Christian Pipe Smokers

https://www.smokingpipes.com/smokingpip ... liam-serad

I came across this article while searching for intel on William Serad in relation to my journey through, and fascination with, the C&D Hebraica series. It's a very good read.

I thought this point of view from an experienced pipe smoker, published tobacco reviewer, and statistical market analyst particularly interesting....

"But what I found interesting was that price was orthogonal to performance."

I had to interrupt him there. I'm interested in words. I collect them. "Orthogonal" was not in my collection.

"It means uncorrelated or unrelated. I have tremendously cheap pipes that are terrific and I have some expensive pipes that are total duds. And there are some funny things along the way, too. I have a Dunhill that used to be very nice, but it was re-stemmed and is now among the hottest-smoking pipes I have. Just from changing the stem. I do not understand, but one of these days I'll have another stem made."

I can relate. I've known people to have sold impressive Dunhill collections upon making the price/performance discovery.

Serad was my secret Santa the last Christmas that the old site did the SS thing. I put much of what he sent me into a CPS box pass that I started later on, and most if not all of it came back to me in the original box, which fascinated me, but for sure I didn't mind at all. One of the things I really miss about the old site are the lost PMs, btw.

But anyway, I've never smoked a Dunhill, so I can't relate there specifically, but I know the gist of what you're saying. My experience with Petersons has been quite the same, although not near the same price range.

This was one of the earliest things I learned when getting into pipe smoking. The tobacconist who sort of guided me through the process introduced me to the basket pipe selection and said some of his best smokers were basket pipes. At the time I don't think I fully believed him.

I selected a straight billiard for like $15 and wouldn't you know it, it's still one of my best smokers.

tuttle wrote: ↑20 Oct 2022, 05:30 This was one of the earliest things I learned when getting into pipe smoking. The tobacconist who sort of guided me through the process introduced me to the basket pipe selection and said some of his best smokers were basket pipes. At the time I don't think I fully believed him.

I selected a straight billiard for like $15 and wouldn't you know it, it's still one of my best smokers.

I've got three pipes in my "active tray" right now. All three are great smokers -- and basket briars.

I have a rack full of great pipes and lots of memories, many made by CPS artisans and friends. Most of them smoke well, but somehow the basket briars ended up on my desk.

I tell my clients that, once the $45 threshold is reached, they are paying mostly for fit and finish. Smooth transitions and a hand cut stem with a thin button go along way in terms of comfort and beauty, but they don't make a pipe smoke well.

Also, the pretty girl gets the dance. If you don't find the pipe attractive, you're probably not going to smoke it.

I may have shared this before...When I was newer to this hobby, I had 2 pipes, both basket pipes and both smoke well and I still have them. I stopped into a B&M here in Denver, and was looking at pipes and tobaccos, and the clrek came over and was asking what I had in the way of pipes. I showed him my 2 pipes and he told me that I couldn't really enjoy the hobby unless I had a "Quality Branded" pipe from Peterson, Comoy, Savinelli or the holy grail a Dunhill. I thought he was just trying to sell me a pipe...and he was...I didn't buy a pipe that day. But his words nagged at me and I ended up buying a nice Comoy on line and while it smoked/smokes well, it wasn't/isn't any better than either of my first 2 basket pipes. Pipes that don't smoke well go down the road...Some of my pipes have a personality, and a quirk or two.

I think there might be an individual smoking behavior component to this, too. I've got pipes, branded and basket, that I acquired on the cheap because the previous owner did not like the way they smoked, but for me, they performed very well.

I also wonder, at least in small part, if I don't enjoy cheaper pipes more because they are low-risk and I don't have to worry about them. Scuffing, breaking, or losing a basket pipe doesn't leave near the scar as doing so to something expensive, so I can smoke away without thinking about the pipe and what I'm doing at the time.

Hugo Drax wrote: ↑20 Oct 2022, 07:11

Also, the pretty girl gets the dance. If you don't find the pipe attractive, you're probably not going to smoke it.

I'm a little embarrassed to admit how true this is. So MANY variables in how a pipe smokes! Blend, pace, packing, tamping, cake, bowl breadth and depth... I don't really have a "bad smoker" as much as some I don't work well with perhaps. I usually picked up to smoke whichever pipe grabbed my eye or memory at the moment.

In a related note, my car runs and drives better when it is clean more so than after a tune up!

Pipes and tobacco are just like guns and ammo... most guns find a certain ammunition (bullet weight, powder etc) that works remarkably better than others

Jocose wrote: ↑20 Oct 2022, 11:17 Pipes and tobacco are just like guns and ammo... most guns find a certain ammunition (bullet weight, powder etc) that works remarkably better than others

That's a very apt analogy. I'm going to steal it.