Dave_In_Philly
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- Aug 18, 2011
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I will admit to be being an unabashed fan of the company. I have more Petes than any other make, and by a significant margin. When I last counted I had 14, I now probably have closer to 20. I'm no Jim Lilley, but I like me some Irish briar. It's hard to say that I have a favorite pipe, but the pipe I smoke more than any other would be 264 that I purchased new in 2012. The other day I noticed that the stem was starting to oxidize and though to myself, that's pretty good for a Pete.
As a matter of fact, I have one Pete, a Shannon B11 bought new from Holts in Philadelphia, that oxidized the moment I first put it in my mouth. I have pipes in my collection that age from the early 20th Century to one that is only days old. Yet none of the pipes seem to have a stem that oxidizes as badly as the Peterson. One pipe, a System 307, is practically unsmokeable because of the odor of burnt tires permeating the stem.
I know that there are methods for belaying this (I'm particularly fond of Bar Keepers Friend, followed up with Obsidian Stem Oil). But why, do we accept this? I have other pipes that I have smoked regularly for years that show no sign of oxidation whatsoever. I have a 1997 Dunhill whose stem looks new, despite having been throughly abused.
What prompted this train of though, was that I just purchased a new 69 in the Dalkey finish. It is a very beautiful pipe, and to look at it, I would think it should cost more than it did. Then I tried to run a pipe cleaner through it and found it impossible. I know that the "pipe cleaner" test is not necessarily the mark of a good pipe, and there are plenty of excellent, very well made, pipes that can't pass a pipe cleaner, but the 69 is a very simple shape, with a fairly slight bend. There is no reason for it not to be able to pass a pipe cleaner easily. This made me think, and went to my cabinet. Not a single on of my bent Petes can pass a pipe cleaner. Not even the 80s. I understand why the System pipes have trouble, but there is no reason a regular pipe, with a 1/4-1/2 bend shouldn't be able to pass a pipe cleaner.
Lastly, there was the issue a while back with the staining bubbling off some of their lower end pipes. Fortunately I did not fall victim to this.
Yet despite all of this, I am just as strong of a fan today as I was the day I bought my first one. I really can't say why. Maybe its the history of the company. Maybe I just a sucker for a good advertising campaign. I wish I knew. As a matter of fact, I'm currently in the market for Dalkey in the 264 shape...
As a matter of fact, I have one Pete, a Shannon B11 bought new from Holts in Philadelphia, that oxidized the moment I first put it in my mouth. I have pipes in my collection that age from the early 20th Century to one that is only days old. Yet none of the pipes seem to have a stem that oxidizes as badly as the Peterson. One pipe, a System 307, is practically unsmokeable because of the odor of burnt tires permeating the stem.
I know that there are methods for belaying this (I'm particularly fond of Bar Keepers Friend, followed up with Obsidian Stem Oil). But why, do we accept this? I have other pipes that I have smoked regularly for years that show no sign of oxidation whatsoever. I have a 1997 Dunhill whose stem looks new, despite having been throughly abused.
What prompted this train of though, was that I just purchased a new 69 in the Dalkey finish. It is a very beautiful pipe, and to look at it, I would think it should cost more than it did. Then I tried to run a pipe cleaner through it and found it impossible. I know that the "pipe cleaner" test is not necessarily the mark of a good pipe, and there are plenty of excellent, very well made, pipes that can't pass a pipe cleaner, but the 69 is a very simple shape, with a fairly slight bend. There is no reason for it not to be able to pass a pipe cleaner easily. This made me think, and went to my cabinet. Not a single on of my bent Petes can pass a pipe cleaner. Not even the 80s. I understand why the System pipes have trouble, but there is no reason a regular pipe, with a 1/4-1/2 bend shouldn't be able to pass a pipe cleaner.
Lastly, there was the issue a while back with the staining bubbling off some of their lower end pipes. Fortunately I did not fall victim to this.
Yet despite all of this, I am just as strong of a fan today as I was the day I bought my first one. I really can't say why. Maybe its the history of the company. Maybe I just a sucker for a good advertising campaign. I wish I knew. As a matter of fact, I'm currently in the market for Dalkey in the 264 shape...