Favorite Pipe Brand/Pipemaker?

[Deleted member 4028]

Brewdude, I have more Petersons than any other maker. They are my favorite. Have had no issues with any of those I
have bought but realize not everybody can claim that. Never owned an artisan pipe.

I've had a very negative opinion of Peterson in the past, for owning 6 or 7 that were UNSAT in many ways, from minor issues to serious. The small issues were big enough to spoil the pleasure ; for example a stem that was improperly fitted, consequently displaying a nice gap between its end and the beginning of the shank. All I saw was the fricking gap...
Recently, I started buying a few of them, Bents with acrylic stems only, for a change of pace from my Falcon pipes when I was doing outdoors stuff. I came to realize that when I accepted only those with a proper drilling (and despite the impossibility to pass a pipe cleaner), they barely gurgled and never produced pipe juice as was the case with the 2 Straight Peterson I owned at the time. I've also elected to buy only Army Mounts so that I could always, after a bowl, easily remove the stem, wipe the shank and let it dry properly for a few days before picking it up again.
I've also realized that their sandblasts seem to be better smokers that the smooth or rusticated, which require more patience and attention to build a proper cake and I can't really explain why.
Now I'm at 6 Peterson and I'm satisfied by all of them (awaiting 2 more). And that will probably not stop there.

 

[earl]

Brewdude, I have more Petersons than any other maker. They are my favorite. Have had no issues with any of those I
have bought but realize not everybody can claim that. Never owned an artisan pipe.

I've had a very negative opinion of Peterson in the past, for owning 6 or 7 that were UNSAT in many ways, from minor issues to serious. The small issues were big enough to spoil the pleasure ; for example a stem that was improperly fitted, consequently displaying a nice gap between its end and the beginning of the shank. All I saw was the fricking gap...
Recently, I started buying a few of them, Bents with acrylic stems only, for a change of pace from my Falcon pipes when I was doing outdoors stuff. I came to realize that when I accepted only those with a proper drilling (and despite the impossibility to pass a pipe cleaner), they barely gurgled and never produced pipe juice as was the case with the 2 Straight Peterson I owned at the time. I've also elected to buy only Army Mounts so that I could always, after a bowl, easily remove the stem, wipe the shank and let it dry properly for a few days before picking it up again.
I've also realized that their sandblasts seem to be better smokers that the smooth or rusticated, which require more patience and attention to build a proper cake and I can't really explain why.
Now I'm at 6 Peterson and I'm satisfied by all of them (awaiting 2 more). And that will probably not stop there.

If you find decent Petes, they can become fairly addictive if you like their design aesthetic, which I do. I find their bowl designs quite attractive, particularly the designs stemming from their Sherlock Holmes line. Most I have like that are rusticated Kinsales bought new and were flawless in manufacture and performance.

 

[Deleted member 4028]

Brewdude, I have more Petersons than any other maker. They are my favorite. Have had no issues with any of those I
have bought but realize not everybody can claim that. Never owned an artisan pipe.

I've had a very negative opinion of Peterson in the past, for owning 6 or 7 that were UNSAT in many ways, from minor issues to serious. The small issues were big enough to spoil the pleasure ; for example a stem that was improperly fitted, consequently displaying a nice gap between its end and the beginning of the shank. All I saw was the fricking gap...
Recently, I started buying a few of them, Bents with acrylic stems only, for a change of pace from my Falcon pipes when I was doing outdoors stuff. I came to realize that when I accepted only those with a proper drilling (and despite the impossibility to pass a pipe cleaner), they barely gurgled and never produced pipe juice as was the case with the 2 Straight Peterson I owned at the time. I've also elected to buy only Army Mounts so that I could always, after a bowl, easily remove the stem, wipe the shank and let it dry properly for a few days before picking it up again.
I've also realized that their sandblasts seem to be better smokers that the smooth or rusticated, which require more patience and attention to build a proper cake and I can't really explain why.
Now I'm at 6 Peterson and I'm satisfied by all of them (awaiting 2 more). And that will probably not stop there.

If you find decent Petes, they can become fairly addictive if you like their design aesthetic, which I do. I find their bowl designs quite attractive, particularly the designs stemming from their Sherlock Holmes line. Most I have like that are rusticated Kinsales bought new and were flawless in manufacture and performance.

In other words: when you hit a good one, it's really good. And a total keeper! :cheers:

 

[Blackhorse]

I don’t think anyone has mentioned my favorite yet. To me, Radice in Italy makes the best smoking pipe of anything I’ve tried. I have an oil cured twin bore faux bamboo that is likely the best smoking pipe ever made by anyone in the history of the world. 8)


I don’t recall if I saw Ashton mentioned either...but they should be up there with the very best.

Then, for value, it’s hard to beat Pete.

And for the joys of the industrial revolution...a Falcon with a large Briar or Meer bowl.

And lastly...the lowly cob that smokes anything and everything well and is so cheap it’s just plain stupid.

 

[Zeno Marx]

I've never had a less than stellar Radice. Granted, I've only had a half-dozen+ or so, and all from the early 90s, but they were all phenomenal smokers. Because of that, I've always wished he dated his pipes. I even had a Radice Rind with walls no thicker than the cardboard from the backs of two notepads that never smoked hot or wet. I think it could have been a motorcycle smoker if someone had needed one. On top of that, it couldn't have weighed more than an ounce. This thing was a freak of nature.

 

[Blackhorse]

Yeah. Good old Radice. A very experienced blender once clued me into how to pronounce the name...Raa dee chay. (Emphasis on the middle syllable). The “a” in Raa is like the a in the word sap or map. Might as well do it right.

They make some damn fine looking melted wax style bowls too. I love that kitsch kind of swag. Soooo Italian.

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BTW: I googled “Radice faux bamboo” and guess what image popped up?  Our very own Monbla! Talk about not being safe in your own home!

 

[Deleted member 4028]

You mean fishandbanjo, not Monbla...

 

[fishnbanjo]

I’ve said this often “If I could only own 1 house made Pipe it would be from Radice”. That being said my favorite artisan pipe is from the Family Becker also from Italy.
banjo