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

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.

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

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.

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