Are you Happy with your Peterson Pipe?

Have bought four new ones in the past couple of years and they are all excellent smokers.

Short answer, no. I quit buying them altogether sometime around 1997. At the time, 80 bucks would buy you one hell of a nice pipe. The Petes I was buying for that money were shite- tough break in, lots of fills, etc. There were too many other pipes in that price range that didn't have those issues.

Love the 2 of them I own, but there will always be complaints, very few products escape criticism.

Sold all mine a few years ago and wouldn't buy again. I could never get with the plip or the system BS. They sure make some great lookers.

I like all of mine. I'm not sure but I think I have 6 or 7. Peterson purposely doesn't drill their bent pipes to pass a pipe cleaner and so people don't understand that. They are all drilled as if they are going to be system pipes, whether they end up that way or not.

Bwhahaha

I have only 3, A Sterling Silver P-lip which is a horrible pipe draw wise. AN Irish Harp bent bulldog that's decent and A Summertime XL90. The finish on the XL90 dulled after 3 bowls to the point where it's difficult to see that it is a blue pipe.
I really like the Rosslare line but could not find one that passed a pipe cleaner.

In System pipes, I place a wad of cotton (recycled from a pill bottle) in the sump recess. It effectively adsorbs moisture.and makes for easier clean up and a drier smoke that pretty much eliminates the need for a pipe cleaner.
Guesstimate size needed and press into place with pick on your pipe tool. Double check that draught hole is not blocked. Remove with the pick when done and the soaked wadding serves as a good swab to build cake.

* this also works for Savinelli Dry series pipes.

I like my Peterson System pipes (2 307s and 2 312s), believe they deliver what they were intended - a cool dry smoke. Mine are older, two 307s are 1978 and 1981, silver capped. Two 312s have the shamrock, crouched fox and windmill (faux hallmarks) stamped on their respective nickel caps which I believe were discontinued during 1964. 

It's probably not a big deal to improve the draft if that's the issue. Otherwise, some Peterson pipes take a long time to break in. If I find that the pipe isn't breaking in to my liking, I wipe a thin layer of honey in the bowl and smoke something like Classic Burley Kake. Usually fixes it in 4 or 5 bowls. As I said, nothing to be done about the pipe cleaner. If it's a system pipe you only need to reach a stem. And remember not to look up with the pipe in your mouth.

I have 7, all system pipes. A little issue with their practice of dipping the bowl in stain on some of the older pipes. Just got a new 31 and found they apparently stopped that practice. Love mt Pete's. I have two Nording freehands I would gladly trade for Petes.

I have a couple that weren't made as system pipes but the only difference is that the well isn't drilled out. I modified one by opening a little bit of the well which stopped the gurgle. The other one doesn't have any issues. I wonder why they don't just open it up on all the bent pipes.

I have a system pipe... like the pipe, not a p-lip fan though.
Aran
Pot
And a couple other estates, all good smokers

I sure would like to get more, I think that they have some great classic shapes, and really turn out some beauties.



Jim Lilley has an incredible Peterson collection, really mind blowing in scope and amazing amount of very rare and beautiful pipes... last I heard, he had given many to the Peterson Pipe Company for the museum.








I tried to get Brian Levine to do an interview and they tried, but Jim had the onset of Alzheimer's and didn't feel comfortable doing an interview. You have to be registered to post or view on the Intl. Peterson pipe forum I haven't checked in for quite some time. He announced his terminal illness back in 2012, but it looks like he is still going over there, his archived blog is here:

thepetersoncollector.blogspot.com/?m=1