Thank you for sparking this discussion. I agree with your assessment that a good smoke can be had with a more affordable pipe. My rotation is made up of all vintage Grabows as they were handed down to me many years ago from my Father's pipe rack. These have remained my daily working pipes for over 25 years now. With proper daily care and routine maintenance I expect them all to last for many more years. Being raised by a pipe man made these habits come very naturally for me. I still have my first pipe, a refurbished vintage Rossi that I was fortunate to find from a pipe repair shop in my teen years, & it's reserved for the occasions I try a new blend or mixture. It smokes as consistently good as any of the Grabows even with having been repaired many decades ago. Maybe the fact that I otherwise smoke the same tobacco daily and there are many years of that blend seasoning each of those Dr. Grabows adds to their consistent performance? I feel fortunate to have discovered my daily go-to tobacco so many years ago, and although it's fun to dabble and try the many new kinds available today in our ever changing world, it's nice to have something steady in life to hold onto. Cheers from Alaska!
Well its a debate that never will end. Personally the I like pipes that are made well(drilling is perhaps thew key issue), I don't mind brands and names I have Chacoms,Savinellis,Petersons,Dunhills,Ashtons pipes but best pipes I have which I smoke most are names like Keywoodie or Stanwell or Bonnet's pipes from Mallorca, they are solid good smokers, plain and simple. Price tag in a pipe does not mean, that it's a good pipe. I've 2 Peterson's pipes which I don't smoke at all ,because of drilling errors. Well thanks for the clip and stay safe,mate.
Hello Thabo, good to see you are well, Firstly in reference to pipes, renowned pipe makers, and manufacturers have built their business up on providing quality , and importantly it has taken consistent high standards over a good period of time to get that good name , and so easy with a fall in standards to lose that status very quickly, so, in my humble opion, you have less chance of dissappoinment investing in these high profile brands, {which do not have to be expensive}, where their standards have to be kept, and who invest in quality raw materials to match their own expertise, rather than chancing going for a potentially cheaper option, and possibly a no name or unknown name provider who do not have a reputaion to maintain. Secondly, if your pipe has a good reputaion, match that with the quality of tobacco, then the journey begins. Keep Well & Safe, Steve.
So true about pipes. Much of it is preference as well. For instance, I love how Savannelli's smoke but the bits are thicker than I would prefer. The perfect smoker is elusive, but meerschaums get me close!
Good to see you back! Thanks for your video. I'm usually buying good quality estate pipes, especially artisan ones. Why? Great price/quality ratio, these are already "broken" (positively speaking) and the greater the initial price was better the chances getting a pipe that have been respected by previous owner.
This is a good question. I choose first on shape. Bent pipes always for me gurgle and I don't like that so I choose straight or 3/4 bent (like the Friday Savinelli) pipes. Without question for me Savinelli pipes are my go to pipe and I only buy those now but it took many different pipe shapes, styles and makers to get to this point. I now have pipes in my rack that I will probable never smoke again but the look wonderful. HA!
Some of my best smoking pipes are cheap basket pipes and corn cob pipes. I would never pay more than 150€/$ for a pipe. My rusticated Savinelli 320 KS's are also some of the best smokers that I own, that's why I now have 3 of them. With pipes you can never know for sure, until you smoked it. But I mean there are certain pipes, like the 320KS for example, that are world famous for being a good smoking pipe.
This is such an impossible question to answer. Great answer too many variables. I believe it more about your mood and setting, quality pipe and tobacco is a good star Nice to see you again stay safe.
How you doing Thabo. I have many expensive pipes and I always go back to my very old Dr. Grabow, boy what a smoker. Also I think packing is the number one step in any good smoke. Take care and hope to see you soon........Bob
Thabo, Pax et Bonum! Maybe it is comparing to automobiles, I guess it is never going to be the same as to driving a high end car as, let say, an Audi or a Porsche, than driving a Toyota or a Hyundai. Not to diminish those oriental brands, but the technology and research behind the high end automobiles makes the driving experience quite noticeably different (better.) If one's wallet allows to buy those high end, high price cars, then go for it. (I wish my wallet was fat enough, hehe.) Maybe pipes are similar to that... as you mentioned, pipes are made of an organic material, if a good quality and well curated block of briar was used, that is one step towards a good pipe. Then there is the manufacturing part, if the pipe is made by an experienced maker, that's another step closer. Usually that combination produces high priced pipes. And the rest, of course, as you also mentioned on your video, depends on the environment around you, the very moment, the tobacco... etc. Thank you for sharing your video. It is always great to hear from you... Cheers and God Bless!
... start with a good tobacco ... the pipe is an accessory. ;-) Beyond that, a comfortable draw without a lot of gurgling ... and I'm happy. Be safe ✌️
Great to see you again, Umfundise. Thank you for this gem of a post. Wow, this is the one, isn't it, for many pipe smokers. Now, I am not qualified to comment in great depth about the smoking qualities of particular pipes and briar. However, I have heard many times that a less expensive pipe has provided a consistent and excellent smoke. Likewise, that a much more expensive pipe has 'underperformed'. I do know from personal experience that you do not have to spend the earth to find a very good smoke. My feeling about the 'perfect' smoke is that, in probability, it is a matter of the right tobacco in a pipe with which the smoker feels comfortable at the right time in the right place. That is to say that I suspect the 'perfect' smoke is, in all likelihood, subject to the smoker's state of mind (which, fittingly, is what many of your posts appear to be about). I would imagine that the part of the briar from which a pipe is carved might play a part but, then again, no guarantee. Some pipes might require a breaking in period while others smoke very well 'straight off the bat'. So, to sum up, I'd say that while I think your own comments are spot on, the mystery remains. I am sorry to hear that you have been personally affected by the current viral pandemic. Take care, umfundise Thabo.
Such a pleasure to watch another video of yours. Glad you're safe. I agree that it's must a matter of chances. I can't put aside though that I've had excellent smokes from cheaper pipes but made from a distinct name in the industry. Both savinelli and vauen for example make pipes for less than 50€. Buying from a carver though is another thing. You describe how you want it, so you don't risk disappointment in things like the button size, the chamber shape etc. Thanks for sharing, take care and carry on
Over the years i got lazy with packing my pipe. I went back to basics, trying to do it properly, and i got a huge improvement out of it. I think i was packing the tobacco too much. On top of that i switched from my zippo to a gas jet lighter. I don't know what to say about tasting the zippo fuel, i don't think i ever did. But what the jet lighter did for me was getting a much better ember burning. So combining better packing with a better light means i get better draw, the tobacco stays lit for longer, and it's a much better experience. The only downside is that the pipe gets hotter than before, because of better airflow. Maybe i need to pack the tobacco more... Either way, progress was made. Also, speaking of pipes, i've become very partial to my Peterson's Sherlock Holmes Baskerville, combined with my still surviving Peterson's Special Reserve 2015.
Good to see your videos again Thabo. What is the definition of a good smoke? I am just a beginner on this, but it seems like the definition is a problem. For me, if the tobacco doesn't burn my mouth and I get the flavor that I like, it is a good smoke. The pipe is a small factor in this. More of a factor is the tobacco humidity, type, and quality. Like you said, it is a very complex issue with many factors.
Cheap price to bria is not as good as the More expensive pip The Briar is what makes the pipe. There's a lot types of Briar. The cheap pipes to Briar Burns fast. The more expensive pipes, the Bria Burns slow.
They are London made and the story goes, they were spesifically made for the SA Market. For alnf time they were not available outside of SA. Not sure nowadays, but still very much available here. South Africans love them, probably because our granddads smoked them. Back in the older days, almost always the first pipe we were introduced to, would've been a Keyser. And if you were a city boy, your second would've been a Peterson. 😃 👍
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