Category Pipes and Pipe-Smoking

Savinelli’s fat 320 KS Saint Nicholas pipe calls to mind Santa’s bowlful

Ted Shideler 2 Comments
Read time: 8 min.

I started smoking a pipe when I was eighteen, as I was lucky to have a dad who spoiled me with quality pipes he no longer smoked. Despite their age and, often, abuse, almost all of them punched well above their weight, particularly since they were free to me and anything free automatically rocks. Two of dad’s pipes were from the storied Italian firm Savinelli: a Punto Oro bulldog with a vulcanite saddle bit, and an Autograph freehand that was worth probably $500 until I dropped it on the asphalt parking lot of my Fort Wayne apartment. Bam. Good morning, concrete! Dad just about kicked my ass over that. It could have been repaired, and would have, eventually.

Continue reading “Savinelli’s fat 320 KS Saint Nicholas pipe calls to mind Santa’s bowlful” →

Estate pipes: I’d give them a shot if I were you

Ted Shideler Leave a comment
Read time: 8 min.

I’ve bought a lot of pipes since I started back up into the habit and hobby. Nearly all of them were new, but occasionally I spring for an estate pipe- they can represent a fantastic value in the world of pipe-smoking, so long as you can put up with the baggage they can occasionally bring.

Continue reading “Estate pipes: I’d give them a shot if I were you” →

Johs: The best value in compelling, handmade pipes

Ted Shideler 2 Comments
Read time: 9 min.

We’ve talked about Boswell pipes, which are handmade in America and available for, oftentimes, a pretty penny. A fantastic alternative that you should know about is the line of Danish pipes made by a guy named Mogens Johansen. His pipes are marketed under the brand “Johs” and they’re all handmade. What’s better is that you can get your own unique pipe from a price point starting at about $90 from SmokingPipes. As of this writing, the most expensive Johs pipe will run you about a hundred bills.

Continue reading “Johs: The best value in compelling, handmade pipes” →

A Rocky Start to the Peterson Donegal fishtail 999 pipe

Ted Shideler 2 Comments
Read time: 9 min.

My dad loved the Irish pipes of Kapp & Peterson, and thanks to his passion and generosity I’ve owned eight over the years including a rusticated 999, smooth 306 and 312 system pipes, a dyed meerschaum Zulu, four Irish Whiskeys- two 107s (smooth and sandblasted), a smooth 120, and a rusticated 408. Today, I own three. Well, four, if we count the one I’m about to talk about, which we should.

Continue reading “A Rocky Start to the Peterson Donegal fishtail 999 pipe” →

The cheap Rossi Piccolo pipe is no woodwind

Ted Shideler 3 Comments
Read time: 7 min.

I realized that I might have been a little harsh on the Dr. Grabow after I first smoked it, so I spent $48 on a Rossi Piccolo to compare it to. It’s the cheapest brand-new pipe from a major manufacturer I could find, excluding Brigham, a Canadian brand known for its rock-maple inserts that are said to help reduce tongue-bite.

Continue reading “The cheap Rossi Piccolo pipe is no woodwind” →

Scott’s Pipes Burner series: Budget-level American pipes that don’t suck

Ted Shideler 2 Comments
Read time: 9 min.

Last Saturday, we talked about how successive generations of my dad’s family have held Boswell pipes in high regard. I think every pipe-smoker should have a Boswell in their stable, and I think everyone probably would if it weren’t two unfortunate factors- availability and price. Both make picking up a new Boswell a difficult proposition, so I got to thinking about other American brands. Last week, I found an inexpensive American pipe that I like- a rusticated, straight apple of the Burner series by Scott’s Pipes. It was listed as an unsmoked estate on SmokingPipes and I picked it up for $38. Tax and shipping added another $12, which was kind of salty, but whatever.

Continue reading “Scott’s Pipes Burner series: Budget-level American pipes that don’t suck” →

Boswell Pipes: Loud, proud, and hand-made in the USA

Ted Shideler 4 Comments
Read time: 13 min.

Just about all of the pipes I’ve ever owned were manufactured mechanically, mostly through the use of something called a fraising machine that reproduces copies of an original master design from a company’s shape chart like a primitive CNC set-up or a 3D printer that replicates the cuts that slice up wooden blocks. To get a truly handmade pipe, conventional wisdom states that you’ve got to pony up funds that are beyond the threshold of what a normal person like you or me would be likely to spend.

Continue reading “Boswell Pipes: Loud, proud, and hand-made in the USA” →