pipe recommendations

I’m partial to Bjarnes and Petersons. No matter what I pay for one (and, like you, several of mine are estate pipes bought on eBay), I have not found a bad smoker in either brand. It shouldn’t be at all difficult to find new Bjarnes and Petersons for less than $100.

I agree about Pererson and Bjarne pipes turning out to be good smokers. I have a couple Petersons and a Bjarne that seem to smoke better than average. I smoke them each a couple times per week and they always deliver a good smoking experience. The Bjarne freehand I found second hand is my current favorite.

I only have two Petersons but they are both great smokers and they were less than £40 each. Perfect for smoking some Lakeland flakes while walking in the countryside and not risking a more expensive pipe.

Brebbia, Savinelli and Stanwell

I have 3 Stanwell’s and am happy with them, same goes for my 2 Peterson’s, my one Bjarne and my 2 BC’s. Didn’t Bjarne just go out of business or change hands, or their master carver passed away or something- maybe a year or two ago?

Bjarne Nielsen passed away in February 2008. I don’t have any information on who inherited his workshop, but I know Bjarne pipes are still being offered for sale. I know he had quite a few carvers working for him. I assume one or more of them is running the show now.

@Mr. O: I believe you are thinking about the Johs brand. Lifted from smokingpipes.com: “Mogens ‘Johs’ Johansen lives and works in Frederikshavn, Denmark and makes about two thousand pipes each year. Many of his shapes may seem familiar, and this is because he carved many pipes for Bjarne. After Mogens drills the tobacco chamber, mortise, and airway, he fits a preform vulcanite or acrylic stem (each having a tenon turned on them, though some are fit with a separate tenon) and works insanely fast, which is part of the reason that his pipes are so affordable.”

Thank’s for the info! I’ve seen some Bjarne’s around, but thought they were perhaps just old stock. Whatever my pal said, I think it was about the Bjarne company itself…think I’ll give him a jingle to recover the memory. I must check out Johs’s pipes!

I am looking to buy first pipes. Two Peterson Killarneys, #86, & XL90. What do you think? $82.00 each. Good choice? Good price?

@Chef_Dean Pete’s are great pipes and that is a great price! Do it! :slight_smile:

I started with cheap estate pipes, moved on to Petes, then up the ladder. Don’t smoke the cheap estate pipes much any more, but still like my Petes. Can’t go wrong price/performance-wise. I like cobs, too, especially the natural one that has no plaster fill, smokes clean and dry; I bought an acryllic ‘forever’ stem for them and reach for a cob nearly as often as a Pete.

@Scurvy @Mouse Thanks Gentlemen

Stanwell and B.C. make some nice reasonably-priced ones too. I’ve got some from all three, and they seem comparable in quality.

@Chef_Dean I am a Peterson pipe collector. Pipe smoking is a joy and as with snuff it takes practice and patience ,Aros are sweet but burn hot and will scorch your mouth. pipe tobacco has to be packed with just the right amount of pressure and sipped on at the prefect draw to bring out the best in the tobacco. Too fast and ruin the bottom of the smoke and possible the bowl. You should get a several used pipes like a dr.grabow omega for under $20 and learn how to use a pipe.Breaking in a new pipe is a task ,you need to smoke very tiny amounts and let the bowl rest to build up the kake needed for long life of the pipe. This is why you need several pipes. corn cobs are good to start with also. Buy the Petersons but also buy some estate pipes to start out with. $160 a month to spend on pipes sound about right then your going to need storage jars ,pipe racks, pipe tools, large ash tray and good tobacco, add $100+ a month ,Well at least your not smoking cigarettes and pipe smokers live longer that non smokers.Enjoy, any questions PM me

@basement _shaman Looks like I won’t be saving money by quiting cigarettes. LOL Much Thanks

@Chef_Dean You save in the long run, You can’t sell used cigarette butts, used Pipes you can if you can part with them. PAD IS SERIOUSLY REAL and you really only need less than a dozen pipes. Briars ,Meerschaums,corn cobs Oh my! Clay pipes are cheap and won’t ghost, but break easy and are bad for your teeth. + smoking a pipe is classy. Where cigarette smoking is shunned now adays

I have well over 100 pipes. All kinds and from a number of makers. Tend to use quarter or full bents or a good Oom Paul. But my particular passion is a well built Meerschaum. Smoke cool and have such a fabulous array of options, they smoke cool… and as they age and are used the colors change giving more character.

Seems harder these days to find a nice new oom paul. Maybe they aren’t making as many at the moment, used to have a nice blond GBD one- damn I hate losing a pipe!

PAD is a disease!! Just can’t stop snatching up those wonderful old English estates on ebay!!

I need an intervention for the same problem, @furious