Any thoughts on shop pipes?

[Jevverrett]

I have two shop pipes that I bought from the owl shop in new haven, ct. Both are good smokers, and werent terribly expensive.
I asked when I bought the second one who made them, and the owner would only say a small american pipe maker. Like I said though, they are both good pipes. Nothing spectacular insofar as grain neccisarily and one has a few small fills, but good balance and straight drilling. I have no clue as to who could have made these.

 

[RDPipes]

   I have two shop pipes that I bought from the owl shop in new haven, ct. Both are good smokers, and werent terribly expensive.
   I asked when I bought the second one who made them, and the owner would only say a small american pipe maker. Like I said though, they are both good pipes. Nothing spectacular insofar as grain neccisarily and one has a few small fills, but good balance and straight drilling. I have no clue as to who could have made these.

Many basket/shop pipes smoke very well but, it's all up to chance. With known higher
grade pipe makers your chances are much less in getting a bad smoker and some not
at all. If you've found some that smoke well and you are happy with there esthetics by all
means continue to purchase them. There's no law that says you have to purchase high
end pipes paying high end prices. Smoking a pipe is for the individual's pleasure so, by
all means do what pleases you.

 

[puros_bran]

Barring insane luck, You pay the same for a great smoking pipe* regardless the maker.

What you are paying for is quality control.. The cheap company makes 100 pipes and stamps 100pipes. The quality company makes 100 pipes and stamps x% of them. You are paying for the chucked wood, the labor, etc.

With A lot of dumb luck and an average amount of eyeball you can score some winners on the cheap by hand picking the cheaper brands but then again you are putting Your Time into Quality Control.. Time = Money.




* Notice I didn't say a pretty or a collectable pipe. Castello (etc) cost more than a Savinelli 2nd (etc) partly for their perceived smoking qualities but also because of the beautiful workmanship and the name.

 

[mark]

    Both are good smokers, and werent terribly expensive.,,,, they are both good pipes. good balance and straight drilling.

I've had name brand pipes I couldn't say this about. Enjoy.

 

[Richard Burley]

PB above seems to have a handle on the cost/quality equation. I have had both horrible and great shop pipes. I swear that some of them were made of "green" wood. Back in days of yore some shops had several grades of their pipes, another factor. The old Barclay-Rex in New York comes to mind. Likewise the old Wilke shop on Madison (?), if memory serves. Peretti's in Boston still does. I have one great one from an old shop no one has heard of that is a great smoker and has colored up really well. If we're talking about the same thing, the pipes just have a wax coating, right? That was part of their appeal to me. You pay your money and take your chances.

 

[ftrplt]

The pipe shop I worked in during the 60's had GBD seconds as their "house" pipe. There were various grades and sizes. All made from darn good Algerian briar I bought several; still have most of them 50 years later! They all smoke extremely well and have colored/patinaed beautifully. :cheers: FTRPLT

 

[monbla256]

An example of a "shop" pipe would have to be the pipes sold under the Edward's brand in their shops since the late '60s. They are still made in the same factory in Tampa under the corporate name of FTG Enterprises which own's the Edward's brand. They were all made from oil cured Algerian Briar in several grades and price points and some were filled, and the higher grades were perfect but ALL were excellent smokers and having bought my first Edward's back in '69 up to '80 in many different grades and price points I can say that they were one of the BETTER "shop" pipes made. I've not purchased any of the firms newer pipes as the Edward's that used to be near me closed up in the mid '90's . From what I've been told Peretii's pipes are made by FTG for them under Peretii'd label and I have two of them and they ARE as the older Edward's were that I have so I'd say they are STILL making good pipes !!:twisted: :twisted:

 

[Jevverrett]

Very simple finish on these, yes. It is the owl shop, they've been there in downtown new haven like 80 years serving the yaley population. They're not what they once were as far as a pipe shop. They used to be king of the county 10-15 years ago. Mostly cigars and an impressive bar now. They still have house blends, and only dunhill tins. I like to drink there on guys night wih my brothers. I'll have to post some pics when I get home of these pipes.

 

[Kyle Weiss]

With A lot of dumb luck and an average amount of eyeball you can score some winners on the cheap by hand picking the cheaper brands but then again you are putting Your Time into Quality Control.. Time = Money.

Which is why I always noddingly agreed with Yak's equating pipes to being female.  You don't have to have a lot of money to find a decent one, but depending on your ideals of the relationship, she may have vastly different thoughts.   :lol:   Dudes be cheap; chicks be picky.   Money or patience are the non-warranted equalizers.  

A lot of dumb luck here with pipes.   A lot, but a few costly mistakes I shall not make again.

8)

 

[daveinlax]

Edwards Pipes are a good collectable brand. I've seen a large, really solid collection displayed years ago. :shock:

 

[KevinM]

I own quite a few "shop pipes," some I acquired new and others as refurbs for relative bargain prices. I'm very happy with them. I'd suggest doing internet searches on the shop brand you're interested in to find where that shop had its pipes produced. My last two refurb buys were of The Tinderbox brand. One was stamped Italy, the other London. Pipepedia indicated the Italy pipe was likely of Savinelli manufacture and the London was most likely a product of one of the major pipe players in that city. Both are light weight, perfectly drilled, snugly crafted and marred by only a very few very minor fills. Everything is well fitted and the dimensions of each are similar to new briars from the modern lineups of premium manufacturers. My opinion is that shops like Tinderbox were sizable enough to get the attention due major retailers, so the ultimate customer could expect good briar and capable craftsmanship, not bad wood and neophyte carvers. In many cases, the only thing missing would be the name brand, I believe. Researching the history of shop pipe manufacture on Pipepedia is a pleasant task that will give a piper confidence in bargain hunting for old briar. Good luck.

 

[juanmedusa]

The only shop pipes I have are Savinelli's pipes. They are very clearly marked with Savinelli but have shop stamps, logos on them from the factory. Of course they smoke well unless there's something about a Savinelli you don't like.

 

[Jevverrett]

The only shop pipes I have are Savinelli's pipes. They are very clearly marked with Savinelli but have shop stamps, logos on them from the factory. Of course they smoke well unless there's something about a Savinelli you don't like.

I like savs just fine, I have one myself. I had a lady from another shop tell me the owl shop pipes were sav seconds, so maybe I have three come to think of it. I had no reason to doubt her anyway. They are good pipes anyway, well made and good smokers. I am somewhat convinced after this post that a good pipe is just that, regardless of name brand

 

[jlong]

I look at this way. If you're still learning how to pack, smoke, and clench a pipe properly. Your pallet isn't broke in, etc., then you're better off with a basket pipe. It's not pretty scorching the bowl rim of a $200 pipe. When I'm working around the yard or garage, a basket pipe is all I will smoke because the pipe gets banged up and stained with axle grease.

 

[SpeedyPete]

Time = Money.

I have lots of time but very little money?

 

[bent bulldog]

Shop pipes are making a bit of a comeback in quality lately. I must agree wholeheartedly with Cartaphilus that many shop pipes are a real crap shoot, emphasis on the word crap. The problem in the past was most makers of cheaply made basket pipes made from green wood would gladly stamp a shop's name on the shank at an extremely low price to attract that particular market. Before about 1980 many shop pipes were actually of very high quality and produced by companies such as Weber in the U.S. and Comoy out of London. Some of Arthur Leonards pipe shop house brand pipes were produced by Comoy and were as good a piece of well aged wood as one could find. I have one in my collection which is flawless save for a small sand pit in the bowl and is also a perfect straight grain, made in the early 1960's by Comoy. I belive many of the Owl shop pipes were produced by Weber, a very reputable American maker. Lately, Savinelli has produced a very nice quality light weight house pipe which we carry in our store under the Cargohold label which smokes as well as any pipe I have smoked in the $100 price range. The retailer should always be willing to tell you who is making his house pipes. If it is one of the major companies or if it is an individual carver you will probably have a positive experience.

 

[juanmedusa]

Your post reminded me, when I was in Rome the Fincato shop had outstanding high end Italian shop pipes.

 

[Dottleman]

An example of a "shop" pipe would have to be the pipes sold under the Edward's brand in their shops since the late '60s. They are still made in the same factory in Tampa under the corporate name of FTG Enterprises which own's the Edward's brand. They were all made from oil cured Algerian Briar in several grades and price points and some were filled, and the higher grades were perfect but ALL were excellent smokers and having bought my first Edward's back in '69 up to '80 in many different grades and price points I can say that they were one of the BETTER "shop" pipes made. I've not purchased any of the firms newer pipes as the Edward's that used to be near me closed up in the mid '90's . From what I've been told Peretii's pipes are made by FTG for them under Peretii'd label and I have two of them and they ARE as the older Edward's were that I have so I'd say they are STILL making good pipes !!:twisted: :twisted:

Wow! It wasn't until I read this that I remembered the brand of the first pipe I bought some 33 years ago - an Edward's. I lost track of that pipe and never really thought about it until I read this. I wish I had it again - for sentimental reasons.

 

[juanmedusa]

Here

http://fincatolacasadelhabano.com/prodotti/pipe/fincato.html

is the page showing the Fincato pipes. I guess they're still shop pipes even if they're also their POTY. There were pipes made that seem missing because I saw them in person but not on the page. For example, I saw a 2009 in perfect straight grain with the lightest possible stain. I also saw that lidded pipe in a beautiful smooth rendition.

 

[Jevverrett]

I have to say, this is getting interesting. I believed that the pipes I got there were of decent quality for the 100$ range. They smoke better than others in the same price range from more noteworthy makers that I own personally. i wouldn't have figured initially they came from a bad company, but maybe just had some flaws that kept them from getting the company stamp.

Btw, the gentleman who ran the owl shop in new haven for some years died recently. He was not not a young man by any means, but it still was kind of a shock for me. I was in there not long ago, and noticed his normal spot by the door where he smoked cigars and read the paper was empty. I didn't think anything of it, but one of my pipe smoking customers on my Guilford garbage route told me. He will be missed.