Why is Buying Pipes (on a Budget) So Difficult?

[alfredo_buscatti]

The short in answer is that the are many artisan pipes available, more or less, from $200 to ~$800 that are very desirable. Similarly, good, attractive but comparatively dull estate pipes are sold on ebay for under $100. I've seen this type of pipe sell for $25. Moreover, I've smoked many such pipes, and being the dullard that I am, can't tell the difference between them and artisan pipes which seem to me more about the fit and finish.

Ebay pipes by the coveted makers have many bidders and easily sell for two and three times the price of a humdrum estate. I know some will say that the engineering in artisan pipes is usually spot-on, but I've owned and smoked some dozen and don't find that they smoke any better than the Jobey and Milville I've rescued from this year's purge. I just bought an estate Ferndown REO, and I am in love, but more with the fit and finish than for any vaunted engineering. I'm still battling stem cleaning problems, but I suspect when I do smoke it it will not perform better. I can already tell that the airway is not as open as the eight cobs pressed into service on my resuming my pipe addiction in October.

I wonder if this is true because of the capitalist spirit. Then again tobacco is grown by the field whereas it takes at least a few hours to make an attractive pipe and from what I know, ofttimes quite a bit more.

But pipe makers have to make a living. This leads me to ask if factories have to make a living.

 

[Briar Spirit]

For my part, I feel the price of Artisan pipes is perfectly justifiable up to a certain point, those who demand seriously high wads of dosh for their pipes, I just don't see those as anything other than greedy. The main thing for me when it comes to Artisan pipes is you are paying someone for their time and for the fact that they are making a pipe which one wouldn't see being pumped out of a factory. But it is not safe to presume that pipes out of a factory are any less in man hours, it's still a guy or a gal sat at a lathe etcetera working a chunk of wood or what ever material for a stem. We've all read or heard stories of pipes from factories that are classified as high end pipes which are nothing of the sort, yet a hefty price tag is still applied to that pipe, from an Artisan, you are guaranteed quality from start to finish. Even newcomers to the World of Artisan pipe makers turn out pipes which leave many high-end factory pipes in the dark ages, had I the finances to do so I would far sooner pay someone like Paul Hubartt or Craig Cooper $500 for a pipe than pay Dunhill $350 for the exact same pipe, I know Paul or Craig would put their heart and soul into that pipe, I cannot get myself to believe the same of Dunhill.

 

[puros_bran]

Don Alfredo.

The secret is to find good stuff before the forum junkies do. and then don't talk about them.

I screwed up and started spouting off at the mouth about my prefered estates and before long could no longer afford to snag them.

 

[Richard Burley]

Based on the speed with which artisan pipes disappear or are marked SOLD on the various sites like Smoking Pipes, I would have to say they are underpriced. As for eBay, there are obviously too many well-heeled bidders out there for the recognized quality stuff. But prices don't bother me; buy whatever floats your boat and can afford. I could easily be satisfied with just corncobs. No problem at all. If you want decent reasonable briar, go to Marty Pulver's "specials" page. Or do what PB recommended above, but don't tell anyone! It's a secret!

 

[puros_bran]

Yak once gifted me a pipe that laid on my rack and drew as many comments as the Castellos, and danish one offs. He probably paid $15-20 I cant remember what his "cut off" is.. You know why it wasn't a $500 pipe? It didn't have the right name on it. Well actually it had an old prestigeous name on it, just no one recognized it as such anymore.
As soon as some forum 'leader' or 'recognised authority' or 'expert' on pipes utters a word about a brand the price goes up.
Kinda like the Hudson Hornet.. before the Pixar movie Cars nobody cared, after the movie their prices doubled, tripled, and quadrupled..

I'm not a low brow snob. I am glad that guys have their one offs by the recognized artist, I've owned a few. I'm glad there are high grade factory, I've owned a few.
I'm glad there are mid tier price high quality pipes, I've owned a few. I'm glad there are baskets and cobs, I've owned a few.

 

[monbla256]

Easy answer, RAISE your budget level !! It's a market $ driven thing, always has been and always will be. I'd like a Mercedes, I can't afford one so I drive an old Honda, That's life . I by what I can AFFORD and don't worry WHY pipes I might like or want aren't priced lower, that's just how it is. Their's to many others available anyway . JMHO :twisted:

 

[puros_bran]

You actually brought up a good point.. maybe without knowing it.


Why do you want a Mercedes?


Why does anyone want a One-off?

 

[Richard Burley]

And when visiting eBay, never forget that you could be bidding against someone who is three sheets to the wind. Been there myself. People sitting at home in front of a computer, sipping whiskey, suddenly affronted by a late bidder, alcohol mixing with adrenaline--not a pretty picture. What are the odds? 50/50?

 

[Rob_In_MO]

Buying decent smoking pipes on a budget is easy:

Missouri Meerschaum 8)



If you insist on Briar:

Savinelli
Peterson
Brebbia


If you're in the estate market? This opens up a whole new realm of possibilities - if you stay away from Ebay...

 

[Kyle Weiss]

PeeB wins this round.

Although I must mention, if you're limiting yourself to the Internets for pipes, not only are you not able to truly see what you get (at the mercy of the seller's photography [or illusion] skills)...you're jamming yourself, figuratively, in line with the rest of the crowd the day before Christmas and expecting to get pick of the litter at your price range.

You'd be surprised where pipes turn up for sale. In fact, local B&Ms seem like an obvious place, but that's where many of my deals come from: not necessarily from the store itself, but I've traded/sold/bought a couple pipes from fellow smokers there! Guys I trust enough to not sell me a piece of garbage. Sounds like a bum deal for the pipe shop, but I also buy a tin of tobacco when that happens...selling street-level wares out of a store you hang out at (that does the same businesses) is classless--especially if you want them to say in business. Fortunately, the store sold them the pipes I was buying estate anyway, so I think everyone was happy. Furthering that, I encourage the managers to take in estate pipes...they normally don't because they often sit there for a while, but if it's know there's interest, they'll pick them up.

But yeah, if you are doing nothing but cruising the Internet for pipes, it's a tough one. Hell, my wonderful Brothers here are probably the best place to get pipes for a reasonable pipes. Put "Wanted" listing in the Trading post, perhaps?

Color outside the lines a bit.

8)

 

[riff raff]

This James Upshall P just sold on Ebay an hour ago for $56. I have an identical Upshall and it is as good as a smoker as I have, and this one might have a nicer grain than mine. If you can't clean it yourself, send it to Walker (or me!) and for $25 more you have yourself one wonderful pipe.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/SMOKING-PIPE-JAMES-UPSHALL-TILSHEAD-/350671821366?item=350671821366&ViewItem=&ssPageName=ADME:B:WNA:US:1123&nma=true&si=PFxJlfv%2FZVyIkuJj3xxl4IRtpnI%3D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557

 

[Anonymous]

First off, on a "value" basis, buying a new one is insane.

This because the same pipe, a week after the guy who bought it new and decided he didn't
like it after one smoke ends up selling it for maybe half of what he paid for it.

Yeah, there are potential pitfalls that way. There are with marriage too, but people still
get married.

Second, Flea Bay and Internet are not synonyms. There is at least one Bro here who
sells used pipes (can't remember his name, but his avatar is Edward R. Murrow) that
are surprisingly good values.

Same for guys like Marty Pulvers -- in spades. People (idiots) regularly pay for more for stuff @
Flea Bay than he sells them for. There are a LOT of people offering used pipes on the internet.
Places with relatively low profiles and low visitor counts are -- or can be -- primo.

Buy PIPES -- not names. I'm not gonna spill the beans on the outfit that made the one PB
riffed on, but there were a lot of companies that aren't household names that made some
great pipes. And they often go for peanuts.

< $50 for an estate you really like + < $ 50 for a new stem, detox & buff nets you a MUCH
better pipe -- all things considered -- than a new $100 one that, 30 years ago, would have
been a basket pipe. Plus it's broken in by now. With the exception of an A/R Caminetto & a
PD-gifted Castello, every pipe here pretty much fits that description. And I doubt whether
there are many folks here who enjoy better smoking/tasting pipes that cost way more.

It isn't difficult. It just takes work and study.

FWIW

:face:

 

[Gumball]

Buying pipes on a budget has not been a problem for me. I come at it from this angle...a pipe is primarily an object to facilitate the smoking and enjoyment of tobacco. Sure, I want a pipe that looks nice, but putting a match near something worth £200 just doesn't sit well with me

I was lucky enough to find an honest eBay seller who trades in both handmade pipes and also refurbished estate pipes, all at what I consider to be reasonable prices. And of course Peterson do a range of good pipes at affordable prices. There is also the option of buying a pipe from a local maker if one exists, and as long as they are not at the artisan end of the marker you should be able to snap up some good briar without burning too big a hole in your wallet.

The great thing about pipe smoking is that a guy with a £500 pipe can sit next to a guy with a £50 and smoke the exact same tobacco.

 

[Puff Daddy]

Why does anyone want a one-off? Because one hopes for mercedez quality at Dodge prices; for the chance to buy the mechanical quality without having to pay for the name prestige or the fancy trappings. Some people will want to buy something simply for it's name, the prestige seekers. Some will recognize the excellence, the mechanical superiority that brought the prestige in the first place (Mercedez, Rolex) and hope to find that excellence without the hype.

There is a third option a lot of people overlook, good simple production quality that costs what it's worth, lasts, and is an excellent value. Toyota Corrola, Stanwell pipe. No shame in being proud of that. Hell, it's smart. Why chase a used artisan pipe when you can get a new Stanwell for less, unless you're really looking for the romance of the artisan pipe? If you are, then you should remove "Budget Value" from the argument, because you're buying craft and art, not budget pipes. It changes the meaning of budget from "Best value I can get with my limited resources" to "Which of these high end things I can afford".

 

[riff raff]

It isn't difficult. It just takes work and study.

Yep, and I would add time. But on Ebay, if you narrow it down to brands/makers you like, you learn quickly.

 

[Harlock999]

It isn't difficult. It just takes work and study.

And persistence, bordering on insanity...8)

 

[Sasquatch]

On one hand, buying pipes on a budget isn't difficult at all. There are millions of pipes floating around out there, from 5 bucks to 100 bucks, all looking for homes.

So the question is either: why are people unsatisfied with these pipes? or: what is it about more expensive pipes that makes them better than cheap pipes? These are separate questions with entirely different answers.


Some people are NOT unsatisfied with a cheaper pipe - the enduring popularity of the corn cob attests to this. They smoke dry, taste good, cost nothing. What's not to like?

Let's move up a notch on cost - I bought a Savinelli "Roma" pipe, vulcanite stem. Smokes great. The stem turned greeny/grey after about 3 smokes, and I didn't like how that looked or tasted. And the stem was really thick - very chubby. I fought with the pipe for a year and gave it away.

I bought a Savinelli Autograph, it was five times more than the Roma. Smokes the same. But the stem is wonderful, cut very comfortably indeed. It's a much "better" pipe, one that I'm happier to smoke long term.

(You can pick up autographs pretty reasonable on eBay - not much resale value in them).

I bought a 50 dollar pipe, new on eBay, a month or so ago. It looks all right. It smokes awful - gurgles and gave me a mouthful of "pipe juice" - haven't had that for years. I did some tweaking inside - it's better now, but it's still basically nowhere near as good as my better pipes, and never will be.

So.... it's all about preference, what you think a "good smoke" needs to be, and what you think a "good pipe" needs to do.

 

[Kyle Weiss]

Another question is about the intent to buy a budget pipe...is the buyer collecting them, or smoking them? Or both? No one needs more than probably a dozen pipes at best. Provided they all smoke well (and similarly so) twelve pipes could be easily rotated, rested and cleaned for a lifetime of satisfying smoking. Even that many is probably "too much." Collecting is another matter, and has direct lines of interest and intent. If you do both, well, I've seen the pictures--walls full of 300 Dunhill pipes all of the same shape...people like stuff like that.

Opposite side of the spectrum, though, if the buyer is after hoarding, quickly acquiring a mass collection, trying to find that "next profitable diamond in the rough" -- well, impatience will probably be the downfall of any savings such an endeavor might nod to. It's a race that isn't won by speed, if such a game is afoot.

My apologies for possibly suggesting the "Internet isn't a good place for pipes." Of course it is. It's also the most saturated market, and the competition is fierce, and requires timing, luck and, yes, patience to wade through. There's excellent sellers, but people also know this: they're the first to be depleted. Also, if the intent is a "$50 pipe," and you really want to get it for $25, well...that's another matter too. Then there's ePrey. Another matter entirely, especially if buying blind and hasty.

In the end, like Yak said, buy pipes for pipe's sake (paraphrased). A tough thing to do, not impossible; but still sound advice.

8)

 

[Wet Dottle]

You must also realize that "expensive" is a relative term. For some, $200 is a lot of money, while others spend that on a lunch.

 

[SpeedyPete]

Buying decent smoking pipes on a budget is easy:

Missouri Meerschaum 8)



If you insist on Briar:

Savinelli
Peterson
Brebbia

Savinelli
Brebbia
Stanwell