Mario Grandi ..........anyone shed some light?

[free_byrd15]

Looking at some on eBay and they seem reasonable....can anyone attest to the quality?

 

[Trout Bum]

Free_byrd15 -- I seem to remember reading about Grandi pipes recently, though I do not remember where... possibly at the pipes.org forum. What I do recall is that the general concensus seemed to be very positive, and that these pipes are kind of "under the radar," in that they havent' been discovered by the pipe smoking world at large, yet. They were considered well crafted and generally a great value for the money. If you see one you like, I say, go for it! Let us know your findings.

Trout Bum

 

[free_byrd15]

I've been looking at their pipes but I can't find one that really does it for me yet. Lost of nice looking pipes, just little things that are keeping me from buying, like the stem style etc

 

[Confidence Cohen]

I own 3. Be aware the bowls run a little bigger than what you imagined. But That isn't an issue with me. My favorite is this one.

It is definitely the favorite of my pipe collection, (be that i am new to pipes and I only have 7 pipes in my rotation right now)

I will tell you that this pipe also gets alot of comments about when I'm out smoking it. (among pipe smokers and non pipe smokers alike).

I will give you the big thumbs up for them. I am actually looking to get a 4th grandi. As soon as I am not broke.

 

[Anonymous]

Mario Grandi

The Mario Grandi line was created in late 2006 by Aldo Pierluigi and his family as a sub-brand of their mainstay brand Mastro Beraldi.

Mario Grandi often show unusual and imaginative shapes - some really take getting used to. Every now and then you may find a pipe with some minor negligence concerning the workmanship. To give an example: the shank / stem junction sometimes shows a little split. Even though the quality is generally very high and you will hardly find any other (mainly) hand-crafted pipes at such affordable prices.

Outside Italy Mario Grandi pipes are officially offered by *futurepipes* on eBay. More than 2,000 pipes have been sold since December 2006. The offers change almost daily.

http://pipedia.org/index.php?title=Mario_Grandi

:face:

 

[free_byrd15]

Yeah, for anywhere from 70 to 90 shipped, I figure it is worth a try. I've read all good things about them, so we'll see.....I would like to see a traditional poker up on ebay, cause i'd snatch that up in a hurry!

 

[Sasquatch]

I watch their pipes... haven't seen too many pokers. I bet they'd do one if you asked. My Italian is as bad as Futurepipe's English. It's a lot of fun, actually.

I have 3 Grandis. 2 came in a set, very cheap, like 69 bucks for both. They smoke great, but the mouthpieces are a bit thin and plasticy.

The third was 70 dollars, and let me tell you, it is great.

So I think the best advice is, watch carefully, buy the better stuff, and enjoy.

They charge something near 20 dollars for shipping, but you get a tracking number and you get the pipe from Italy to USA (or in my case Canada) within 3 days, I kid you not.

They smoke in a very typical "soft flavor" Italian style, like Il Ceppo and Mastro de Paja, but cost less than half.

 

[behindbars1544]

After hearing all the good reviews I was also very interested in the Mario Grandi line but for whatever reason never took the plunge. It seems like everybody had the same reviews; that the pipes weren’t exactly high grade quality and the stems aren’t the best however with regards to the asking prices, were fantastic deals. Well I was lucky enough to recently win an E-bay auction for a very gently used estate Grandi and I must say I’m very pleased. It has beautiful wood and perfect drilling. In fact, because of the size and solidness of the wood this particular pipe was fitted with a thick, solid stem. All in all I would recommend at least one of these in any rotation.