SRV vs Altinay vs IMP meerschaum?

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WarneOut

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I've decided to get a couple meerschaums before taking an extended break from pipe buying. I don't really know anything about these brands, but they seem to be set in different price brackets.

SRV has lots of options in the $100 - $200 range, Altinay has lots in the $200-$300 range, and IMP seems to be largely $300+.

My question is, does price correlate with quality of pipe here? Does IMP use better quality meerschaum, or engineer better pipes, or do they just put a higher price on their labor?

I'd love to hear some input about these brands (or others) before I spend any serious amount of money.

With meerschaums especially, I'd rather have fewer high quality pipes than many lower quality pipes, so price isn't the biggest concern, but I don't want to go straight for the most expensive ones before knowing if the price tag is worth it.

Thanks guys
 
Warne, check out Meershaum Market. They have a huge inventory, and prices from less than 100 to over 500. Generally the larger and more intricate the pipe, the higher the cost, but not always. With due diligence you can get a good quality meer for under 200.
 
Brother Ranger's reply above is spot on!! Might check out the AKB brand at Smoking Pipes. Plus check SP's bi-weekly (Monday and Thursday) offerings. They usually have several Meers for sale, both new and pre-owned. And, of course, good ol' eBay always has a ton of Meers being offered!!! I've never purchased from any of the sites mentioned in the opening question, so I won't offer any opinion. FWIW...FTRPLT
 
Warne, check out Meershaum Market. They have a huge inventory, and prices from less than 100 to over 500. Generally the larger and more intricate the pipe, the higher the cost, but not always. With due diligence you can get a good quality meer for under 200.
That's actually primarily where I'm looking right now. Feels safest to order from a US retailer that offers free returns.

I've just been wondering if there is a big difference between the quality of SRV and IMP in general, because the prices are pretty far apart.

As long as nobody has anything bad to say about SRV, I'll probably go for something in their $100 - $200 range, but it makes me wonder why they would sell something just as good for so cheap, when IMP has no trouble selling pipes in the $300 - $500 range.

Generally you're right, that smaller simpler pipes tend to be cheaper, but there are notable exceptions to that which seem almost random, and it's hard to get a good read on what criteria they use to come up with a price.
 
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Brother Ranger's reply above is spot on!! Might check out the AKB brand at Smoking Pipes. Plus check SP's bi-weekly (Monday and Thursday) offerings. They usually have several Meers for sale, both new and pre-owned. And, of course, good ol' eBay always has a ton of Meers being offered!!! I've never purchased from any of the sites mentioned in the opening question, so I won't offer any opinion. FWIW...FTRPLT
Thanks for the reply. I'm a bit leery of the small screw-style tenon that AKB uses, and I prefer classic shapes to carved faces or animals (for now at least). I also find the bright orange stems rather garish and unattractive lol.

Pretty much looking at only SRV or IMP, while also considering Altinay based on reading good things.
 
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