Dunhill Factory made Parker pipes

[Jers]

Hi guys, I'm thinking of a Dunhill shell straight billiard as my next purchase, however never having owned a straight pipe I thought that one of these Parker pipes might be an inexpensive way to see if I get on with a straight pipe, before committing to the purchase of a Dunhill.

I can't post the external link to the website selling the Parker pipes but it's thepipeshop.co.uk

The Parker pipes are described as “Dunhill Factory made: slight seconds". Has anybody got experience of them? In truth at £20 it's not too much of a gamble and my alternative would be to save the £20 and simply purchase a Dunhill.

Further to this, I'm worried this could be the onset of PAD. What are the early symptoms? Is the condition treatable?

Fraternally

Jers

 

[Ocelot55]

The newer Parkers are not impressive at all. I do not even think they have any relation to Dunhill anymore and are made completely separately.

I own three Parkers. My second pipe was a Parker. It is heavily lacquered has several fills and came with a metal stinger. The bit is also bulky. The older Parkers, of which I have two, are MUCH better smokers. They are indeed Dunhill seconds. One of mine even has a patent number on it. These old Parkers have wide open draws thin comfortable bits, no lacquer and very few fills.

I think you'd be much happier with an Ashton or an estate Dunhill or Parker. Just my 2 cents, take it for what its worth.

 

[Jers]

Ocelot,
your advice, much appreciated, tends to confirm my sneaking suspicion that it's probably not possible to purchase genuine Dunhill seconds for as little as £20.

It had concerned me that when the deal was this good that either the pipes may be seriously flawed (unlikely) or they were simply not what the sellers claim.

Thanks

Jers

 

[tomchuk]

...not possible to purchase genuine Dunhill seconds for as little as £20.

Nope, but you can do it for £29.95. I bought a couple of the Barber B-Lines after reading about them here.

I ended up with one smooth bent and one shell finish prince. The smooth pipe has a couple small defects, the prince is immaculate. Though the stems on both definitely aren't to Dunhill's standards.

Might be worth checking out, they're definitely worth what they're asking for them.

 

[Jers]

Tom, great tip and a Barbour-B line will be purchased. I will update the thread as soon as I've ordered.

BTW two very nice looking pipes!

Thanks

Jers

 

[Dave_In_Philly]

I bought one of the Barber's too, and while its a great pipe, it doesn't quite have the same feel as the Dunhill. I think you shouldn't be so concerned about getting a Dunhill second in order to determine if you like straight pipes, just get a less expensive straight pipe from a respected maker. If you like it, then its a safe bet you'll like the Dunhill. I also think the idea of picking up an estate Dunhill has merit, though the secondary market for them is still rather pricey.

 

[Hiram-2011]

For the money the Barber pipes are nice, if you are diligent in your searches there are always nice Dunhill estates online.

 

[Jers]

Dave & Hiram,

Thanks for the advice guys. I'm looking again this morning for estate Dunhills or alternative pipes. Ideally I would purchase the lot but that's likely to lead to divorce...

“Moderation in all things, including moderation" springs to mind..........

Thanks

Jers

 

[SpeedyPete]

I beg to differ.

I have two of the "new" Parkers and both are EXCELLENT smokers! Whether they were made by Dunhill or not is no problem to me.

I also have two James Barber's and they too are superb pipes.

Never mind the price, these are very good pipes and I will buy some more in future.

Go ahead, purchase one and see for yourself what it's all about.

 

[SpeedyPete]

Hi guys, I'm thinking of a Dunhill shell straight billiard as my next purchase, however never having owned a straight pipe I thought that one of these Parker pipes might be an inexpensive way to see if I get on with a straight pipe, before committing to the purchase of a Dunhill.

I can't post the externally link to the website selling the Parker pipes but it's thepipeshop.co.uk

The Parker pipes are described as “Dunhill Factory made: slight seconds". Has anybody got experience of them? In truth at £20 it's not too much of a gamble and my alternative would be to save the £20 and simply purchase a Dunhill.

Further to this, I'm worried this could be the onset of PAD. What are the early symptoms? Is the condition treatable?

Fraternally

Jers

Check in at VIKING CLUB PIPES and see what Nathan has got to offer. I've got 4 of his pipes and I'm extremely happy with each one of them.

Happy hunting!!! :bounce: :cheers:

 

[Jers]

Pete, thanks for the tip - Nathan has a fantastic estate Parker and Dunhill on the site but unfortunately doesn't ship to Ireland or UK.

I've emailed Viking Club Pipes to ask if he will consider quoting for UK shipping.

The hunt continues!

Thanks

Jers

 

[Dave_In_Philly]

Check in at VIKING CLUB PIPES and see what Nathan has got to offer. I've got 4 of his pipes and I'm extremely happy with each one of them.

Happy hunting!!! :bounce: :cheers:

Nathan doesn't have any Dunhills available. I know, I bought the last one.

 

[Jers]

Dave, I was convinced you were wrong - checked again and noticed that the pipe is marked sold. Congratulations, looks like you got yourself a lot of pipe for your cash!

The Parker still looks good though.....

Regards

Jers

 

[monbla256]

As I've read, Dunhill did not make or sell "seconds" and many folks have attributed the Parker pipes as being this but they were only made in the same building as Dunhills but were made as an independent, stand alone pipe brand. If you want a Dunhill, you need to buy a Dunhill, either new or older, estate. I have a few Dunhills and they are good pipes and I've known owners of older Parkers who have always liked them. It's all what you can and want to spend, but a Parker is not a Dunhill second

 

[Anonymous]

A 50/60-or-so-year-old Parker is one of the six in the A-Team rack, & has been for coming up on 40 years. There have been pipes move into and out of it as time's passed, but the Parker's never budged from its place.

That said, the whole Parker-Dunhill business is horseshit. Parker billiard proportions aren't even within the Dunhill parameters.

Parkers were Parkers. And with the age & use value they've accrued since they were made, they can be stellar smokers.

New pipes stamped "Parker," made by Lord-only-knows who, from Lord-knows-what briar with Lord-knows-what for preliminary seasoning would not tempt me.

See if Marty Pulvers ships to your country. If he does, over time, he'll have pipes (and groups of them) on his "Specials" page (if you're quick enough to nab them) that may smoke circles around your intended new one(s) and be far cheaper to boot.

FWIW

:face:

 

[Jers]

Yak and Monbla, thanks for the advice guys.

I've been absent from the forum for a short while as I spent most of last night in two of the best bars in Belfast.

I'm presently bidding on a 1950's Parker straight billiard and an estate Savinelli Estella (just saw it and thought - “That's my pipe!")

I'm hoping the Parker is genuine - It's marked “Parker Super Briarbark..Made In London England.......2F", and appears to come with original packaging.

Fingers crossed - l hope I have something to show in the next few days.

Thanks again for the advice - very much appreciated.

Jers

 

[Jers]

The agony and the ecstasy of eBay - I lost the Sav Estelle by talking (slabbering) with a neighbour and missing the end of the auction. This PAD is dangerous stuff - I don't normally dislike my neighbour but he wasn't in my good books yesterday! Lol

I won't make the same mistake today - hopefully the Parker is coming home to Jers...

Fraternally

Jers

 

[SpeedyPete]

The agony and the ecstasy of eBay - I lost the Sav Estelle by talking (slabbering) with a neighbour and missing the end of the auction. This PAD is dangerous stuff - I don't normally dislike my neighbour but he wasn't in my good books yesterday! Lol

I won't make the same mistake today - hopefully the Parker is coming home to Jers...

Fraternally

Jers

Yes, I know exactly what you mean

I'm holding thumbs for you, may the Parker find it;s way to your bossom

 

[SpeedyPete]

Dunhill use only the best briar available. That's what they say and I have no reason to doubt it.

Briar is what makes a pipe either good or bad. I believe it counts 80% or more towards a good or bad pipe.

Good briar is expensive, I don't doubt this either.

So, what happens when a pipemaker at Dunhill is finishing a pipe and detects a flaw? Btw, Dunhill pipes are machine made, hand finished. Period. The pipemaker can either dump the unfinished pipe or place it in a bin which then goes to PARKER. Whether the PARKER factory is on the same premises or not is irrelevant.

So, PARKER pipes are indeed Dunhill seconds. I have no doubt that this is true and I will continue buying Dunhills at a much reduced price. I may not disclose my source from where I got my information.

At present my #1 smoker is a PARKER bent bulldog which had a soft spot on the front of the rim. That's why it did not make it as a Dunhill. I've "shaved" the rim a little bit and took off about 2mm to remove the bad wood. The pipe is quite big and no one will ever notice that some wood is missing!

 

[Jers]

Thanks Pete

It appears that the general opinion from this thread is that older Parkers are good pipes. This will also (hopefully) be my first aquisition of an estate pipe and I'm still deciding whether to clean it myself or drop it into my local tobaccionist who offers a pipe repair and clean service.

Exciting times!


Jers