To Buy A Rolls Royce, Or A Few Reliable Honda's?

[Rusty Mouse]

This just in: All tobacco and pipes, as of tomorrow, will be gone forever.

Been nice knowin' y'all. :lol:

Touche

 

[Rad Davis]

IMO, new pipe smokers should never be discouraged from buying new and more better pipes. The morer, the betterer. :lol:

Rad

 

[riff raff]

IMO, new pipe smokers should never be discouraged from buying new and more better pipes. The morer, the betterer. :lol:

Rad

I disagree, they should only buy from little guys who occasionally sell nicely refurbished estates......<g> Then, that little guy can buy a finely crafted Rad Davis for himself!....

 

[George Kaplan]

I was just a few years younger than you when I started smoking a pipe and was given a good piece of advice by a tobacco shop owner who had been in the business since the 1940's "... learn how to smoke, smoke one tobacco at a time and get to know one makers pipes at a time." I followed his advice and have had an enjoyable pipe smoking life these past 40+ years.

When I first read these words I wished someone had given me that advice when I was 21, then I thought about it. I was pretty isolated working in a small town at the time, before internet commerce really took off. Drugstores were my only recourse, so as it turns out, I got to know Paladin and Dr. Grabow pretty well at the start. :roll: thankfully times have changed.

 

[Rusty Mouse]

I was just a few years younger than you when I started smoking a pipe and was given a good piece of advice by a tobacco shop owner who had been in the business since the 1940's "... learn how to smoke, smoke one tobacco at a time and get to know one makers pipes at a time." I followed his advice and have had an enjoyable pipe smoking life these past 40+ years.

When I first read these words I wished someone had given me that advice when I was 21, then I thought about it. I was pretty isolated working in a small town at the time, before internet commerce really took off. Drugstores were my only recourse, so as it turns out, I got to know Paladin and Dr. Grabow pretty well at the start. :roll: thankfully times have changed.

It's a win lose type deal, the times we're in.

 

[monbla256]

I was just a few years younger than you when I started smoking a pipe and was given a good piece of advice by a tobacco shop owner who had been in the business since the 1940's "... learn how to smoke, smoke one tobacco at a time and get to know one makers pipes at a time." I followed his advice and have had an enjoyable pipe smoking life these past 40+ years.

When I first read these words I wished someone had given me that advice when I was 21, then I thought about it. I was pretty isolated working in a small town at the time, before internet commerce really took off. Drugstores were my only recourse, so as it turns out, I got to know Paladin and Dr. Grabow pretty well at the start. :roll: thankfully times have changed.

It's a win lose type deal, the times we're in.

Stop a minute and give this some thought. Times and the principle of this idea HAVE NOT changed. Your choices have just changed their source of aquisition. Transalted from the French that my father used to say to me:" The more things change, the more they stay the same"

 

[Rusty Mouse]

I was just a few years younger than you when I started smoking a pipe and was given a good piece of advice by a tobacco shop owner who had been in the business since the 1940's "... learn how to smoke, smoke one tobacco at a time and get to know one makers pipes at a time." I followed his advice and have had an enjoyable pipe smoking life these past 40+ years.

When I first read these words I wished someone had given me that advice when I was 21, then I thought about it. I was pretty isolated working in a small town at the time, before internet commerce really took off. Drugstores were my only recourse, so as it turns out, I got to know Paladin and Dr. Grabow pretty well at the start. :roll: thankfully times have changed.

It's a win lose type deal, the times we're in.

Stop a minute and give this some thought. Times and the principle of this idea HAVE NOT changed. Your choices have just changed their source of aquisition. Transalted from the French that my father used to say to me:" The more things change, the more they stay the same"

HEY! MONBLA! Stop making so much sense! :lol:

 

[monbla256]

Can't help it. I was taught by Fransiscan monks at Our Holy Mother of Guilt school

 

[George Kaplan]

I was just a few years younger than you when I started smoking a pipe and was given a good piece of advice by a tobacco shop owner who had been in the business since the 1940's "... learn how to smoke, smoke one tobacco at a time and get to know one makers pipes at a time." I followed his advice and have had an enjoyable pipe smoking life these past 40+ years.

When I first read these words I wished someone had given me that advice when I was 21, then I thought about it. I was pretty isolated working in a small town at the time, before internet commerce really took off. Drugstores were my only recourse, so as it turns out, I got to know Paladin and Dr. Grabow pretty well at the start. :roll: thankfully times have changed.

It's a win lose type deal, the times we're in.

Stop a minute and give this some thought. Times and the principle of this idea HAVE NOT changed. Your choices have just changed their source of aquisition. Transalted from the French that my father used to say to me:" The more things change, the more they stay the same"

HEY! MONBLA! Stop making so much sense! :lol:

Seriously, Monbla, your putting that Budhist monk to shame.

 

[Kyle Weiss]

"The true path is found via Rad Davis Pipes."

heart, The Buddha.

(...how Mr. Davis got the guy to sign off on his pipes, we'll never know: we don't question such things...) :lol:

I guess that answers that... 8) ...start savin'!

 

[jlong]

If I was to spend an excess of $300 on a pipe, it would likely be a Rad or Tinsky. If you are a collector who appreciates pipe art more than you are a conisuer of baccy, then a $300+ pipe is probably the way to go. My druthers would be to spend $300 on SG Black XXX, quit my job, and hybernate for six months
:drunken::drunken: :drunken:

 

[deepbass9]

So, I'll chime in with my experience. Especially since I just got a wee bonus and decided that I want to expand my collection a bit. I'll try to be brief & pointed...

In my twenties, tried the drugstore pipe/tobak. Left a bad taste in my mouth. I like sweet done right and in the right dose, so there would be no bonding.

In my late thirties, I took up cigars. I have a nice box with some nice sticks that I enjoy in the warmer months. When the cold rolls around, though, they don't seem to fit the bill anymore. And, on top...they ain't cheap.

So, Nov. a year past (2010) I got a basket, some blends (guy didn't listen to what I said and gave me so-so stuff) from a B&M and hit the 'net for info. The beauty was that a crash course's worth of info was out there that quickly educated me. Did it give me experience, no. It gave me a practical overview, ideas, guidelines and such. I really wanted a churchwarden (the B&M did a very poor job on tobak and pipes), so as much as the sales guy tried to talk me out of it, I got a Peterson small warden. And paid $15 over market price for it. End of B&M visits for Dave.

So, in my continued pokings I see the vast array of styles, grades, shapes, makers out there. Now me, I'm a "both feet" in kind of guy. For me, buying good quality is always a payoff. If I don't stick with something, I have a quality item I can move to make way for something else, as opposed to 1. having a hard time doing whatever it is that I'm doing, because the quality of said item isn't giving me a leg up and is actually working against me 2. having something worth nothing. I'll do an extreme trade off version sometimes...buy a $99 snowboard outfit to save the rental fees for a year and give it away after I decide that I'm sticking with it, and then get a $500 board and the accessories that go with it. But rarely, if ever, do I buy the $300 setup, which is usually overpriced junk.

So, I'm drooling over the Bangs, the Heeschens, the Castellos and the other, even finer, artistic pipes on the market. But I'm also reading that a pipe is a pipe...you smoke outta it. The one thing I didn't care to do was dive into estates..that seemed like it could get me in trouble...getting too many and dizzying myself in the process with all the choices out there. And the pipes I had were getting the job done. The one thing I did want is fully handmade pipes...no factory processes, no assembly lines...to be the cornerstones and bulk of my collection. One day on alt.smoke or something, I think, I see Boswell's name mentioned. Handmade "artisan" pipes. Yeah, that sounded like my price point and idea of a good pipe. And he's in PA..so am I. A perusal of his website displayed a bunch of seemingly fine, somewhat more than just utilitarian, work. The prices seemed where I wanted to be, too. For less than the price of the Peterson CW, I could have a handmade pipe with very good qualities. So, for $90 I got a fluted billiard off the website (love my job!). I liked it...I really liked it. So, I zeroed in on them. I took the 3 hrs one-way trip to the shop the following week, and bought 2 more pipes knowing that I wanted to be able to rotate. Two more Churchwardens, a stubby nose warmer, and an unsmoked ebay purchase of a big bent rustic ball later, and I had 7 Boswells.

It wasn't really a desire to "know" his pipes. It was a desire to build a collection of quality pieces that interested me and fit my budget. Not one of his pipes cost me over $150. What I did learn, though, is that I don't like the way he does some styles. So, I got a Peterson 80S bulldog (bulldogs and rhodesians are some of my favorite shapes). Then a L'Anatra diplomat, since most of his pipes are big with big bowls, and flakes were on my radar. Next came my Yakslon rhodesian..arguably the best made, most comfortable pipe I own. And that only set me back about $225.

So, that brings us back to today. A pocket full of cash and a desire first and foremost for a Danish style bent egg or tulip or tomato. All that I like of these seem to be in the $300 plus range. To keep my collection "balanced", if I get a Lat pipe, I need to get a VA pipe. So now, I want 2 pipes. What to do? I can spend the $600-800 and get two killer pieces. Or do something else. I don't have a "high end" pipe...but I'm not sure I want one. My car is my transportation...I don't wash it, I maintain it.

Do I want a Rolls of a pipe, or a Honda? Did I jump into the hobby in a crazy way, or a thoughtful way? Do I just want to buy stuff, or am I contributing to my overall enjoyment? Do I need 13 pipes to be happy?

So I did three things that fit my ideals and lifestyle. 1. I decided that spending much more than $300 for a pipe isn't where I'm currently at, though may be a spot I reach sometime in the future. 2. I decided that there was finally a Northern Briars pipe on the market that was everything I wanted, including under $150. And 3. I emailed Yuriy of Yakslon about getting another piece from him.

Is there any wisdom buried above? Who knows. Did I do things the right way? Yes, for me. Are all of my pipes the best smokers imaginable...most likely not. But I chose not to chase something that may not be obtainable, and have a set of pipes that I like, am proud to own and support their makers, and that bring me enjoyment with every use.

 

[dshpipes]

@ deepbass9:

Well said, sir! Nothing illustrates a point quite so well as a story well told. Bravo! :cheers:

 

[Rusty Mouse]

Did I do things the right way? Yes, for me. Are all of my pipes the best smokers imaginable...most likely not. But I chose not to chase something that may not be obtainable, and have a set of pipes that I like, am proud to own and support their makers, and that bring me enjoyment with every use.

This is all I needed to read my friend. You've made a grand point indeed.

 

[jlong]

Be sure to post pics of your new Rolls.

 

[Kyle Weiss]

Four pages of "...and we finally got where we needed to be..."

:lol: Bless, us, this Internets.

Also, I love the line: "My car is my transportation...I don't wash it, I maintain it." 8)

 

[Rusty Mouse]

Four pages of "...and we finally got where we needed to be..."

:lol: Bless, us, this Internets.

Also, I love the line: "My car is my transportation...I don't wash it, I maintain it." 8)

We never, or at least I never know exactly where I NEED to be, that's why this could go on for 4 pages more! :shock:
Got another Dunhill Give away?

 

[Kyle Weiss]

We never, or at least I never know exactly where I NEED to be, that's why this could go on for 4 pages more :shock:
Got another Dunhill Give away?

It's the journey, not the destination, mmmhmmm, yeah yeah, uh-huh. You all had your moments to feel superior, I'm enjoying mine. :lol: 8)

 

[Rusty Mouse]

We never, or at least I never know exactly where I NEED to be, that's why this could go on for 4 pages more :shock:
Got another Dunhill Give away?

It's the journey, not the destination, mmmhmmm, yeah yeah, uh-huh. You all had your moments to feel superior, I'm enjoying mine. :lol: 8)

But none quite like the forever flowing wisdom of Dalai Monbla moments

 

[deepbass9]

We never, or at least I never know exactly where I NEED to be, that's why this could go on for 4 pages more! :shock:
Got another Dunhill Give away?

There are many handmade, quality pipes out there (Moretti, to name another) that to some are Rolls Royces. As well as top notch estates.
It all depends where you're at...that was my ultimate point (I think).

So, the question is: Where are you at?. Answer that question, and what to do becomes apparent. Driving a Rolls but eating beans...that's some folks idea of living. Driving a Rolls and eating lobster...that's everyone's idea of living.

My personal ideal is to have steady transport that gets me where I want to be, in a manner that doesn't give a false impression of who I am (cleanliness aside :mrgreen, and makes me content to own.

What will make you content?