Brebbia - Why Aren't They More Popular?

[daniel7]

I think my next pipe will be a Brebbia, I love their Ninja and Sun series, also their author shape is very nice. But before I invest in one, I would like to ask for your opinions. Here I can't read too much about this producer and not so many of you (maybe two) mentioned it among their favourite Italian pipemakers. What is the reason, why aren't they more popular? Their shapes and colours are fine, they make attractive pipes. The quality is not competitve on the same price level? Is it better to change my mind and buy one more Savinelli instead or save up for a Castello or Ser Jacopo?

 

[cosmicfolklore]

First off their name sounds like they make cheapo "As Seen on TV" type products... "A new dicer, slicer, ricer, from Brebbia..." It's horrible.
Second, Brebbia is a mid priced pipe, sometimes dipping down into the low end of prices. They just haven't earned their place among the big dogs. They haven't spot-lighted any great carvers (as far as I know), like Stanwell or Dunhill, etc, has. Nor, have they ever attempted a top end line of pipes.
They seem content to remain a mid-level factory made pipe.

 

[orobusto]

I have 5, a duke noce, areo, gogo, lido root and linea. Love them all. I would say they are on par with Savinelli and an excellent bang for the buck as an estate purchase.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

For just a smoker for your rotation, they will be great. But, they are not much of an investment, nor carry the tingle of owning a slice of history like an estate Dunhill or even a new Nording will have. It may even be the best smoker in your rotation, but it just won't ever have any of that "pipe magic"... IMO.

 

[daniel7]

Cosmic; For me the "pipe magic" comes from the appearance and smoking capabilities of a pipe. The history part can be interesting, but not making the experience alone. At least for me. But by quality, your posts made me a little bit sceptic about the brand.

 

[dmcmtk]

Nor, have they ever attempted a top end line of pipes.

Mike I would disagree. The Linea, and Pura lines were very nice.
Linea AAA

Pura

 

[didimauw]

Don't listen to Cosmic, he's better than us. :nana:

 

[dmcmtk]

Another Pura. :D

 

[hoosierpipeguy]

I have 2. Great Virginia Flake smokers. One of the better values out there IMHO.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

Don't listen to Cosmic, he's better than us

I didn't say not to get one. I merely said that they didn't carry the same luxury prestige that some other pipe brands/makers have... and, I said this to answer the OP original question...

why aren't they more popular?

I have one also. And, it's a good smoker, although, once I had a rotation and started getting better pipes, I ended up putting it into a drawer.
I never suggested that they weren't good smokers.

DMC, mine is a Pura as well... but still coming in at mid $200 range, they aren't on par with Savinellis... But, I don't think they are trying to. As I said, I think that they are content being a mid range pipe factory.
For affordability and being a good smoker, go for it.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

Comparatively... they are the Italian Kia of pipes... Savinelli could be said to be the Italian Toyota. Kias are great cars, according to reviews of performance and costs. But, even their top lines will not meet the expectations of a Toyota in holding value. But, Toyota had to come up with a whole new line to have a top line of cars... Lexus, which could be their Autograph series.
Why aren't Kias more popular?.. They are cheap. simple

 

[sablebrush52]

I own 4 Brebbias and have given one away as a gift to a collector of some very high end wood. He counts it among his top 5 favorite pipes to smoke and he owns pipes that cost many, many multiples of what that Brebbia cost. He's buying more of them. I own some pretty spectacular pipes and if I had to give up all but one pipe I would likely keep one of the Brebbias.
So why doesn't it get much love here? No good reason. Maybe because Castello has sucked all the air out of the room. My Brebbias smoke better than my Castellos. My Castellos are prettier, however. And they cost more. Maybe Brebbia doesn't get much buzz because they're just not pretty enough, at least the mid range ones that I've bought. Maybe the name isn't pretty enough. Or they're not expensive enough. If a pipe's really expensive and pretty it must smoke well, right? Based on smoking quality they're as good as anything I've ever smoked and better than most. But don't tell anyone that they're missing out by staying ignorant or hating the name or other poor excuse, or I'll have to pay more for my next one.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

Smokability and costs, rarely ever have anything to do with each other. I was reluctant to mention that they aren't very pretty, because I was afraid that the OP might think they are. Saying that a pipe isn't pretty CAN be like saying that someone's wife isn't pretty... so, I am at least glad someone broke that subject besides me, ha ha. ::

 

[sablebrush52]

I was reluctant to mention that they aren't very pretty, because I was afraid that the OP might think they are. Saying that a pipe isn't pretty CAN be like saying that someone's wife isn't pretty... so, I am at least glad someone broke that subject besides me, ha ha.

I used to date some drop dead gorgeous women, to the extent that some of my friends would actually express amused irritation that I, not exactly male model material, always seemed to attract these very beautiful women. But if all a woman had was looks, eventually she would become less beautiful to me. And if she had intellect, character, and personality she would become more beautiful to me. My Brebbias are the most beautiful pipes to me. Those are the pipes I reach for more than almost any others.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

I picked up an Optima for on of my daughters, and it has turned out to rival most other luxury cars that I have driven. People still toss their noses up in the air when they see it or hear that it is a Kia, but it drives really damned well.

I never said anything but positive things about the way they smoke. Just answered why (I think) they weren't popular on the forums.

I am glad that you love them so much. It's always great to hear something positive.

 

[mso489]

I window shopped Brebbias for two or three years, often stopping by retailer Brebbia pages to see what was available. So why don't I own a Brebbia? No major reason, but here's my experience. About the time I started looking at them, they went into a spell of marketing a kind of asymmetry that gave me pause. The shanks would curve and bulge a little in curious ways. I got the quest for originality and new design, but it didn't particularly appeal to me. Likewise, when I saw them at my local annual pipe show, this characteristic didn't play any better with me than it did online. After I'd been looking at Brebbia for a year or two, and my interest had somewhat faded, I did see they made some more traditionally designed pipes I liked much better. All along the way, the prices seemed a little high for the product, compared to other major brands, where I felt I could get more appealing pipes for less. I never rejected Brebbia as a brand out of hand, but they never closed the deal with me. I doubt I'd look at them now, despite good recommendations on this thread. Most of the kinds of niches they would fill in my stable are already ably filled by a number of other brands. Given my experience, I'm not surprised they've never risen to top tier and aren't mentioned much on Forums.

 

[hoosierpipeguy]

There is a psychological phenomenon where people subconsciously associate price - value - quality. And it works both ways. If the price tag is lower than it seems, an assumption is made that it must be of lower quality and value. I think that is what happens with Brebbia.
I bought one at a pipe as kind of an appeasement deal for letting me smoke in the shop. It was the Brebbia Sun model. Almost didn't get it due to the 9 mm filter crap but found it would pass a pipe filter if I removed the filter. It has proven to be one of the best VA Flake smokers I own. I may be the single best value buy among pipes I made. And it doesn't look bad either.
Just received another last week. Looks like a Ninja finish in a Sav 320 shape. Smoked a few bowls of Simply Red through it, very nice pipe again. If I had a tight pipe budget, owning all Brebbias wouldn't penalize me in the smoking quality department.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

+1, and Stanwell is quickly headed that way as well. Pipes and Cigars practically giving them away is not helping that brand at all.

But, if smoking well was all I looked for in a pipe, I would have stopped buying pipes 80 or so pipes back. Sure, it works for some guys. They get twelve Dr. Grabows and call it a rotation and never buy another pipe. But, I like to add a touch of aesthetics, style, and texture to my smokes.

 

[cortezattic]

I don't pay much attention to Brebbias since the few shapes I like are 9mm filter systems.

I can, and do, forego filters in the 6mm range; but the 9's, without a filter, haven't worked for me -- especially when cleaning the shank.

 

[dmcmtk]

+1, and Stanwell is quickly headed that way as well. Pipes and Cigars practically giving them away is not helping that brand at all.

Mike, you make a good point. But I no buya uno Stanwellini! I do keep an eye out for nice old examples of Danish made pipes...picked up a very nice old shape 96 the other day.
9mm pipes don't appeal to me either, I should say that none of the pipes shown above are filter pipes.