When to buy a high grade pipe

[Briar Lee]

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I've had very good luck with several of them.



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One of the joys of pipe smoking is really how inexpensive it is to have exquisite pipes.

I have a friend named Rod Gates who lives in the most ruggedly beautiful country outside of the Garden of Eden imaginable near Jordan, Missouri.

Bring ten thousand dollars and Rod Gates will build you, from scratch, a new side by side muzzle loading shotgun.

Take him a nice shotgun, rifle, revolver or Colt 1911 and about $1,500 and he’ll engrave it beyond compare.

For $3,000, plus extra for nicer walnut, he’ll restock your classic side by side double.

The reason for a custom quality grade pipe is exactly the same as a Gates custom muzzleloader.

It satisfies a man’s quest for beautiful things.

For a lot less than some other things that sparkle and shine.

 

[jmsmitty6]

You have received lots of excellent advice on this forum regarding your decision. I will only offer my thoughts based on my personal experiences. At one point, I made the decision to start buying higher priced pipes. I didn't give any thought to what I liked, I just started buying the next tier up from where I was based soley on aesthetics. Personally, it was really hit or miss for me. It was then I realized that the constant factor in the pipe smoking equation was myself. I started examining my technique, my favorite pipes and really thinking about why I liked them. I immediately noticed that I had certain criteria that made one pipe better than another for me, regardless of who made it. Once I had those criteria written down, every pipe I purchased from that day forward had to meet those criteria or I would pass. Since then, I've noticed that I have many more pleasurable pipe experiences than I have misses.

All this is to say that, you have to know what you like in order to find any pipe, regardless of price, that's going to work for you. I have found, like others have stated in this thread already, that going up in price from where you currently are, you're likely to find more hits than misses. YMMV.

Good luck in your journey and remember, there's always going to be more pipes that you like in the future.

Jason

 

[Smoke Wagon]

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?

I really like a Peterson 05 for a larger sitting pipe.

 

[OzPiper]

so it’s kind of a crap shoot regardless of brand if its all about the briar.

Absolutely correct.
As has been pointed out repeatedly by several members
And on numerous other threads
What you pay for is better wood (grain), carving, stemwork and the makers reputation and chutzpah (how much he thinks he can charge)

I have pipes ranging from $20-30 to upwards of $1000.
You get a prettier pipe at the top end.
But not necessarily a better smoke

What have you found are good, inexpensive large pipes?

I have no idea what floats your boat
Lots of sponsors listed
Look at their offerings
Most have search function that will help narrow your search
Are you looking for a bigger pipe or a larger chamber ?
Note that pipes may LOOK/ARE larger, but that does NOT translate to larger chambers - just thicker walls (and weight)
So check out the dimensions of the chamber

 

[Chasing Embers]

What have you found are good, inexpensive large pipes?

Define large.

 

[PipeIT]

Yes define large, and, what Brands/Models do you have right now?

It helps to really know the pipes you have, as to what would be a decent step up.

 

[Peterson314]

If you find a pipe that speaks to you in some way and you need to have it, that's when to buy that pipe.

Don't look at the price of the pipe. Enjoy it for what it is, and then look at the price tag and see if you'd swap that cash for it. Nearly all pipes smoke, so you are mainly deciding if you are willing to pay for the artistry and craftsmanship. I'm happy to support craftsmanship I like, but my favorite pipe was $88.

I'd actually recommend you go in the other direction. Grab yourself a $13 Country Gentleman cob as your next pipe. Cobs smoke great and if you have never smoked one, it will likely give you a more interesting and different experience than you would get from buying another briar.

 

[HawkeyeLinus]

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

As @jaytex1969 said, don’t sleep on site sponsors. @mkelaw has a darn nice looking Ser Jacobo for $175 - looks plenty “generous” enough, whether the shape suits, no idea. But they are out there. I’ve had good experiences with him and less risky than the average eBay transaction. Dig in and search, sometimes it’s also waiting for the right one if it’s very specific.

 

[HawkeyeLinus]

Thank you @Ben.R.C.!!!

I ended up scrolling down on Dave’s site and saw a pipe I’ve been trying to find for a year, lol. Had kind of forgotten to look for one for awhile and there it was! I’m sitting here laughing at the coincidence.

Seek and ye shall find.

 

[Ben.R.C]

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.

Right, but if if I’ve tried only 3 pioes, do I really know what a good one is? I want a larger one because I want the option of bigger bowls. Out of my 4 pipes, I like how the Sav 320 smokes best, I didn’t do a good job picking a pretty one though, I’ll likely get a prettier 320 at some point and compare it before I trade the old one in. ironically, when I started, it was the hardest one to smoke , obviously technique was to blame, not the pipe.

 

[briarblues]

Ben, ok, now let's define what you see as a nice pipe. What is the criteria you are using? If it's just grain, get ready to pay. If it's style and shape, there are loads of very nice looking and well made pipes in price ranges that won't bend a charge card in half or break it in two!

My absolute best smoking pipe is NOT the one with the best grain. It is a Castello, with what I'd call "mixed" grain. The grain patterns are all over the place but the whole exterior shows grain. Not a tight flame grain, not a gorgeous cross grain. Just a well grained bent apple. Right up there close is a Kaywoodie sandblast Lovat and a Radice bent apple that are Virginia machines!

The Rossi brand offers an excellent quality to price ratio. As well do others. A well broken in cob also has it's own flair, style, and beauty.

Mike

 

[Ben.R.C]

Ben, ok, now let's define what you see as a nice pipe. What is the criteria you are using? If it's just grain, get ready to pay. If it's style and shape, there are loads of very nice looking and well made pipes in price ranges that won't bend a charge card in half or break it in two!

My absolute best smoking pipe is NOT the one with the best grain. It is a Castello, with what I'd call "mixed" grain. The grain patterns are all over the place but the whole exterior shows grain. Not a tight flame grain, not a gorgeous cross grain. Just a well grained bent apple. Right up there close is a Kaywoodie sandblast Lovat and a Radice bent apple that are Virginia machines!

The Rossi brand offers an excellent quality to price ratio. As well do others. A well broken in cob also has it's own flair, style, and beauty.

Mike

Great info, thanks Mike! I don’t think I’ve been around enough to be able to define a good smoking pipe, but I am finding what I like esthetically for sure. I’m a big fan of Virginia and Virginia Perique, thanks for the pipe specific tips on these!

 

[Chasing Embers]

do I really know what a good one is?

If you enjoy them you do. A pipe is little more than a straw, when done badly, you'll know it.

Now we're getting somewhere. For the pipes I smoke, a 320 is fairly small. How much bigger are you looking into?

 

[pistolero]

When they are on sale!

 

[burleybreath]

Kill several birds with one stone, so to speak, by getting yourself a great big honkin' meerschaum. They're pains in the ass, but worth it.

 

[woodsroad]

I buy most of my high dollar pipes late at night, after a few drinks.

 

[didimauw]

Another good point, may be to try more different shapes first. Find what shape you like best, then you can up the prices in that shape. Better grain, better stem work, etc. Took me years to find what shapes work best for me.

 

[PipeIT]

I’m still waiting on some Specs, as to what type of Large we are talking about.

Large is to general, everyone has different ideas on sizes.

So, without specs, we’re all guessing...

But, in the meantime Marco of Moretti makes a lot of large pipes, he’s a bit known for that, and very inexpensive too for the quality.

You could also contact Marco and have him commission something large as well.

For the work he does, the prices are hard to beat.

Security Measure

www.ebay.com

He also has a website you can buy directly from.

Pipe Moretti

Briar, Morta, Bog Oak, Olive Wood, Pipe, Handmade, Hand Cut, Cumberland, Smooth, Rusticated, Elunium, Sandblasted, Stem, Acrylic, Ebonite, Collection, Pipe Smoking, Pipe Smoker, Art, Radica

www.pipemoretti.com

One of the forum sponsors Lepipe.it also carries his pipes.

https://www.lepipe.it/en/Pipes-Moretti

 

[Peterson314]

I'm thinking something like this.

 

[Chasing Embers]

He also has a website you can buy directly from

More likely to get in touch with Marco via ebay.