When to buy a high grade pipe

[Egg Shen]

Maybe it’s worth getting a fancy one for consistency. What I mean is if you wear a suit or dress sharp for work then maybe it’s worth having a pipe that is similarly nice, if you smoke while being all attired up. I feel i try to match my pipe with my overall level of dress, jewelry and kemptness or lack thereof. It’s like an accessory. Kind of like having 3 wristwatches. 1 for when doing labor/exercise, 1 for office, maybe 1 high end piece if you circulate in environments where it will be appreciated.

Or if you are simply enamored with it from an artistic perspective.

 

[FLDRD]

I mentioned Ebay, but it can be a disaster as well. I've certainly been fooled once or twice. It's a live and learn proposition.

I've found decent pipes at local B&M's, and the prices seem to be in line with what you purchase online from our sponsors; but you get to fondle them first.

I've also purchased from forum members, forum sponsors such as SmokingPipes, others such as TobaccoPipes, etc.

Good luck. Have fun. Use your $ however you see fit and enjoy. Learn from any mistakes made and all will be well.

 

[sablebrush52]

As a pipe seller, I'd ask .... are your current pipes smoking well for you? If so then sit back, relax, and enjoy what you have. The grass isn't always greener on the other side. Pipes in your current collections price range are good well made pipes, I assume. Price does not mean it will smoke "better". Maybe what you're looking at has nicer grain, but grain means nothing as far as how well a pipe smokes.

Mike

+1000 on this.
When to go to a more expensive pipe? When you feel like your current selection isn't cutting it and is holding you back. I'm firmly in the camp that it's 75% technique and tobacco knowledge, and 25% equipment. And more expensive doesn't guarantee anything. One of my very best smokers is a Brebbia I bought used for $2. There isn't a pipe made for which I would trade it.

 

[Briar Tuck]

FWIW, my experience benefitted tremendously by getting lots of different styles and sizes of estate pipes closer to the $40-70 (and even less when possible. I recall an $11 win on Ebay) range and learning the differences each pipe provides, and then, to the best of my ability, determining why.

This is exactly the route I took as well in trying to figure out my pipe preferences. The most I've spent on an eBay estate pipe is about $40, and buying lots of multiple pipes I've been able to get the per pipe cost below $10 in most cases. This has given me a wide selection of pipes to choose from with minimal investment. Once I get a better handle on what I like best, I can always spend more on a pristine, higher grade pipe of that type.

Buying estate pipes, especially lots, typically requires the willingness to do some cleaning, reconditioning, and possibly repairs to those pipes to get them smokable. Being retired I have the time for such undertakings, and there is a wealth of knowledge out there, especially on this forum, to make it a fairly simple task in most cases.

 

[Ben.R.C]

I’d say purchase one immediately after buying a $48 Rossi. (Rossi is owned by Savinelli). Then, compare a $400 pipe and try to convince yourself that it smokes any better.

You like Rossi then?

 

[Zeno Marx]

Briar Blues (up there) has some large Kaywoodie handmades for around $160. Beautiful grain too. Maybe talk to him privately about them in greater detail and compare some notes? I have not owned a new era Kaywoodie without the stinger and all that jazz, but as I was reading your OP, those handmades instantly came to mind. If you're new to pipes, I'd gently like to encourage you to not chase it all at once. There are fine lines between dissatisfaction, wanting everything all at once, and consumerism. Try to enjoy the learning curve at a slow, mindful pace. It's the antithesis of our world these days, but that's a very good thing.

 

[Chasing Embers]

Don't gamble pipes that you've established to be good ones against more expensive ones. You can find duds in those as well and you've lost your good pipes. Also, big price doesn't always equate to large pipes. I've seen tiny ones go for thousands of dollars.

 

[Grangerous]

You like Rossi then?

No. But I purchased one for $48, knowing that it’s Savinelli equivalent was selling for $120. Same pipe.

Take any Savinelli model number and place an “8” in front of it and you’ll have its corresponding Rossi.

Savinelli owns Rossi.

For example: a Sav 811 is a Rossi 8811. They will be of identical style and dimensions and will smoke the same.

You’re welcome

 

[shanez]

I definitely want a bigger pipe.

I'd ask that you elaborate on what you mean by this. A larger chamber? A physically larger pipe regardless of chamber size? Both? Something else?

What size pipes do you have?

 

[jpberg]

I never have, and probably never will top 500 bucks for a pipe.
But. The difference from 2-5 hundred may be an eye opener for you. If you hold off on buying four more 100 dollar pipes, and try (not as a shot in the dark, but after really careful consideration) a 350-500 dollar pipe, you’ll be a much wiser man when it comes to first hand knowledge.
If I’d been able to follow that logic around 1990, I’d be way further ahead.

 

[keith929]

In the paraphrased words of The Great Yogi "pipe smoking is 90 per cent mental the other 10 per cent is mental.
I have pipes in my collection ranging in price from 2500 dollars to 60 dollars. The curious thing is my desert island go bag contains pipes that I paid less than 100 dollars for.
Piping is a very subjective pastime. Just because a pipe smokes great for me is no guarantee that It will perform the same for you no matter how well it's made or the price.
Some guys like Caddys,some guys like Lincolns, which is better? Fuggetaboutit.
You have to find the pipes that smoke well for you.
Just my 2 cents.

 

[Chasing Embers]

I'd ask that you elaborate on what you mean by this.

That would definitely help. Some of what I've seen described as large are tiny compared to the pipes I enjoy.

 

[didimauw]

You like Rossi then?

Rossi is one of my favorite pipes as well. You can't beat them for the price.
I have slowly started upping my pipe quality as well, and there's one thing that I have taken from all of this. More money, doesn't mean a better pipe. Once I started reaching the 200-250 dollar pipes, I realized that they can have flaws too. I started with a briar commission, that I didn't care for, quality wise. And sold it off. That was the most expensive pipe I've bought to date. A real disappointment. If it were me, Id stick to higher end factory pipes. My Savinelli Punto Oro pipes are probably my best smoking briars, and much less than most commissions. I am now veering towards strictly meerschaums these days.

 

[LeafErikson]

Honestly, I just want go up enough to get pipes I like size wise and esthetically, and hopefully they smoke well. I’m looking at an estate Ser Jacobo for 285

There are unsmoked maestro geppetto pipes (these pipes fall under the ser jacobo family) from the late 80s on eBay that can be had for a lower price than a ser Jacobo. They were carved by the founder of ser Jacobo who has since passed and are essentially ser jacobo pipes in all but name.

 

[PipeIT]

@Ben.R.C have you read; The Myth of Brand and Maker in Pipesmoking by Dr. Fred Hanna, Ph.D?

Pipe Brand Myth

Price doesn’t always equate to a better smoker.

Also, if you haven’t been smoking long, take your time, and refine your craft. While it’s true some pipes you can abuse, some you have to be careful with, know how to care for and smoke.

I say, smoke a lot of inexpensive pipes, to see how they vary/perform, so when you make the leap to more expensive, you will have a better understanding of what you are dealing with.

 

[Ben.R.C]

Briar Blues (up there) has some large Kaywoodie handmades for around $160. Beautiful grain too. Maybe talk to him privately about them in greater detail and compare some notes? I have not owned a new era Kaywoodie without the stinger and all that jazz, but as I was reading your OP, those handmades instantly came to mind. If you're new to pipes, I'd gently like to encourage you to not chase it all at once. There are fine lines between dissatisfaction, wanting everything all at once, and consumerism. Try to enjoy the learning curve at a slow, mindful pace. It's the antithesis of our world these days, but that's a very good thing.

Yes, slow is best, hard to do with my lifestyle, so damn busy all the time.

 

[Ben.R.C]

@Ben.R.C have you read; The Myth of Brand and Maker in Pipesmoking by Dr. Fred Hanna, Ph.D?

Pipe Brand Myth

Price doesn’t always equate to a better smoker.

Also, if you haven’t been smoking long, take your time, and refine your craft. While it’s true some pipes you can abuse, some you have to be careful with, know how to care for and smoke.

I say, smoke a lot of inexpensive pipes, to see how they vary/perform, so when you make the leap to more expensive, you will have a better understanding of what you are dealing with.

Thanks, I love the Fred Hanna interviews on the pipes podcast, I’ll check this out for sure.

 

[bullet08]

I only smoke Peterson. I have range of pipes from $80 to around $350 or little higher. They all smoke well, and I enjoy all of them. Like mentioned, main difference is cosmetic. Better grain, more attention to detail, different finish.. But if I compare how they smoke, there really isn't noticeable difference. So, if you are gonna put down a good chunk of you coins, go with what you think looks the best.

 

[Laurent]

From my experience, I feel at times the briar has already determined if it’s good or not regardless of the pipe maker lol. For me, I really wanted a Lee Von Erck but couldn’t afford a $1500 pipe. One day I walked into my local pipe shop, I know the manager, he let me see the new consignment pipes that just came in. There it was, a Von Erck pipe, I asked the price and he said it was $300 without him cleaning it. I bought it and I’m very happy with it. It smokes itself. My friend Rush is the film maker of the movie that covered his pipe making skills, it’s why I fell in love with his pipes. I don’t know if it’s better than my cheaper pipes but I just wanted to own one of his. That’s how I knew.

 

[Ben.R.C]

@Ben.R.C have you read; The Myth of Brand and Maker in Pipesmoking by Dr. Fred Hanna, Ph.D?

Pipe Brand Myth

Price doesn’t always equate to a better smoker.

Also, if you haven’t been smoking long, take your time, and refine your craft. While it’s true some pipes you can abuse, some you have to be careful with, know how to care for and smoke.

I say, smoke a lot of inexpensive pipes, to see how they vary/perform, so when you make the leap to more expensive, you will have a better understanding of what you are dealing with.

so it’s kind of a crap shoot regardless of brand if its all about the briar. I really don’t have any desire to get into top end pipes, I want 4 or 5 nice pipes that might rotate out as I learn more. What have you found are good, inexpensive large pipes?