You guys want a good laugh?

[cigrmaster]

Check out this guys site. http://handmade-briar-usa.com/ He must be smoking something other than tobacco if he thinks he will ever sell one. I wonder what goes through someones mind to price ugly pipes like that. The jewels he has on them are garbage ones, they aren't worth a thing.

 

[ghost]

I don't know what to say, other than if he sells them I'm starting my own pipe company immediately!

 

[garyovich]

Those are awesome, I especially like the fukushima fish :rofl:
"sprinkled inconspicuously with nineteen, .16 carat, red Rubies..."
how in the world could a pipe be inconspicuous with gemstones on it? hilarious

 

[doctorthoss]

Well, if they aren't authentic gemstones than this guy is either really stupid or really brave, since he's looking at prison time for fraud.
The pipes themselves look to me like they've been expertly carved, and they certainly aren't any less attractive than many other pipes I've seen produced by famous carvers for thousands of dollars.
I wouldn't pay that kind of money for ANY pipe, personally...I feel silly for dreaming about paying 3 or 4 hundred for a birthday Dunhill pipe one day....But there are people (often in China and Japan) who buy pipes like this. Believe it or not, that's where the pipe market is growing the most -- the Far East. I remember hearing C. Tarler at C&D explain one time that they shipped thousands of tins to China at a time.

 

[baronsamedi]

Could you imagine dropping that pipe in the toilet?

 

[photoman13]

Ha ha did anyone notice how he wrote the actual number and then spelled out the number next to it? Really weird lol.

 

[lonestar]

Harris this guy was around for quite some time on the pipe makers forum. I have come to the conclusion that the man is not right in the head. Seriously. He was eventually banned from the forum (boy that takes a lot over there!) and still managed to get out a few vaguely veiled death threats afterwards.

Doctorthoss, I have to disagree with you. They are NOT carved to anywhere near the standards of ultra high end prices he asks. He's really not that bad, much better than several pipemakers who actually sell pipes. If he was asking like $100-$200 each, several of them would have sold I think. But he has never actually talked ANYONE into buying his pipes. There is not a single pipe on his website that has ever been marked as sold.

I actually feel sorry for the guy, but then he goes off on a rant cussing and threatening everyone who disagrees with him and its hard to have any sympathy. But I think it all comes down to some sort of mental problem :|

 

[cigrmaster]

Ryan, interesting info thanks. It is obvious he has mental issues if he is trying to charge those prices and he is a brand new carver.
Doc, those stones are synthetic, so technically he can call them rubies, but they are not the valuable kind.

 

[numbersix]

Good thread and good to know - I was just about to buy one!
:rofl:

 

[flmason]

Those prices he is trying to get are very high. I have watched auctions of Bo Nordh pipes sell for much less. Bo definately is better known and respected in the pipe community

 

[zanthal]

That's too much money.
"Hmm, shall I feed a village of 20,000 in Africa for a year, or shall I buy a pipe with rubies in it?"
Decisions, decisions.

 

[winton]

Actually I really liked the nosewarmer poker, he called Tug. That is a awesome pipe. $2,500 is a little out of my range.

 

[lankfordjl]

When I first saw the prices, I said to myself, "Wow! Those would have to be layered in gold or jewel encrusted." And they are! Not my kind of pipe; I want a pipe that's user friendly not one that I'd have to worry about handling.

 

[keith929]

Makes a S Bang pipe look like a bargain. :crazy:

 

[shaintiques]

They are nice looking he just needs to reconsider his pricing especially as an unknown pipe maker.

 

[lonestar]

They are nice looking he just needs to reconsider his pricing especially as an unknown pipe maker.

That argument went around and around in circles for months with him. The funny part is, he will try to convince you that he doesnt care about the money, all that matters to him is the art. And since he prices it as art and not a pipe, he should get that kind of money for them :roll: The guy is nuts. If you really want to see, go over to pipemakersforum and do a search of his name, read some of his old posts. Its entertaining to read from the sidelines, but if you ever had to deal with the guy directly he gets old real fast.

I do have to agree, the guy has some pretty decent talent for making pipes. Its too bad he is batshit crazy.

 

[ejames]

I clicked on the "more details" link at the top of his home page,scrolled down and read this--

.

. Bowl Coatings: .I try to avoid bowl coatings in the tobacco chambers, but sometimes for aesthetic reasons, I use a removable, black, carbon coating made from powdered briar charcoal and maple syrup...It is dry and stable even in a humid environment, not sticky, but most of it can be removed by carefully wiping it repeatedly with a slightly damp cloth. I recommend removing it if you plan to smoke the pipe.

Evidently he thinks you ain't supposed to smoke his pipes! As Lonestar said-he selling art!

 

[captainprophesy]

:crazy:

 

[ulrich]

I don't want to come off as an jerk or anything, but after browsing that guy's site for a bit, I can't help but think about how ridiculously pretentious the whole thing is, from his pricing, to his contemplative portrait of himself... He just seems to have an AWFULLY high opinion of himself.

 

[cigrmaster]

batshit crazy, lololol. I haven't heard that one in a while, thanks Lonestar.
I guess there are always going to be people who think they have more talent than they do. Those types of people can never be successful because they do not know how to learn, take constructive criticism and be humble. Those people will always make themselves into the victim and blame others for their failures. It is indeed a mental illness.