DireWolf":w2abjcmf said:
Dutch":w2abjcmf said:
Some Meerschaum carvers tend to take great pride in the drilling and carving of the meerschaum, and then fashion a stem that looks like a 7 year old kids first solo effort. Some of them are unbelievably horrendous.
If you find a meer with great stem work, the challenging part of the search is usually over.
Here is my Altinok beef. Especially at the price.
The stem is terrible. It may be the worst stem example I own, meer or briar.
Wolf, to be truthful, I have a lot of experience with one brand exclusively, and haven't branched out to experiment with other brands. However, most meer pipes are coming from Turkey, and as is the case with some European countries, quality stem work is not a primary focus in meer or briar pipes. I think this may simply due to the pipe making culture in some countries.
I think if I were going to order a meer through the mail, I would buy from a reputable retailer in the US, who will cheerfully give me a refund without hassle if need be. This will also keep return shipping costs at a minimum.
Also, one piece of info that can get overlooked, is that when you buy off ebay outside the CONUS, there is no money back guarantee. Meerschaum being fragile, there is the chance that you may need a refund for more than just a sub standard stem.
I do love the smoking qualities of a meerschaum pipe, I just want a better quality pipe the next time I gamble. I have heard that Baki's are good quality, but they don't come cheap. Then again, the same can be said for a quality briar pipe with quality stem work.
