Ser Jacopo or Ardor?

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T

TJDiesel

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So in the two years that ive been smoking ive realized that i prefer italian and american pipes. Im looking to acquire one more italian made before moving on to american artisans, and the two brands im interested in (i dont own any of each) is Ser Jacopo and Ardor. So just looking to get any advice from anyone who has any experience with the brands
 
Aesthetically, they have their critics and their fans, but as far as quality, I hear nothing but top-notch things. I don't own either, and I'd be proud to have one of each. 8)
 
Yea i hear you man i wish i could get one of each too, but both brands can be kinda pricey. Life can be such a b#%ch sometimes lol
 
I would say Ardors are a better deal right now - equivalent looking pipes seem to be about 100 bucks cheaper than a similar Ser Jacopo.

That said, stylistically, Ardors tend to be pretty big and far less traditional in terms of shaping, so really it comes down to finding a pipe you like.
 
Hey Sasquatch i will look that up thanks...any particular reason for the recomendation?
 
Yeah they smoke good and the brand is a little under the radar in North America.

Lots of these companies have funny little relations anyhow. Pipemakers A and B found company X and then one of them leaves and starts another company (Y), hires pipemaker C who taught B in the first place back when they worked for company Z.... it's quite funny. So you can trace lineage in Ascortis, Caminettos and Radices back to Castello where all those boys worked, that kind of thing.

Long and the short of it is, MdP and Ser Jac make a fairly similar product with MdP making more classic sorts of shapes and fewer weird "artsy" pipes. But stem work and briar are fairly similar. Ardor is more on their own - the Roveras have been in the business for ever, and Damiano has brought new passion to the brand, which is good.

You can't go wrong with any of these pipes. I'd say look for one with a comfortable looking stem - sometimes the button is a bit small on a heavy pipe where the stem fattens up right away. But really, my experience with all these midgrade or upper midgrade Italian pipes is that they are good pipes for 150-250 bucks.
 
I'll echo Sas and say that Ardor, Ser Jacopo and MdP are all quality brands. And Ardors are usually large which doesn't work for me personally because I prefer smaller pipes.

Ser Jac and MdP make large pipes as well but they will be stamped as such.

I own 4 Ser Jacopo pipes and they are among my favorite pipes. As far as Italian briar goes, I just find the Pesaro aesthetic more attractive than the lot.
 
I'd echo this thread: they are both good pipes generally. I own 6 or seven Ser Jacs and a couple of Ardors, I'm happy with all of them. If you're looking for a bigger bowl, pay particular attention to the stem for comfort.

Also, if you're looking at Italian Pipes, you might also consider Radice pipes, which, until recently, were less visible and less popular. They seem to be moving up the food chain a little, but you can still get a good one at a decent price.
 
Before I get into this, I want it to be known that the only Italian pipe I own is a Savinelli, a far cry from the makers I'm about to go into. All the things I'm about to say are all based off of what I've read/heard, not my actual experience.

Ser Jacopo, is generally held in high regard. I've heard only good things about them, especially their ariways -- they're said to be nice and wide open, whistle free and a dream to smoke. I'm sure you could find some that are outliers, but in general you'd be hard pressed to be disappointed by one. Their older coral dot marked ones are supposed to be amazing smokers on the estate market at a good price.

Ardor, to me, takes their artistic license a bit too far. i admire their willingness to try different things and experiment. Though, I also understand there's a reason they sell 'em, cause people buy 'em! It might be your cup of tea, but I'll take a raincheck. I also hear their airways are a little more restricted, so depending on your preference you may want to take that into consideration. Note that I've only heard that about them a few times here and there.

Mastro de Paja is another maker that I've heard many many good things about. I really don't recall ever hearing a bad thing about them, but that could be part of the American market being relatively unaware of them. Classic shapes, with a little flair here and there. What's not to like?

A few other considerations in the same price range, give or take a little bit are Radice (like Tim said), Cavicchi, and Don Carlos. All three of those makers I hear great things of, and I aim to get a Cavicchi before too long myself, I love hos work. If I were in your shoes, I'd probably look at Cavicchi's work. You could spend an arm and a leg on some of his pieces, like his 4c's, but he has other pieces that aren't even 1c that still have splendid grain! Bottom line is if you're going to be spending $200+ for a pipe, be open and don't accept anything less than what you're looking for, but at the same time keep the door open, allow yourself to shop around.
 
I own an old ser J (from before '97) with the coral point logo.Everything is fine with that pipe:grain,construction,mechanics,silverwork,mouthpiece,etc..I highly recommend you one of these older pipes.I do not know if the after '97 with the J logo is as good as i never smoked one of these.
 
That's my experience too. I'm sitting on an unsmoked coral dot from early days, and it's a good looking pipe in terms of construction. I've got a Maxima with the J and there's a lot of little things funny about it - drilling isn't great, the J is crooked, the black finish is polished out to brown in one spot.... That's kind of why I point to Mastro instead - their 300 dollar pipes actually look like 300 dollar pipes.
 
It occurs to me that, for the kind of money you're talking about, you could pick up one of the original Ascorti-Radice Castellos and a lot of tobacco to smoke in it.

:face:
 
SJ has one of the ugliest sandblasts on the market (never cared for that buffed blast look), and Ardor has some of the ugliest carving techniques ever created in a pipe shop; my goodness do I ever hate the way some of them look.

I sold SJs for a few years in a shop. Consistent quality. Interesting designs. The stems were often too busy for my taste, but they were always finished with good detail and fit properly. A little pricey comparatively, but they were never half-assed off the bench. I owned three or four, and I found them to be very average smokers. Never terrible. Never great. One of my all-time favorite pipes was a SJ, but it wasn't because of its great smoking qualities.

One of the salesman to the shop was a big Ardor fanatic. He owned a couple of those hideously carved deals, but he also had an amazing collection of magnum full bent apples. He was the first person I know of who collected them. There were obviously others, but he would be the only one in a private room or at a show with a bag of Ardors. He was very picky, and he always praised how well they smoked. They looked to be one of the best values in pipes, and now that prices are nothing less than asinine, it appears they remain a great value in pipes.
 
My favorite Ardor pipes are the ones that look the least like Ardor pipes. Same with the Pesaro stuff.
There is also a good pipe brand that has a name that rhymes with "Ill Zeppo" that I would recommend...
Unless you want the best, then just get a Castello 8)
I've also been drinking Scotch tonight...
 
I own a half dozen SerJacs and a couple Ardors. Between the two, the Ardors are the better smokers in my opinion, and better made. My Ardors are grp 5/6 size and more or less traditional shapes. You just have to watch and wait, they will show up. Over all top of the line Italian to me is Castello though.
 
I have a Castello and recently sold a Cavicchi. Ardors are a bit too much for my more classic tastes.

I love the Castello (65 Sea Rock) but the draw is just a tad too open, and I have to be careful to pack it tightly. When I do, it smokes like a dream. I just like a little tighter draw (my Upshalls are perfect). I had a one C Cavicchi and hated it. It smoked hot and I traded it to a shop owner who loves Italians and he says it smokes brilliantly, so go figure.

I was looking hard at this Ser Jacopo, the La Fuma line is around $200 and this one looks magnificant, to me:
http://www.alpascia.com/detail.asp?detail=21327
getimagevar.asp
 
Yak":ie4kqymu said:
It occurs to me that, for the kind of money you're talking about, you could pick up one of the original Ascorti-Radice Castellos and a lot of tobacco to smoke in it.

:face:
Click to expand...
I guess you mean Caminetto. However,i prefer my old Ser J to the old Caminetto.IMO Caminetto never achieved the beauty of the Pesaro school,being more like a rugged ardor.
 
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