Which Peterson To Pick!

[seanusa]

So I'm in the market for a new pipe and have firmly set my sights on the Peterson brand and a budget of $100.00. The problem is, is that there are a ton of Peterson's that fall in this range. I have been looking at http://smokingpipes.com and would like to keep my business with them if possible. So now for the question... which one? Are some shapes better for different kinds of smoke or is it all aesthetic? Any personal preferences to steer me toward? What shapes are the most iconic of the brand? I want an Irish pipe that screams Peterson when someone sees it, thanks in advance for the help!

 

[Commander Quan]

I don't know if the 999 an iconic peterson shape, but no one else does a rhodesian like it.

Or one of the System pipes, those are the iconic Petersons.

 

[Rob341]

My next pipe will be a Peterson Bulldog!

 

[brother cavefish]

I would not get a new Peterson their wood is not as dense as the older pipes, their having problems getting quality briar in the UK savinellis too, OH man their quality control is terrible i sent 5 SAVs back because of warped and shape and miss-drills--, there customer service is great though, , I am done with new pipes except some freehands, from what i here in the UK the briar is getting over picked by big sellers and they not letting the briar age in the ground nor in the shed, plus the density is weaker, you can actually feel the lightness, ever wonder why certain mass produced pipes are not coming to the stores---

 

[seanusa]

I would not get a new Peterson there wood is not as dense as the older pipes, their having problems getting quality briar in the UK savinellis too, I am done with new pipes except some freehands

Interesting...Hmmmmm

 

[john parker]

I would not get a new Peterson there wood is not as dense as the older pipes, their having problems getting quality briar in the UK savinellis too, I am done with new pipes except some freehands

Heard that, too; on the web and from a local tobacconist. One more reason to look at estates.

 

[seanusa]

sounds like back to square one

 

[Hangten]

Head up to the house of calabash, he has a ton of used petersons and at really good prices. Plus he's got really good blends from aeromatics like grandfathers own to Latika bombers like meerschaum only.

 

[Tim_McD]

sounds like back to square one

Not at all - there are plenty of estate Peterson's on the smokingpipes.com site. I have purchased a Peterson 80s bulldog spigot from them and a red xl23 spigot - both are fantastic. Plus, I have just bought a brand new green 999 spigot from Peterson and it is a looker. I hoped to fire it up tonight, but life got in the way - it will be inaugurated tomorrow for sure.

So feel comfortable buying a quality estate or splurge on a new - the vendor will stand behind the purchase.

Iconic and Peterson from a mile away: Any System pipe in a shape you fancy, their Rhodesian 999 is unmistakable (they have army mounts new for under $90!), the 03 shape is distinctive - esp in the Dracula series (not quite a leprechaun image, but people will know its a Peterson), the Rosslare amber stems are very classic and Irish looking (toward the top of your price range) or the 80S bulldogs are outstanding - smooth or rusticated.

Have at man, what are you waiting for?!?!?!

 

[seanusa]

Well I caved in and went against some advice, go figure.

 

[brother cavefish]

Well I caved in and went against some advice, go figure.

you can still get a good new one, but unless you SEE it in the flesh, you might be sending some back, pipes are being rushed too i have seen top quality new ones with many sand pits come through, and alot of american carvers are kicking butt , i see no pits, they use choice briar

 

[seanusa]

Well I didn't get to see her in the flesh but smokingpipes.com at least gives you two side shots of the actual pipe you will buy, we will see, I hope she is a good one. I bought this to celebrate a raise at work

 

[jiminyshiznit]

Well I didn't get to see her in the flesh but smokingpipes.com at least gives you two side shots of the actual pipe you will buy, we will see, I hope she is a good one. I bought this to celebrate a raise at work

Congrats on the raise. What a great way to celebrate.. that's a sweet pipe!

 

[Whiskey Badger]

I ordered 2 Petersons from smokingpipes.com just earlier this week. A 2013 St. Patrick's Day and an Irishmade army mount.

 

[seanusa]

Sweet, both nice pipes, looked at both but just really like the b10 and its Dublin/ calabash styling

 

[nesta]

I see I'm too late! However, it's a good looking pipe.

I've never had a problem with a Pete being inferior wood, though I do have some opinions on the company.

For one, except for their high grade pipes, the pipe will only be carved to accentuate the briar's natural beauty if it's done accidentally. This doesn't affect smoking quality in the least, and helps to keep well built pipes affordable. But with smooth Petes, you really can't expect the grain to be anything other than totally random unless you're paying over 150 for them.

More importantly to me, and again in MOST cases this won't change the quality of the smoke, as far as my experience has shown Peterson is REALLY bad about using fills in their pipes. I happen to like rusticated and sandblasted pipes anyway, and Peterson's styles of rustication are often quite craggy as it is, so I haven't got a clue why if they're making a pipe and it needs more than one or two small fills they don't simply rusticate them, but it's the way it is. Under the 100 dollar point, a smooth Peterson will more likely than not have at least one or two fills, and a large percentage of pipes (certainly not all) are absolutely riddled with them. A prime suspect is the Killarney line, which has a beautiful finish and is a smart looking pipe when you see a good one, but I've seen some in the shops where the fills just jump out at you. Seriously, I've seen them so bad that sometimes they look like there's less wood than filler. The finish is so dark it's harder to tell from photos, but once you start to find them in photos they're hard to miss. This wouldn't be so bad, but unlike the slapdash grain patterns it doesn't seem to be limited to their more affordable pipes. I've seen Petes that were sold for well over 200 dollars which had several noticeable fills.

This isn't at all universal, and to many people it's a non issue. I have pipes with fills, and I smoke and like them - but I would like them more if they weren't there. So while I like Petersons for what they are, I have kept this in mind and my personal rule is that I will not buy a smooth Peterson through the mail. Unless I can inspect it in person, I will only buy a rusticated (or, potentially, sandblasted) Pete. Again, it's by no means universal, it just seems to happen as often as not.

All that being said, I really like the shape and finish of the pipe which was selected. I hope you enjoy it thoroughly!

Also, I've had issues with Petes smoking very wet and gurgling like crazy until their broken in. This isn't uncommon, but it's lasted a MUCH longer time with my Petersons than with other pipes. From what I've read from others, this isn't necessarily just me, but may be a tendency (somehow, as unlikely as it may seem) for the brand. So in other words, if your pipe takes a lot longer to break in than you hope, don't give up. Every Pete I've had has been a fantastic smoker once broken in, it's just taken longer than others for me!

 

[seanusa]

I am sure I will find a couple but in the pictures which are of the exact pipe i'm going to get I saw none

 

[oc_in_fw]

I am sure I will find a couple but in the pictures which are of the exact pipe i'm going to get I saw none
View attachment 360515View attachment 360516

That is a great looking pipe- buy it.

 

[seanusa]

It is in route

 

[Aschecte]

I smoke cigars and have for years..... I have my favorites... Padron 1964, 2xxxx for my everydays, Liga Privada's #9 , dirty rats etc, some Alec Bradley and even then find the QC a bit lacking and inconsistent..... I really have found the CAO line to be pretty good for the price and for those that haven't tried them the Genesis by Ramon Bueso is great and I'm not embarrassed to admit I'll even rock a 5 vegas every now and again. Now all this said I received a few months back my first pipe a Savenelli duca carlo ( think I spelled that right ) and I really enjoyed it ..... can anyone point me in a higher end direction something either vintage estate or new like this Peterson you are getting ? I really like some of the hand carved does Petrson make them ?.. I forget there is a term for it ( sorry I'm reallynew to this ting called....... pipes. I like some of the blends I have tried but I was told not to mix like cherry or flavored tobacco as it can ghost the pipe so I want to get at least one or two more pipes as well to have a rotation. Thanks for any input !!!