Ropp - Chacom Pipes

[jacko]

Hi folks

I'm wondering if anyone has any experience with the new(er) Ropp pipes that (from what I understand) are now being made by Chacom? I'm not talking about the funny cherry wood pipes here. I have only been able to find them for sale at a few online retailers. Looking at some of the pictures on the cupojoes site they look amazing for the money, especially the chumberland ones. Flame grain + cumberland for under $100 and the shapes look very nice as well, classic English. I bought the two remaining flame grain off cup o joe as a knee jerk since the prices seemed to be too good. Anyways I would be interested if anyone has tried these new(er) Ropps or knows anything about them? When I get them in the next week or so I'll provide a full report.

 

[Sasquatch]

I hope they are better than the last Chacom I bought, cuz it was a piece of crap.

 

[jacko]

Ack, don't tell me that! I have never owned a Chacom but I suspect they are hit and miss smokers. I'll have to do a close inspection when they arrive and decide if I want to bite the bullet and smoke 'em or return them. The one thing that attracted me to them initially was the fact they have un-coated blows. In my mind, lower end pipes with coated bowls could be hiding anything, massive fills, cracks, whatever, which is one of my key suspicions why Peterson's are such hit and miss smokers...

 

[NeroWolfe]

Unfortunately most French-made pipes today are hit or miss. If you are into EBAY, look for older Butz-Choquin or Chacom pipes from the 70's/80's or older; many times you can get them unsmoked at a good price. The higher-end older Butz pipes are good, well-made smokers.

 

[jacko]

Does this not look like fantastic pipe for $99??

 

[s.ireland]

It's got a pretty light stain and, like you said, an uncoated bowl. Nothing to hide! If it's drilled properly then I'd say you've got a damn fine pipe for $99.

I'd like to know how nice the bit is. It looks pretty well made and pretty thin in that picture.

Also, if you go into it thinking "this might be a bad smoker based on things I have heard" etc. then chances are you'll end up convincing yourself that it's not a good smoke. I have owned basket pipes that smoked fabulously. I'm sure that if it's drilled well, that it will be a fine smoke.

 

[Airborne]

It does to me!

 

[Sasquatch]

It's got a pretty light stain and, like you said, an uncoated bowl. Nothing to hide! If it's drilled properly then I'd say you've got a damn fine pipe for $99.

I'd like to know how nice the bit is. It looks pretty well made and pretty thin in that picture.

Also, if you go into it thinking "this might be a bad smoker based on things I have heard" etc. then chances are you'll end up convincing yourself that it's not a good smoke. I have owned basket pipes that smoked fabulously. I'm sure that if it's drilled well, that it will be a fine smoke.

Well spake.

 

[alfredo_buscatti]

I've owned both a Ropp and a Chacom. I gave away the Ropp; I don't recall that I'd ever smoked it. It didn't have a good fit at the connection where the stem fit into the bowl.

I don't recall what the problem was with the Chacom, but it's long gone as well.

 

[jacko]

Well I received the pipes and they were a bit of a disappointment. They seemed ok but not great, more rushed than anything. My hopes of finding a cheap Cumberland have been dashed! I ended up keeping one out of the four, a prince with lovely proportion, too bad it wasn't a Cumberland. Sent the other three back and exchanged them for Dunhill group 2 Cumberland zulu. I would put these on par with Wessex (probably made in the same place...)

 

[Brewdude]

FWIW

My first pipe was (is) a Chacom. A short stem 1/4 bent Bulldog which I got in the mid 90's from the Davidoff, London outlet.

It was a relatively inexpensive pipe. Didn't know jack squat about pipes back then, only that I liked the shape, color, and price!

Still have it, and smoke it semi-regularly. Pretty much dedicated to one of Uhles' blends these days (not a bad thing).

So what do I know of Chacom? Only just what I've just said!

irat:


Cheers,

RR

 

[Airborne]

Well I received the pipes and they were a bit of a disappointment. They seemed ok but not great, more rushed than anything. My hopes of finding a cheap Cumberland have been dashed! I ended up keeping one out of the four, a prince with lovely proportion, too bad it wasn't a Cumberland. Sent the other three back and exchanged them for Dunhill group 2 Cumberland zulu. I would put these on par with Wessex (probably made in the same place...)

Sorry 'bout the bad experience. However, the Dunny more than makes up for it! :cheers:

Good smoking!