What's the Difference of Rinaldo YY, YYY or YYYY?

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jason64

Might Stick Around
Dec 12, 2012
87
3
Hi folks,
I am relatively new to pipe smoking. would you mind telling me what does grading mean? and what's the difference of Rinaldo YY, YYY or YYYY?
Many thanks

 
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Reactions: cornedbeef
Jan 8, 2013
7,493
733
Grading is basically based on the grain and amount of flaws in the briar (or other wood) of the pipe, and partially by the quality of the pipe itself such as how well it's drilled, stem fitment, etc. But mostly, by most builder's standards it's going to be all about the grain and flaws or lack thereof. Rinaldo has 5 grades... From low to high, Y, YY, YYY, YYYY, and Fiammata. As to their quality, aside from that, I'm not certain as I don't personally own any Rinaldo pipes.

 

wyfbane

Lifer
Apr 26, 2013
5,117
3,517
Tennessee
I admit, I don't own a Rinaldo for precisely the uncertainty shown by the OP. I have yet to decipher the grading system.

 

pappymac

Lifer
Feb 26, 2015
3,273
4,269
I have two Rinaldo's Triade pipes and both are great smokers. I started to answer the grading answer myself but decided to email Steve Monjure who is the distributor for Rinaldo's in the U.S. The following is his response:
The Rinaldo grading system is as follows.
* Lithos (Rustic Finish) - Y / YY /YYY
* Sahara (Sandblast Finish) - Y / YY / YYY
* Triade (Smooth Finish) - Y / YY / YYY / YYYY
* Egea Collection (Smooth & Rustic) - Y / YY / YYY / YYYY
* Collection "Odissea" Fiammata - Y / YY / YYY / YYYY
* Collection "Accademia" Fiammata - Y / YY / YYY / YYYY
* Collection "Acron" Fiammata - Y / YY / YYY / YYYY
The more "Y's" the better the grain. When I started importing Rinaldo, the Fiammata models were not designated with Y's. They started using the Y's in 2013 for these models. The highest grade in the Fiammata is the "Acron" , the second highest is the "Accademia" and the third is the "Odissea".

 
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mso489

Lifer
Feb 21, 2013
41,210
60,433
I'm skeptical of grading systems. I like the brand to price them as they see them and let me be the judge of how good a particular pipe is. In fact, both my experience and various discussions on Forums suggest that quality often does not line up with some assigned grade nor price, in point of fact. Some turkeys are at the high end and some unicorn pipes are at the low end. Let me be the judge, thanks.

 
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