My most expensive pipe is a Comoy's 499 that I bought because I completely love the shape and it's pretty darn hard to find. No regrets here except for not smoking it more.
What is your most expensive pipe ,why'd you buy it & do you regret it?
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I have a randy wiley that was almost 300... It was a gift from my wife, and it smokes like a champ. If the house was on fire, it and my strat are items 1a & 1b on my grab and go list...
Most I ever paid myself was 140ish for a Savinelli Ontario 804, it's my go to out and about pipe. Looks nice and smoke well, but I don't stress when it's out of the house.
the Randy Wiley has never and will never leave the house, and it only smokes Orlik Golden Slice. Once I put escudo thru it but immediately saw the error of my ways...
Most I ever paid myself was 140ish for a Savinelli Ontario 804, it's my go to out and about pipe. Looks nice and smoke well, but I don't stress when it's out of the house.
the Randy Wiley has never and will never leave the house, and it only smokes Orlik Golden Slice. Once I put escudo thru it but immediately saw the error of my ways...
I don't regret my more expensive pipes, but more so the less expensive ones. I have a lot of less expensive pipes that I wish I spent on better quality ones, those of which are pricier. I also could have saved a lot of money. Of course there's some pipes that are not that expensive and smoke just as well, but that's another conversation. Luckily my expensive ones are great smokers and I don't regret them. I only regret not being able to buy more :D
I think the most I ever spent on an individual pipe was about Fifty Pounds in 1985 and I still have the pipe till this day and it has shown up in a picture post on here somewhere. The majority of pipes I buy are old and since I always have some at the repairers it can impact newer acquisitions. Some of the long 'cutty' pipes I have after refurbishment would sell for $200-300 each but then what is the point?
My most expensive pipe is a Nording Signature, that I just bought. I paid $130 for it, yeah I over paid for it. But it smokes like a dream, and I get plenty of enjoyment out of it. No regrets here. I bought it mainly because it felt great in my hand, and a Nording was on my pipe bucket list.
My most costly pipe purchase has been a Peterson Plato. This is a beautiful pipe, and I don't regret purchasing it, but it is so enormous I never smoke it.
Sometimes I get buyer's remorse, but with a couple of exceptions, I don't think I have ever overpaid for a pipe.
My next planned pipe purchase will be a Rad Davis, or a Davorin Morta. Decisions, decisions...
Sometimes I get buyer's remorse, but with a couple of exceptions, I don't think I have ever overpaid for a pipe.
My next planned pipe purchase will be a Rad Davis, or a Davorin Morta. Decisions, decisions...
My most expensive is a Lane Crown Achievement that came as part of a great priced package deal. Outside of that, I have a Kaywoodie White Briar, a Grabow Omega, a Grabow grand Duke, and a boatload of cobs. I smoke a cob 90% of the time, and love them!!
My most expensive pipe was a Larsen Pearl. The birdseye on the bottom of the bowl was so intense you could get lost looking at it. Damn thing smoked incredibly wet. We are talking from the second puff you would hear the gurgle. Absolutely stunning grain but you could not smoke it without going through a dozen pipe cleaners. Let a more experienced friend of mine smoke it for awhile and he had the same issues, so I know it was not me. Sent it back to Larsen and they slightly modified the drilling but it did not help.
Folks who have a good deal of discretionary spending and pretty much stay at the high end of the market probably
don't think much about the cost of the pipes they smoke. That's what they're used to and what comes to hand.
My only complaint with my more expensive pipes is that I am aware that they are pricey. When I grab an unfinished
Cassano basket pipe, one of my cobs, or even a surprisingly reasonably priced Mountain Laurel hand carved pipe,
I don't think about the price in particular, and that's a good feeling. I'm focused on the briar and the smoke, and
the price tag doesn't cross my mind, which is how I like it.
don't think much about the cost of the pipes they smoke. That's what they're used to and what comes to hand.
My only complaint with my more expensive pipes is that I am aware that they are pricey. When I grab an unfinished
Cassano basket pipe, one of my cobs, or even a surprisingly reasonably priced Mountain Laurel hand carved pipe,
I don't think about the price in particular, and that's a good feeling. I'm focused on the briar and the smoke, and
the price tag doesn't cross my mind, which is how I like it.
My most expensive pipe is a Kai Nielsen that I got as an estate from SmokingPipes.com. I believe it cost around $250.
The rest of my collection is Dunhill, Charatan, GBD, Comoy, Ascorti, Radice, Caminetto, etc. And I can unequivocally state that the Nielsen is absolutely the best-smoking pipe I own. Regrets? Yeah, I regret that I don't have a dozen of these!
Bob
The rest of my collection is Dunhill, Charatan, GBD, Comoy, Ascorti, Radice, Caminetto, etc. And I can unequivocally state that the Nielsen is absolutely the best-smoking pipe I own. Regrets? Yeah, I regret that I don't have a dozen of these!
Bob
@nkourilo
I don't suppose a $700 Dunny would necessarily give me more smoking pleasure, but I love my pipes, as I'm sure you do with your high end functional works of art!
Great thread, seems like you've stirred things up a bit around here!
I started getting some more expensive pipes this year strictly out of curiosity. I saved my pennies until I could afford a Castello and a Larrysson. Both pipes were over $500 and they smoke absolutely great. I spent a lot of time researching and carefully selecting the Pipe that best meets my "perfect pipe" specification, something I may not be as picky over at a lower dollar value.
Nonetheless, these pipes are my favorite at the present moment, and I have absolutely zero regrets. Are the differences between the expensive and inexpensive pipes that big... I think so, but I'm sure there is a little bias in my conclusion.
Nonetheless, these pipes are my favorite at the present moment, and I have absolutely zero regrets. Are the differences between the expensive and inexpensive pipes that big... I think so, but I'm sure there is a little bias in my conclusion.
I've got a few more expensive pipes that were given to me as gifts by my wife and a good friend over the years. So don't count those as I didn't pay for them nor could I possibly have any regret.
The most expensive I have paid for was my Castello Sea Rock Oom Paul. I picked this one up new, right around the $400 mark. Technically it was funded by a tech side gig I did so that minimized the guilt factor but every time I smoke it, the pipe just gets better and better. This is one of those pieces that if, heaven forbid, I could only have one pipe... I'd have a hard time not picking this one.
The most expensive I have paid for was my Castello Sea Rock Oom Paul. I picked this one up new, right around the $400 mark. Technically it was funded by a tech side gig I did so that minimized the guilt factor but every time I smoke it, the pipe just gets better and better. This is one of those pieces that if, heaven forbid, I could only have one pipe... I'd have a hard time not picking this one.
My most expensive pipe purchase is the unsmoked cased 1907 Barling companion set, a picture of which can be currently seen gracing the "I'm Such A Hack" thread. It's the first of the two pictures that I posted, not the second one.
I don't waste time on regrets. I make amends. But no, I don't regret the purchase. I've always had both a fascination with Barling pipes and with the history of pipes. A purchase like this satisfies on both fronts.
I don't waste time on regrets. I make amends. But no, I don't regret the purchase. I've always had both a fascination with Barling pipes and with the history of pipes. A purchase like this satisfies on both fronts.
A pipe is a tool, true, and for most of us if it did not function as such it would have no value.
But it is just an object, and like many objects through use it can become associated with experiences and memories, and therefore the people that have utilized it.
I have a Peterson, a small billiard from the 1930's or 1940's. I'd like to think that somewhere, someone had a memory of their grandfather smoking it on a fishing trip, or while he fixed their car, or just while sitting on the porch with family and friends. Every time I reach for it I can feel the weight of that history, as sure as I can feel the weight of it in my hand. It has a unique seasoned taste, as if the bowl I smoke now has reaped the benefit of the countless bowls that have been put through it over the years.
Or maybe it is just a pipe. It cost me $20.
Good question nkourilo
Like others here, I tend to see pipe smoking as more than just delivery of nicotine. it's a time to slow down, relax and enjoy. A cigarette on the other hand is much closer to being a nicotine delivery system.
That said, I wonder if a person who spends $5000 or more on a pipe would ever be able to admit that they made a mistake.
My most expensive pipe is a $600 Dunhill, but I only paid $150 for it (as an estate) but it was worth every penny. The most I actually ever spent on a pipe was $224 for a Stanwell Bing, and it too was worth every penny (even tho I was able to get the sandblast version for a fraction of that price - I still don't regret the $224).
Like others here, I tend to see pipe smoking as more than just delivery of nicotine. it's a time to slow down, relax and enjoy. A cigarette on the other hand is much closer to being a nicotine delivery system.
That said, I wonder if a person who spends $5000 or more on a pipe would ever be able to admit that they made a mistake.
My most expensive pipe is a $600 Dunhill, but I only paid $150 for it (as an estate) but it was worth every penny. The most I actually ever spent on a pipe was $224 for a Stanwell Bing, and it too was worth every penny (even tho I was able to get the sandblast version for a fraction of that price - I still don't regret the $224).
Six, I agree that if you have invested a large sum of money, it may be difficult to admit it if you were not pleased. At the same time, if I have invested my hard earned money, I am more likely to be very anal over it's performance. If I've only invested a small sum of money, I may be willing to accept a minor balance or weight issue. With a pipe that was a substantially larger investment I would not be as forgiving.
I do not believe that value of a pipe is the be all end all of quality. That being said, with my limited experience, I have had better luck in the over $250 range. Again, this may be just because I will not let certain things pass once above a certain dollar value. But I think it has more to do with the idea "you get what you pay for."
I do not believe that value of a pipe is the be all end all of quality. That being said, with my limited experience, I have had better luck in the over $250 range. Again, this may be just because I will not let certain things pass once above a certain dollar value. But I think it has more to do with the idea "you get what you pay for."
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