I'm a Savinelli person...its like Ford vs Chevy truck owner debates. It's obvious to everyone Ford is the best truck produced, but there are Chevy owners who don't know any better LOL
@vtgrad2003 That's the great thing about this country and this forum. Everyone is entitled to an opinion (except in politics) even if it is wrong. I have three or four Savinelli's and two Petersons. All of mine are good smokers and both have a lengthy heritage that proves the point that they are both quality pipes. In fact, Peterson's was established in 1874 making it the oldest continuous pipe producing company, while Savinelli is a mere youngster having been established in 1876.
@PappyJoe I bought a Peterson years ago (I think back in 2012 or something) just on a whim, and it smoked so poorly I threw it away. I have very little tolerance for poorly smoking pipes, but I've never had a Sav that smoked poorly...some smoke better than others, yes, but all have been tolerable. Then there's the fact that Peterson's are, in my humble opinion, ugly. They just don't have the nice sleek designs of a Sav. I just think overall, the Sav factory has far better carvers than the Peterson factory does, and I'm certainly not going to take a chance on throwing away another $100+ bucks buying another Peterson. As they say in the restaurant business, a customer can come every day for a year and love your food, but just one bad dish and they'll never come back.
@vtgrad2003 There is no doubt that Peterson went through a period of quality control issues but my understanding is that many of those problems have been solved in the past four or five years. As for Pete's being ugly, they say beauty is in the eye of the beholder for a reason. I personally think a lot of the pipes we see from Al Pascia posted on here are way too ugly to smoke as are many pipes I see from artisan carvers. Just because you or I won't buy them, don't mean someone else won't.
My problem with Peterson pipes is not so much that they are ugly as much as none that I have held will pass a pipe cleaner and they are designed like that. Petes, visually to me are staid and blocky like a British Taxi while Savinelli's are sleek and modern like an Italian sports car.
I totally agree with @vtgrad2003, but it’s Chevy, not Ford. I will admit, (and concede) as much as I like the styles, shapes, etc. of Peterson pipes, my Savinelli’s are better made pipes and better smokers overall. The Savinelli’s were more expensive than Peterson’s for similarly “trimmed” pipes, but it seems since Luadisi bought Peterson, their prices have skyrocked, and, so far, the quality has not improved much. It seems they are trying though, they just increased the prices before the actual quality is present. I might be done buying any new Peterson’s for awhile.
@RockyMountainBriar I think you're spot on with the Laudisi thing. I will also add that there does seem to be a few sleeker styles being offered since they took over (i.e., less silver banding, etc.)...I would think it's a direct function of competing with Savinelli since they are in similar price points. But then you have Savinelli on the other end improving the quality of Rossi after buying them as well, so it's kind of like Peterson is staying at least one step behind all the time. Rossi's are great smokers these days with decent quality, especially for the price (although they do have the same issue with passing a pipe cleaner as @PappyJoe said was the case for his Petersons).
@Balisong That happens with all pipes that have that piece on the tenon--I've seen it with several different makers, especially older pipes (I have a Canadian right now that does the same thing). It's hardly ever glued probably because the glue would affect the composition of the stem, but just fitted as a decorative piece when the tenon is carved (someone on here that works on pipes could probably say this more eloquently than I can). It many times works its way loose like that simply from twisting the stem on and off...doesn't indicate a deficiency in quality at all and I wouldn't call it an issue either if a Peterson did the same thing because it simply twists right back into place and is engineered that way.
@vtgrad2003, @RockyMountainBriar I tend to shy away from ornate pipes, that pipe was a birthday gift from my wife which adds to the disappointment. I adjust the piece after cleaning and life goes on.
Speaking to Pappyjoe's comment on Peterson's not passing a pipe cleaner, about roughly 10 years ago I bought a new pipe (can't remember the brand) and I really did not like the draw so I enlarged the draft hole as it was undersized to 5/32th and it smoked perfectly.
Since then, every newly acquired pipe gets the same treatment.
@PappyJoe@vtgrad2003 my work pipe is an old Peterson Shamrock. I have never bothered to look up how old it is, but it smokes like a champ. I can't imagine I spent more than $20 on it, but I wouldn't sell it for $100. Out of all the pipes I have it's at the top of my list.
@Balisong One of my first, two, new (not basket) pipes I bought were a Peterson Killarney 80s and 268. One or both, I don’t recall, the trim rings spin out of place exactly like that Savinelli you have, they are not what I would call loose though….at least not yet.
@RockyMountainBriar@Balisong "Trim rings" is the word I was trying to think of in my earlier post. Anyway, I went and checked my other pipes with these rings fitted like this and if you give it enough effort, they all twist like that. It appears as though, unlike one fitted around the mortise like in one of my pipes, these that are fitted around the tenon are not glued. There must be a reason because it's way too easy to put a drop of glue on it. I'm figuring it's either what I said earlier, that certain glues react poorly with certain materials (i.e., the stem) and for the 6mm pipes especially, the tenon is very thin at that point, or it's for ease of stem replacement--if you need to get a new stem fitted, you can use the same ring, or it's just the way it is being a (more or less) production pipe manufacturer (saves time and reduces error because any glue wouldn't get on anything else from squeezing out or something). I don't know.
Comments
That's the great thing about this country and this forum. Everyone is entitled to an opinion (except in politics) even if it is wrong. I have three or four Savinelli's and two Petersons. All of mine are good smokers and both have a lengthy heritage that proves the point that they are both quality pipes. In fact, Peterson's was established in 1874 making it the oldest continuous pipe producing company, while Savinelli is a mere youngster having been established in 1876.
I bought a Peterson years ago (I think back in 2012 or something) just on a whim, and it smoked so poorly I threw it away. I have very little tolerance for poorly smoking pipes, but I've never had a Sav that smoked poorly...some smoke better than others, yes, but all have been tolerable. Then there's the fact that Peterson's are, in my humble opinion, ugly. They just don't have the nice sleek designs of a Sav. I just think overall, the Sav factory has far better carvers than the Peterson factory does, and I'm certainly not going to take a chance on throwing away another $100+ bucks buying another Peterson. As they say in the restaurant business, a customer can come every day for a year and love your food, but just one bad dish and they'll never come back.
There is no doubt that Peterson went through a period of quality control issues but my understanding is that many of those problems have been solved in the past four or five years. As for Pete's being ugly, they say beauty is in the eye of the beholder for a reason. I personally think a lot of the pipes we see from Al Pascia posted on here are way too ugly to smoke as are many pipes I see from artisan carvers. Just because you or I won't buy them, don't mean someone else won't.
My problem with Peterson pipes is not so much that they are ugly as much as none that I have held will pass a pipe cleaner and they are designed like that. Petes, visually to me are staid and blocky like a British Taxi while Savinelli's are sleek and modern like an Italian sports car.
Stanwell https://www.lepipe.it/en/Pipes-Stanwell
Bamboo smooth Black and White Black Diamond Hand Made Hans Christian Andersen
Plateaux Revival Sterling Trio Polished Trio Sandblast
Savinelli quality?
That happens with all pipes that have that piece on the tenon--I've seen it with several different makers, especially older pipes (I have a Canadian right now that does the same thing). It's hardly ever glued probably because the glue would affect the composition of the stem, but just fitted as a decorative piece when the tenon is carved (someone on here that works on pipes could probably say this more eloquently than I can). It many times works its way loose like that simply from twisting the stem on and off...doesn't indicate a deficiency in quality at all and I wouldn't call it an issue either if a Peterson did the same thing because it simply twists right back into place and is engineered that way.
There are stinkers in all brands.
I tend to shy away from ornate pipes, that pipe was a birthday gift from my wife which adds to the disappointment. I adjust the piece after cleaning and life goes on.
One of my first, two, new (not basket) pipes I bought were a Peterson Killarney 80s and 268. One or both, I don’t recall, the trim rings spin out of place exactly like that Savinelli you have, they are not what I would call loose though….at least not yet.
"Trim rings" is the word I was trying to think of in my earlier post. Anyway, I went and checked my other pipes with these rings fitted like this and if you give it enough effort, they all twist like that. It appears as though, unlike one fitted around the mortise like in one of my pipes, these that are fitted around the tenon are not glued. There must be a reason because it's way too easy to put a drop of glue on it. I'm figuring it's either what I said earlier, that certain glues react poorly with certain materials (i.e., the stem) and for the 6mm pipes especially, the tenon is very thin at that point, or it's for ease of stem replacement--if you need to get a new stem fitted, you can use the same ring, or it's just the way it is being a (more or less) production pipe manufacturer (saves time and reduces error because any glue wouldn't get on anything else from squeezing out or something). I don't know.
https://briarworksusa.com/moonshine-blackout/
I’m finding most of the Amazon Savinelli’s are offered by something called
ExcelWell
Thanks for responding. Keeping my eyes open.
https://www.lepipe.it/en/Pipes-Gasparini
https://www.lepipe.it/en/Biography-Gasparini
https://www.pipesandcigars.com/p/nording-compass-matte-pipes/2032271/
Savinelli Saint Nicholas 2021 Pipes
Nice
Algerian Briar Rhodesian