Favorite (and former favorite) pipe(s)?

[Columbo]

I am the kind of person who is uncomfortable with using brand new (especially pricey brand new) things.

The thrill of the new shiny is more than offset by the foreboding feeling that the first dent, ding or scratch is waiting to pounce. At which point, I now have a used whatever that I could have purchased for a significant discount in the same condition as it now is.

I'm probably just a cheapskate, but I come by it honestly. The people where I grew up have a farmer's sensibility: They'll drop a huge amount of money on something that will make them money without hesitation. But they'll agonize over buying something inexpensive that they'd like to have, but don't actually need.

Which is a long way of saying I am much more comfortable buying an estate pipe than a new pipe and I appreciate the functionality and familiarity more than the "newness".

I think the one word you are thinking of is "value".

value
: the monetary worth of something
: a fair return or equivalent in goods, services, or money for something exchanged
: relative worth, utility, or importance

Definition of VALUE

the monetary worth of something : market price; a fair return or equivalent in goods, services, or money for something exchanged; relative worth, utility, or importance… See the full definition

www.merriam-webster.com

Value and price are very different things.

A more expensive pipe (or tool, or whatever) that you can use for a lifetime may be a better value than several cheaper ones that don't last as long -- whether new or used.

In many instances, the amortized cost of a more expensive, higher quality item is superior to that of a cheaper, lower quality, one.

I still shave every morning with a circa 1950 Gillette Super Speed. Tell me that hasn't paid off its 1950 dollar price by now. We have 40-60+ year old power and hand tools that still work perfectly. A vacuum cleaner that is now approaching 30 years old that can still lift the rugs off the padding. And unlike the cheap ones, they can actually be serviced if they break. We eat with everyday china and silver that has seen four decades and still looks fresh. In summer, I drive a quarter-century old convertible that is still better made than most new cars today.

It's not that we're cheap. They all cost a bit more than cheaper ones when purchased (in some cases, quite a bit more). But I've only had to buy them once, at decades-ago prices. And they are still serving gracefully. Most of them, I'll never have to buy again. That's value.

A quality estate pipe can be like a better-grade used car. Ninety five percent of the useful life, for 50-60% of the cost. I often recommend quality estate pipes to novices where they can be found. It often allows you to bump up a level in quality for the same price. I have a '59 London-made Comoy estate that I still smoke every so often, almost 65 years later. That's value.

But a new pipe that costs a little more, and will still be with you 50 years later, is value, too.

As far as dents and scratches and wear and tear go, I'd rather them be mine than someone else's if possible, because I'd like to think that I'm going to be more careful than strangers. I don't like to buy other people's problems. And as my auto body man once told me, once the car has inevitably attained its particular dents and dings and scratches, it now has its own unique "character". Hopefully yours.

Just don't extend that discomfort with new things to toothbrushes.

 

[AimlessWanderer]

I think the one word you are thinking of is "value".

value
: the monetary worth of something
: a fair return or equivalent in goods, services, or money for something exchanged
: relative worth, utility, or importance

Definition of VALUE

the monetary worth of something : market price; a fair return or equivalent in goods, services, or money for something exchanged; relative worth, utility, or importance… See the full definition

www.merriam-webster.com

Value and price are very different things.

A more expensive pipe (or tool, or whatever) that you can use for a lifetime may be a better value than several cheaper ones that don't last as long -- whether new or used.

In many instances, the amortized cost of a more expensive, higher quality item is superior to that of a cheaper, lower quality, one.

I still shave every morning with a circa 1950 Gillette Super Speed. Tell me that hasn't paid off its 1950 dollar price by now. We have 40-60+ year old power and hand tools that still work perfectly. A vacuum cleaner that is now approaching 30 years old that can still lift the rugs off the padding. And unlike the cheap ones, they can actually be serviced if they break. We eat with everyday china and silver that has seen four decades and still looks fresh. In summer, I drive a quarter-century old convertible that is still better made than most new cars today.

It's not that we're cheap. They all cost a bit more than cheaper ones when purchased (in some cases, quite a bit more). But I've only had to buy them once, at decades-ago prices. And they are still serving gracefully. Most of them, I'll never have to buy again. That's value.

A quality estate pipe can be like a better-grade used car. Ninety five percent of the useful life, for 50-60% of the cost. I often recommend quality estate pipes to novices where they can be found. It often allows you to bump up a level in quality for the same price. I have a '59 London-made Comoy estate that I still smoke every so often, almost 65 years later. That's value.

But a new pipe that costs a little more, and will still be with you 50 years later, is value, too.

As far as dents and scratches and wear and tear go, I'd rather them be mine than someone else's if possible, because I'd like to think that I'm going to be more careful than strangers. I don't like to buy other people's problems. And as my auto body man once told me, once the car has inevitably attained its particular dents and dings and scratches, it now has its own unique "character". Hopefully yours.

Just don't extend that discomfort with new things to toothbrushes.

Good call on the value aspect. Value is why all my pipes are low end.

I might smoke three or four bowls per week, and with 15 ( <£40) fixed pipes in the drawer, that's merely 10 to 14 smokes per pipe per year. However, half those smokes are with a Falcon of some combination, which leaves the fixed pipes only doing 5 to 7 smokes a year. That's not worth throwing good money at.

My assorted Parker Pipes can be considered Dunhill seconds. Dunhills may look better, and have had more time spent on them to get them looking that way, but I wouldn't be surprised of my Parkers smoke just as well. They cost me £25 each. None of my others cost more than £45

To run the numbers further, if I smoke for another 20 years, I'm only asking each pipe to perform as well as they currently do, for another 100 to 150 smokes. They will all do that easily. I can't even justify paying full price to add a mid-to-low end Peterson or Savinelli (£65 to £80) for a pipe I might only use 100 times.

 

[Haebar]

My favorite pipe is a Charatan Huntsman shape because of sentimental reasons. Back in High School, a good friend of mine gave me one as a gift and I have enjoyed it over the years. Since the shape is somewhat rare, I sometimes buy more of them for backups.