What do you think of these two pipes (Molina and Jean Claude)?

[mrmachado]

I found those Italian briars around the $40 range but the brands are not famous. Any experiences with those brands?
Here are the pics:
Molina

Jean Claude

 

[mso489]

I don't own either, but I have seen them online and in catalogs and think they are respected brands from Italy and France respectively. I think either in briar would be a good buy.

 

[scloyd]

I took a gamble on a Molina about a month ago. It was cheap, maybe around $25 after a coupon code discount. I figured if I didn't like it I could always give it away or donate it. It turned out to be a pretty good smoker. I'm not disappointed with it. Here's the thread I started about it. Molina pipe.

 

[mso489]

My first pipe, which I still have and smoke, is a Tinder Box St. Ives house pipe, probably sourced from Chacom, a good French maker. It was modestly priced, an attractive design of a bent pot with a vertical saddle stem with that customary French sense of design. It is now forty-plus years old and perhaps better than ever. A good pipe can be a lifetime acquisition, and they don't have to be high-priced. Get something you like because you could be looking at it for a long time.

 

[mrmachado]

mso489, Thinking well, I think those cheaper Molinas aren't what I'm looking for.
The most good-looking ones are more expensive and I can't quite afford them right now ($90 or over).
You make quite a good point in saying you should get something you should like to look at.

 

[blendtobac]

For a lesser-known factory pipe, I find Molinas to be solid, reliable smokers. They make a lot of pipes for other companies so you may not know that Molina is the manufacturer. If you're looking for the intersection of value and quality, I would say that Molina is a good choice.
Russ

 

[snoopy311]

I have a Molina and it’s a good smoker. I find it very comfortable to clench.

 

[leafsmoker]

I have heard of both makers,but do not own one.Look decent though.

 

[olkofri]

I was eyeing an olive wood Molina, but pfeifenkonsulat.at seems to have gone belly up: their site just won't open anymore.

 

[piper64]

Got two Molinas ,fantastic smokers for the price.

 

[mso489]

If I've followed the threads correctly, I believe Machado, after some shopping, chose a handsome smooth Stanwell billiard, which I think will do him nicely for starters. Maybe he'll go back and look at these other pipe brands eventually when pipe acquisition disorder strikes again.

 

[olkofri]

I thought he had gotten a bent billiard Savinelli Porto Cervo. :?

 

[dottiewarden]

I'm jumping in late, but I really like the look of both pipes the OP was considering. I could proudly smoke them for the rest of my born days.