Briar Grades

PipeProfessor

When pipe makers select briar for a pipe bowl they have a few different grades to select from. There is no standard, across the board system of grading briar, and one distributors grade 2 may be another grade 3. I've smoked pipes that were made of a lesser grade but were much better smokers than the higher grade pipes. What are your thoughts about spending extra money for a higher grade pipe? 

mhajec

I think it's all a matter of perspective. I mean, I like Peterson and Ardor pipes, however you may not have the same experience with those pipes and therefore you may have deemed them unsuitable for your taste. I feel like the price you pay doesn't always reflect the quality you receive. 

PappyJoe

@mhajec is correct. I've actually passed on higher graded briar pipes in a shop because it didn't feel right when I held it in my hand or passed the "eye" test.

mhajec

@PappyJoe woooooo!! I was right for once! Take that high school class bullies and snobbish smarties. I'm going to go celebrate now!!!

drac2485

I find value in what I like. Most of my pipes are around $100 factory made pipes. I'm assuming the grades aren't the highest for these as its common to see fills in them, but not all. They mostly all smoke great for me and I love the way they look. I've always heard about the grading if the briar but personally, I pick a pipe because of the look, I'd say feel but I normally order online, and that's what I find important to me in my choice of pipes.

daveinlax

 For the pipe maker it's a craps shoot whether the expensive block will pay off or it could be full of pits. The briar cutters know how to read a burl and how to get the best from it. I know from shows that the individual blocks are sold by cutter/briar origin, size and grade from a $5 dollar ebauchon to $75 straight grain plateau blocks.

qmechanics

If you have the money, why not?

KenofAhwlby

Qmechanics.....are you advocating the higher priced pipes?   Not sure I understand your comment.

Pipepal

I've owned pricey ones that didn't live up to the hype and cheaper ones that perform beyond expectation

mfresa

As an amateur pipe maker, and I emphasize the word "amateur", I look for the briar that will give the prettiest grain in the end.  Fortunately those grades aren't that expensive.

RockyMountainBriar

I admit, I look at grain, shape and price.  I get what looks good to me and I can afford.  I really like some very expensive pipes, but don’t have the liquid assets.  The only thing that draws me to them is astethetics.  I’m pretty sure you can’t “test drive” most pipes until you buy them anyway.  I have pipes from low to high-midrange.  I have seen very nice grained pipes from low to high range.  Generally briar grain plays a part in pricing, but I have seen some very expensive pipes that just the block grain can’t attest for the price point.  Pipes with special materials like silver or gold, exotic materials as inlays, extensions, bowl caps and the like not only add value, but the extra work needed to add these special accouterments all add to price.  I am of the mindset that most aged, and correctly treated briar with decent internals will perform no matter the cost, provided there is not a hole through the bowl that has a wad of putty filling it, or a very badly drilled/fitted stem. Now, there are definitely cheap pipes and most can be weeded out by visual inspection of fit and finish.  Expensive pipes generally have the premium attached to names of maker/manufacturers.  There are some pipes that exhibit the artistry and skills of the maker the way a particular block is grained that blends with the shape of the pipe exceptionally well with the grain in the block.  These rare examples are what makes such pipes “standouts”.  Now, will they, or do they, smoke $2000 better than a $50 pipe....mmm....I doubt it.  I can’t say, because I don’t own a $2000 pipe, and I’m no expert anyway.
It all comes down to what you like and what you are willing or able to pay, to each his own.  If you get a “hot-dog slobber” of a smoker, shelve it or send it down the road, maybe the next guy will love it.