PIPE OPINIONS

[luckydogguy]

What do you guys think of these high end smokers? (Ex. Dunhill, Castello, Ser Jac, Il Ceppo, Ardor, Ascorti, etc..)

Are they worth the money? Do they smoke better or are you just paying for the name and looks?

I'm interested in picking up a high end pipe. But, I find that Dunhills are more (on Ebay) then the other I mentioned. Are Dunhills really that good?


Thansk Guys.


Lucky

 

[Puff Daddy]

Smoke better than what?

I'll say that Castellos are the most consistently great smokers I've come across, I have 5.

 

[luckydogguy]

Sorry. Do they smoke better than say mid range Savinelli, Brebbia, Peterson's, Stanwells, etc...?

I've been looking for a Castello, but never seem to come across one that I like the way it looks AND is in my price range. I wouldn't mind fixing one up if I got a good deal on it. Maybe I'll find one on Ebay.

What really makes it a good smoker?


Thanks,
Lucky

 

[puros_bran]

Lucky its not an answer to your question really But here's my new game plan.

No more pipes for the time being. Pipes prices are rising but not nearly at the rate tobacco prices are. If yo have enough to smoke I'd quit right now and invest my P&T budget in tobacco. If you must have a pipe Dunnies n castellos are great but so is every Stanwell and Savanelli I've smoked. Gotta have something to 'Be proud of' buy ya a Brissett, Wiley,Tinsky or other American carver. With the weak dollar even the Budget Imports don't look as good as some of these fellers pricing.

 

[Puff Daddy]

What really makes it a good smoker?

It's the sum of a whole bunch of little things really. They just do it all extremely well. Very good wood, excellent engineering, superb style and very adept carvers, top grade acrylic bits that feel right (think there's no difference in acrylic bits? Smoke a Castello, you'll see) excellent balance, you name it! Easy to find carvers who do a few of these things well, Castello consistently does them all well.

 

[Justpipes]

I would have to agree with PB unless you can find a super ridiculous deal. If you buy a new import from Euorpe right now you are going to lose big time. The Euro is beating up the dollar badly right now. Your best bet is to purchase from or even commission one of the makers that PB mentioned to do a pipe for you.

I recently got a super ridiculous deal on a 1976 Dunhill 120. I only paid $115 for it and it was in almost new condition. Is it all that.......you bet ya. One of the finest smoking pipes I have ever tried but so are all of my Brissetts, Tinsky's, Ray's, etc.

The deals are out there. You just have to run across them.

PB also brought up a good point about tobacco. It is going up and it doesn't look like there is any end in sight.

 

[Mikem]

Of the pipes you mentioned I have several Ardor's and one estate Dunhill. All of them are good smokes. I am partial to Italian carvers and I also own a Don Carlos, Moretti's, Becker and others. I would have to say I don't have a bad one in the bunch. I would also think you would be hard pressed to find a bad smoking estate Dunhill. Some day I will also own a Costello as I've heard nothing but good about them. I also get some fine smokes from my Peterson's (after some breaking in), Jirsa's and Savinelli's. As consistent as one of my Italian pipes, probably not in the beginning. I would have to agree with other's here and think I would purchase an American carver right now because as far as $100-$200 range pipes you cannot get a better deal, nor a finer smoking pipe IMHO. American carvers that I am partial to are Brissett, Bosi, DeJarnett, Rad Davis, Tinsky and Paul Perri.

 

[luckydogguy]

I've heard of Tinsky and Davis, but not the others. But, if you guys say they're good then I'll have to start doing some searching for their pipes.

Do you guys prefer one over the other?



Thanks,
Lucky

 

[puros_bran]

Brissett is 'Pipemaker' here on the board.
Another I didn't mention was JSPipes..that's Joel S here....

They both have their websites on their profile.

Randy Wiley pipe are sold at www.thebriary.com and www.smokingpipes.com




As to who I favor. Tough one. Probably Bosi or Brissett but that might be due to familierity. I know Tinsky makes some incredible blasts. I don't usually care for Rad Davis pipes, but I am in a very very very small minority. I looked firsthand at a few Wileys the otherday, if you dig freehand he'd be hard to beat.

 

[luckydogguy]

Anyone hear about Mario Grandi? I like the way his pipes look, but don't know anything about him.


Thanks,
Lucky

 

[jhuggett]

luckydogguy, the suggestion of getting a Mike Brissett pipe is about the best advice anyone can give you. I'm pretty new to the hobby myself but once I discovered the joys of it all I immersed myself into it. You'd be hard pressed to find a better pipe for any money when it comes to smoking qualities. Not that many of the pipe makers here aren't as good, I've just not experienced them all, yet. I'll be working on it over the next few years though! Just look around the board and see how many people here smoke them.

Of course you can't go wrong with a Rad Davis either (I own two of his).

I'm planning on a Howell, Crosby, and I've really been impress by what I've seen by a promising young maker named Scott Anderson (although I'm hoping he stays a secret for a bit).

Clear as mud huh? :lol: It would be a boring hobby if it was easy to figure out.

 

[smokey422]

Lucky, if you decide to go with an American carver, I have three Mark Tinskys and have been very pleased with all of them. For the money I don't think you'll find a better pipe anywhere else.

Smokey

 

[Ego Archive]

Anyone hear about Mario Grandi? I like the way his pipes look, but don't know anything about him.


Thanks,
Lucky

I've got about 10 Mario Grandi's, they are very good smokers, particularly at the price you pay. The fit and finish is pretty good in my experience, but I have seen mention of slightly off center drillings, and similar problems, however I have not experienced that. They are a product of the Pierluigi family (who produce Mastro Beraldi pipes) and you can definitely see the similarities. One note is they tend to the larger sizes, so if you prefer a smaller pipe, these may not be your thing.

A few discussions on other boards:

http://www.clubstogie.com/vb/showthread.php?t=130171

http://grayfoxonline.mywowbb.com/view_topic.php?id=6174&forum_id=1&highlight=Mario+grandi&forum_id=1&highlight=Mario+grandi

http://www.smokersforums.org/showthread.php?t=40898&highlight=Mario+Grandi

 

[Carlos]

John Crosby and Mark Tinsky have both added additions to their for sales yesterday. Mike Brissett over the weekend I think. Rad Davis just last week. All these guys seem to be really busy. Some new creative stuff to drool over all the time it seems. Brian Ruthenberg is about due to post another for sale. Not to mention lots of other makers. Watch the commercial areas of the forums for posts. Some of the makers do an early bird email notification. Just ask them and they will add you to the list.

Estates are a great value, with several sellers specializing in quality estates and some new. Briar Blues, Frenchy's Pipes, Pipestud on eBay and many others. Some of the B&M dealers have great values.

I can spend hours looking at pipes online. Then there are the shows. St Louis, soon. Columbus. Chicago. So much to do and see and so little time.

 

[luckydogguy]

WOW! It is all clear now!

I'm getting a Tinsky!








Maybe a Davis...










...or a Grandi....














...I thought I knew what I wanted.



Maybe I can get them all! :cheers:





Keep it comin' guys! Thank you!


Lucky