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Post by briarblues on Mar 21, 2018 4:31:51 GMT -5
The list of available pipe brands is a very long list. Trying to ascertain which / who is best is personal taste, more than anything. I love my Castello's. The ones I have are superb, but I can also say the worst pipe I've ever owned was also a Castello, but that's a long story. No brand / carver gets it right 100% of the time.
I am not a fan of cobs. They do not smoke well, for me. Others have excellent results with corn cobs. I prefer briar.
A limited wallet does not mean you cannot get a great smoking pipe. I'd suggest you first find a shape that you like the look of. One that also feels good when held, both in hand and mouth, although never stick a pipe you are thinking of buying in your mouth, until you've closed the deal and paid.
Second I'd strongly suggest you contact a vendor that will listen to you, and work with you to find a pipe or pipes, that will suit your needs and wants.
Find a "pipe mentor". Someone that is NOT in the business and is willing to show you the ropes. This forum is a great place to garner information, so if there is nobody living close that you can enjoy a bowl with, stick around here and read, converse, and learn.
After doing this for many years I can safely say that ... there is no best brand / carver. There is no worst brand / carver. Find what you like and forget what anyone tells you about X, Y, or Z being the best.
Regards
Michael J. Glukler
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Post by johnlawitzke on Mar 21, 2018 12:01:44 GMT -5
Except for one item below, I am avoiding individual artisans in this list which is no particular order:
Savinelli high ends... Punto Oro, etc. - hand finished stummels and hand cut stems
Sara Eltang - Tom Eltang's "economy line"
Dunhill - Extremely well made factory pipe. Most prices (especially new) are at least 2x higher than justified though. However, when you get a good deal on an auction or at a pipe show, they smoke very, very well. I believe the earlier mentioned bad experience in this thread was an anomaly. I suggest mid-70s and earlier. Some swear 1968 and earlier
Sasieni - Family-era
Stanwell - Pre-2009 Danish made, especially the Hand Made line. The newer out sourced Italian mades are OK, but they almost always have fills. Also, they sold off the briar stock in Denmark when production got out sourced. I like how the wood used in Denmark smokes better than the wood made used for the Italian mades.
Johs - Very good smoking hand made pipes for around $100. I really like the wood that he uses.
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Post by cigrmaster on Mar 21, 2018 13:50:52 GMT -5
I own 48 No American artisan made pipes and love everyone of them. The consistency that I get with them is why I have more of those then any other pipes in my collection. I also like older British wood such as Pre Transition Barlings, Willmer AAA Straight Grains and recently acquired 1960's Dunhill LB's (3 of them).
Years ago my collection looked much different. I had my fling with a bunch of Castello's and Radice's and loved how they smoked. My only issue with them are their acrylic stems and how uncomfortable they are to clench. I also had a fling with a number of Winslow hand made pipes ranging from E's to B's. Everyone was a great smoker but because of their weights and acrylic stems I no longer have any.
I also had a fling with high end Danish pipes such as Former, Balleby and Reiner Barbi(German). I no longer have any of those as none smoked as good as my No American artisan made pipes.
I have fond that price does not make for a better pipe in the high end range. I had Formers that would sell for over 2000.00 today and none smoked as good as my 350.00-400.00 Rad Davis pipes.
As far as inexpensive factory pipes, I have always said Savinelli is the best bang for the buck on the market. I owned a number of them and all smoked great. I still have one which was the first pipe I ever bought and it will always have a place in my collection as it gave me a frame of reference going forward. It showed me what a good pipe is supposed to smoke like so that when I did buy a clunker down the road I knew it was a bad pipe.
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Post by Legend Lover on Mar 21, 2018 18:58:20 GMT -5
Again people, thanks for the input
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Post by Stanhill on Mar 22, 2018 7:04:12 GMT -5
You never go wrong with second-hand, pre-2010 Stanwells. I own 88 and am extremely happy with each and every single one of them.  |
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Post by Legend Lover on Mar 22, 2018 11:44:14 GMT -5
You never go wrong with second-hand, pre-2010 Stanwells. I own 88 and am extremely happy with each and every single one of them. 88!!!!  I only have a handful of pipes, but I'm getting to the point where one more pipe will mean one less wife. |
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Post by toshtego on Mar 23, 2018 9:56:42 GMT -5
Over the year I have grown fond of my Polish Dumbrowski-Sedlytz bent Billiard. The only problem is the cast iron gets too hot to hold in my mouth.
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Post by headrott on Apr 1, 2018 4:57:36 GMT -5
As a 9mm filter user, I will throw Vauen in the rankings. Vauen makes excellent pipes when they don't outsource their name to other manufacturers. Also Chacom and Brebbia make excellent pipes.
As others have stated, Stanwell pipes are excellent as well.
I hope thi ls helps.
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Post by Stanhill on Apr 1, 2018 5:28:47 GMT -5
Stanwell - This is by far my favorite factory pipe. I own 12 and they are all solid pipes. Some smoke better than others and every single one has a fill or pit, but there are no clunkers in the batch. I wholeheartedly agree. I own 88 and I can honestly say that they are great smokers every single one of them. I like Sixten Ivarsson's pipes a lot, but should I ever buy one, DW will inflict severe damage to my person, kill me and then present me with the divorce papers, so I'll settle for his Stanwell designs. The same goes for Anne Julie, Tom Eltang, S. Bang and Jess Chonowitsch. I clean forgot that I posted above. Sorry for the repeat, but Stanwell pipes are great.  |
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Post by Legend Lover on Apr 1, 2018 10:42:40 GMT -5
Stanwell - This is by far my favorite factory pipe. I own 12 and they are all solid pipes. Some smoke better than others and every single one has a fill or pit, but there are no clunkers in the batch. I wholeheartedly agree. I own 88 and I can honestly say that they are great smokers every single one of them. I like Sixten Ivarsson's pipes a lot, but should I ever buy one, DW will inflict severe damage to my person, kill me and then present me with the divorce papers, so I'll settle for his Stanwell designs. The same goes for Anne Julie, Tom Eltang, S. Bang and Jess Chonowitsch. I clean forgot that I posted above. Sorry for the repeat, but Stanwell pipes are great. We all have moments like that. |
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Post by johnlawitzke on Apr 1, 2018 11:18:34 GMT -5
Stanwell - This is by far my favorite factory pipe. I own 12 and they are all solid pipes. Some smoke better than others and every single one has a fill or pit, but there are no clunkers in the batch. I wholeheartedly agree. I own 88 and I can honestly say that they are great smokers every single one of them. I like Sixten Ivarsson's pipes a lot, but should I ever buy one, DW will inflict severe damage to my person, kill me and then present me with the divorce papers, so I'll settle for his Stanwell designs. The same goes for Anne Julie, Tom Eltang, S. Bang and Jess Chonowitsch. I clean forgot that I posted above. Sorry for the repeat, but Stanwell pipes are great. How about a Bo Nordh? www.ebay.com/itm/Bo-Nordh-Sandblast-Oval-Shank-Lovat-Pipe-Rare-COOPERSARK-NO-RESERVE/232705940557 |
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Post by johnlawitzke on Apr 1, 2018 11:20:19 GMT -5
Stanwell - This is by far my favorite factory pipe. I own 12 and they are all solid pipes. Some smoke better than others and every single one has a fill or pit, but there are no clunkers in the batch. I wholeheartedly agree. I own 88 and I can honestly say that they are great smokers every single one of them. I like Sixten Ivarsson's pipes a lot, but should I ever buy one, DW will inflict severe damage to my person, kill me and then present me with the divorce papers, so I'll settle for his Stanwell designs. The same goes for Anne Julie, Tom Eltang, S. Bang and Jess Chonowitsch. I clean forgot that I posted above. Sorry for the repeat, but Stanwell pipes are great. OK, more realistic is this one. Too bad that I already have a Diplomat 63: www.ebay.com/itm/MINT-Stanwell-Deluxe-HAND-MADE-1-4-BENT-FREEHAND-Danish-Estate-Pipe-w-REG-s/362280452085 |
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Post by Legend Lover on Apr 1, 2018 11:35:33 GMT -5
I wholeheartedly agree. I own 88 and I can honestly say that they are great smokers every single one of them. I like Sixten Ivarsson's pipes a lot, but should I ever buy one, DW will inflict severe damage to my person, kill me and then present me with the divorce papers, so I'll settle for his Stanwell designs. The same goes for Anne Julie, Tom Eltang, S. Bang and Jess Chonowitsch. I clean forgot that I posted above. Sorry for the repeat, but Stanwell pipes are great. OK, more realistic is this one. Too bad that I already have a Diplomat 63: www.ebay.com/itm/MINT-Stanwell-Deluxe-HAND-MADE-1-4-BENT-FREEHAND-Danish-Estate-Pipe-w-REG-s/362280452085That looks gorgeous. |
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