pipe). It just seems a bit...dated?
The majority are too ordinary and unexpressive to be called “art” and his price points are out of reach for everyday carry workhorses. Respectfully, he just doesn’t do it for me. Just kind of...meh.
The majority are too ordinary and unexpressive to be called “art” and his price points are out of reach for everyday carry workhorses. Respectfully, he just doesn’t do it for me. Just kind of...meh.
Well put. His designs would fit better in a shop with all 1970’s freehands... which I think are ugly as sin.
what about his tube of briar for $150?
I was browsing the Danish Pipe Shop after reading this thread and saw the Eltang Copenhagen Collection, which he makes exclusively for the store. They are handmade by Eltang, but the stems are pre-cut and then shaped/adjusted. I saw a billiard for $217 and I just couldn’t pass it up. I don’t know how close the stem will come to his fully handcrafted ones, but for $217 it seemed like a great entry into the world of Eltang and an opportunity to see what his pipes are about.Pictures man, pictures!
That's a really nice piece and I'm sure it'll serve you well!
The Copenhagen Collection and the Sara Eltang pipes are essentially the same idea, though there are some shapes that aren't available in both lines. It's great stuff for the money, especially since the preform stems are heavily modified for comfort.
Preform stems are like anything else; there's excellent ones and not-so-excellent ones.