Wow! Good Pipes Are Good.

[cigrmaster]

I personally believe that for a new comer on a budget with little to no knowledge, buying brand name estate pipes from reputable on line dealers is the best way to get good smoking pipes for the least amount of money with little to no risk. Here is a list of dealers who have great reputations and great pipes. Once you learn the market then ebay is also another great source but that takes time.
http://briarblues.com/

http://www.mkelaw-pipes.com/

http://smokingpipes.com/

http://www.vikingclubpipes.com/

http://www.jamesislandpiper.com/

http://www.neatpipes.com/

http://www.smokershaven.com/

 

[bigmick]

Update; The guys at Smokers Haven, okay Bill, found my pipe. It was hiding right in front of us in the big case. Somehow 5 of us missed it. Can't afford to pick it up for a couple weeks, but it's now in a safe place. I'm so giddy I could pop.

 

[numbersix]

Sorry I missed this post bigmick. I am with you on a quality pipe, makes a world of difference (something I didn't believe either at first, I mean, wood's wood, right? Wrong.). Glad you picked up some nice pipes and I hope you grab that Sav soon. ::

 

[cortezattic]

Bigmick, if you're like the rest of us, a few years from now you'll be talking Cavicchi, Ardor, Castello, Dunhill, etc. :lol:

 

[bigmick]

I found a couple Ardors at the Tinderbox that got my attention. Not in the budget right now, but one day things will improve, or I'll get lucky on ebay.
This has been a good month. I went from no good pipes to 6. I'll try to get my kid to use her fancy camera and take a group shot or two once I get the Sav home.

 

[bigdaddychester]

Bigmic, don't look past some Antique stores either. I stopped in a place about 3 yrs ago looking for a pipe rack and walked out with 5 Tim West pipes, 3 Peterson's, and a very large Bari for about $145. 2 of the TW pipes hadn't even been smoked and of all the ones that were smoked, the bowls were hardly blackened. I considered it one of the best finds ever. Oh, and I did find a pipe rack while I was there too.
Good luck with that Sav, I'm hoping it finds it's rightful caretaker soon!!!!

 

[lumberjakpipester]

I was also one to consider all pipes equals, to attribute the, sometimes outrageous, price difference between makes to nothing but marketing hype, but I have changed my tune! For a long time, I smoked "basket" pipes(my B&M had them in a glass jar), not only because that was the only thing I could afford, but because I though they where just as good. But several years later, my father gave me a Butz-Choquin Origine(the one with the albatross leg bone as a shank extension) as a graduation present, and smoking that pipe for the first time was a game changer for me. I started having more and more disposable income and I started getting progressively better pipes(I am still a cheap SOB and will only buy a pipe I can find a VERY good deal). But I still wasn't willing to make the plunge into the truly high grade factory and hand made market, what could possibly smoke better than a Peterson or a nice Stanwell, I though? But a few weeks ago, maybe a month, I purchased my first Dunhill, simply because I had the money available and found a great deal on the bay(it was actually mostly curiosity). That first smoke of my new to me Dunhill(1961 group 2 billiard) was very similar to the experience I had with that Butz-Choquin... I am sad to say(but glad to have done it) that since then, I bought 3 more Dunhills, a Castello and a Perry White hand made(There goes my savings account)!

 

[kashmir]

It's really simple. The price of a pipe has absolutely no relationship to the quality of the smoke. In pipe smoking the old saying "You only get what you pay for" does NOT apply. Of course, the fat cats and one per centers will argue otherwise, they only do so to justify their $800 pipe. In truth you are just as likely to get a fine smoke from a cob than you are from a Dunhill. So why did I buy an $850 JT Cooke? Because I like the blast. Smokes just as good as my Stanwell. Which is saying a lot!

 

[lumberjakpipester]

I have to disagree with you kashmir, at least for the most part. While I agree with the fact that some no-name pipes smoke marvelously(case in point, one of my favorite pipe is such a specimen), what you pay for is a tighter quality control, better raw materials and for the most part, better craftsmen using better equipment and all these things cost money. I don't have enough experience to speak of high grades really, but I can state that without exception all of the Petersons I have bought(about 8) have smoked much much better than any Medicos I have(around 12), the same for Grabows, with the notable exception of one pipe(that smoke absolutely on par, if not better than all my other pipes). I don't think that pipes are exempt from the getting what you pay for rule(again with some exceptions).

 

[kashmir]

Yes, but the price differential between a Peterson and a Medico or Dr. Grabow is not the same as that between a Stanwell and a JT Cooke! I'm talking large differential here. Like between an $80 Pete and an $8000 Bo Nordh.

 

[lumberjakpipester]

Sorry, I misunderstood, I do believe as well that there is a line in the sand, and past that point you no longer pay for quality, but for brand, and artistic value, but as I said, that line has been pushed back, twice already for me, who know how the future will change what I think a fair price for pure quality is?

 

[kashmir]

Yeah, I think there's a lot of hype in the high end pipe market. And people end up taking a second mortage to finance their pipe hobby. I've even heard of a few divorces on account of maxed out credit cards for pipes. What I'm trying to say here is if your after a fine relaxing smoke you'll do just as good with a Pete or Stanny for about a hundred, than spending what you don't have thinking you're getting a better smoke. Trust me. I've got both ends of the spectrum. I smoke all day. Pound a month. Old school clenched pipe man and I don't see a difference. Our culture based on advertising hype has brainwashed many of us to think that our happiness quotient is correlated by how much we owe to the bank. After I've seen what bankers have done to this country, I've become debt free. Save for the house. Only spend what I got not what I can get credit wise. Smoke what you like, and like what you smoke. But don't think the grass is greener on the other side of the fence. Cause it ain't!

 

[lumberjakpipester]

I think that is a wonderful way of doing things, I myself live bellow my means, I own my home mortgage free and have no depts, I only buy things that I can afford, I told you I was cheap(my Dunhills, my Castello and the Perry White where purchased for less that 150$)!

 

[yadan]

"PAD while broke is a sad thing."
IMO, this had got to be the quote of the year! I'm not actually 'broke,' but after having gone on a wild PAD spree in February (20+ pipes!), my Budget Director has put me in the doghouse till May. So my Dream Pipe is any pipe I see on Ebay, Etsy, etc. that I really want and know I can't have. :crying:
"It's really simple. The price of a pipe has absolutely no relationship to the quality of the smoke. In pipe smoking the old saying "You only get what you pay for" does NOT apply. Of course, the fat cats and one per centers will argue otherwise, they only do so to justify their $800 pipe. In truth you are just as likely to get a fine smoke from a cob than you are from a Dunhill."
Amen. I believe it was G.L. Pease who wrote an excellent article about that which many members have probably read. I once had some fairly expensive pipes including a Dunhill and a Burak Connoisseur, and while they were certainly very good smokers, the pipes I have been buying lately are far less expensive but far more pleasurable. ::

 

[numbersix]

But a few weeks ago, maybe a month, I purchased my first Dunhill, simply because I had the money available and found a great deal on the bay(it was actually mostly curiosity). That first smoke of my new to me Dunhill(1961 group 2 billiard) was very similar to the experience I had with that Butz-Choquin... I am sad to say(but glad to have done it) that since then, I bought 3 more Dunhills, a Castello and a Perry White hand made(There goes my savings account)!

+1
I had some decent pipes before I got my dunhill and wow - what a difference.

The price of a pipe has absolutely no relationship to the quality of the smoke.

I don't agree with this entirely. I do agree that a $300 Dunhill estate is likely to smoke as well as a $8000 Bo Nordh. Still, I would argue that pipes in the $400-600 are significantly better smokers than a $70-150 pipe in many (or most) cases.

 

[kashmir]

Kol HaKavod Yadan. I agree!

 

[cigrmaster]

Everyone's tastes are so different that what might make a great pipe for me, may not for you. For my tastes, a 225.00 estate Rad Davis pipe smokes significantly better than a 600.00 new Dunhill. I like the way my Castello smokes better than my Ashton, now of course some people love the way their Ashtons smoke in comparison to other brands. it is difficult to say one pipe is better than another when there are so many variables involved. Now when you are comparing a basket pipe to an Asthon or Castello you are getting a better pipe with the Ashton and Castello. Better briar, better construction techniques, briar is aged, stem design is superior, all of these will lead to a better smoking experience. With the amount of estate pieces on the market there are tons of incredibly good smoking pipes that can be had for less than 100.00. It takes time and research to understand the market, but it can also be a ton of fun. I scored a Lane Era Charatan back in June for 46.00 and it is a really good pipe, those deals are out there.

 

[bigboi]

In my little experience with pipe smoking, and from reading tons of differing advice on this site..I have found that usually the higher end pipes usually are drilled and made well. However, it does not mean that lower end basket pipes can be great smokers. It just means you have to do more work into finding the ones that will be good lil smokers in the baskets.

 

[withnail]

One other thing to remember - many basket pipes are seconds, rejected by their makers for some reason or other. IF the reason is purely cosmetic, a fill on the bowl for example, you're probably going to get a good smoker for a great price. BUT, if it was rejected because it's badly drilled, then you're probably going to have a gurgler.
Another thing to consider when buying something like a Dunhill White Spot is, you're not just paying for that pipe, but also for the 6 or 7 they discard during manufacture. For that kind of quality control, where a lot of fine briar is rejected before the pipe has been finished, you're going to have to pay a premium.
At the other end of the price scale, a MM Corn Cob will give you a fine smoke for a bargain price. One of the joys of pipe smoking is there is a place for everyone and we can all enjoy the wealth of tobaccos available.

 

[lordofthepiperings]

A good way to build a quality rotation on a budget is definitely through estates.