Super Expensive Pipes
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Up until recently I was a big fan.
I've even said that they equal any high end pipe.
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Since I know nothing of hand painting, what does a sable brush allow you to do that others won't?
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The average American car payment is $568 per month currently which is about $6,800 per year and many don’t blink an eye on something that will be out of their possession in the not too terrible distant future.
Without a car payment, you could purchase multiple high grade pipes if you wanted every year or that $10k pipe in 1.5 years.
You don’t have to be wealthy to afford expensive individual items. You just need to prioritize what you want to spend your money on and be disciplined about it.
Without a car payment, you could purchase multiple high grade pipes if you wanted every year or that $10k pipe in 1.5 years.
You don’t have to be wealthy to afford expensive individual items. You just need to prioritize what you want to spend your money on and be disciplined about it.
It's a legitimate question as long as its asked without judgement. A few years ago I was in Miami and saw row after row of docks of mega yachts and my first thoughts were "Who are these people? How did they make so much money? What do they do for a living?"
In every strata of income are things those levels below either haven't experienced, are likely to ever own or even comprehend. For many of us, the idea of owning a Lamborghini is a pipe dream. Look up abandoned super cars and you'll see lots of them in the middle east. I can't imaging having so much money I'd buy one Lambo let alone think about what would be like to have so much money I'd just abandon one because of unpaid tickets! In middle America, many people use storage facilities to store their excess accumulate crap. Go to Africa and try explaining that to someone who lives in a hut in the bush without running water. I'm sure they'd ask questions trying to comprehend it.
Off topic … but since there was a question on Sable Brush.
I also learnt for the first time
en.wikipedia.org
I also learnt for the first time
Kolinsky sable-hair brush - Wikipedia
That's a good point. I've not had a house payment for 15 years or a car payment for 10.
There's a term in painting called "holding a point". This means that the hairs of the brush wiil come together when charged with paint to form a point, and hold that point when the brush is dragged across a surface. The hairs in a high end brush were selected and arranged to come together and this used to be done by hand. My Windsor & Newton Series 7 would hold a point and I could effortlessly vary the thickness of the line by the angle and amount of pressure I brought to bear on the brush. Lower grades had a tendency to split, leaving a gap in the line, because the hairs were not so carefully and perfectly matched. A finely made brush transmits the action of the painter much more accurately than a cheaply made brush and continues to do so for years. Synthetics were popular for their lower cost, but their ability to hold a point was not the equal of a sable, and didn't hold up over time.
It's been nearly 20 years since I last stocked up, as my industry abandoned traditional media in favor of digital tools, so it may be that synthetic brushes have improved markedly from those I had at my disposal.
I’ve never spent more than $500 or $600 on a pipe but if I could I probably would. Art is in the eye of the beholder. People defecate on a canvass and sell it at New York art gallery for thousands. Me? I’d rather have the art in the form of a pipe than a shitty painting.
The crazy thing about high end pipes is with the right tools it only takes 15 minutes to turn a $50 pipe into the best pipe ever made (ok maybe an hour if you're going to polish the inside of the stem).
Ignorance or laziness at some level can explain the price for almost all veblen goods.
People buy a Lamborghini because they don't know a Nissan GT-R will perform the same, people buy a Nissan GT-R because they're too lazy to tune an old Supra.
(Or if we involve Cobs that would be equivalent to if the Arial Atom could be purchased off the lot with the same power as an F1 car).
Ignorance or laziness at some level can explain the price for almost all veblen goods.
People buy a Lamborghini because they don't know a Nissan GT-R will perform the same, people buy a Nissan GT-R because they're too lazy to tune an old Supra.
(Or if we involve Cobs that would be equivalent to if the Arial Atom could be purchased off the lot with the same power as an F1 car).
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It's funny how some people get offended so easily. I am new to the forum and when I see people talking about pipes they seem to mention things like Costello or Dunhill and the artisans at the upper end and a lot of people on here are smoking cobs Rossis Savinellis Petersons etc. It seems that the upper ranges approach maybe hundreds of dollars but not thousands and not thirty five thousand lol.
I was just wondering if regular pipe smokers are buying these or is it investors or something I don't know about. Are the people buying these on this forum?
And I was wondering if they are here they could tell me what is it exactly makes a pipe worth 35,000 dollars or even 10,000 dollars. I am curious not judgemental. I know what makes a wine worth 1000s or a car or a rolex but pipes not sure.
I was just wondering if regular pipe smokers are buying these or is it investors or something I don't know about. Are the people buying these on this forum?
And I was wondering if they are here they could tell me what is it exactly makes a pipe worth 35,000 dollars or even 10,000 dollars. I am curious not judgemental. I know what makes a wine worth 1000s or a car or a rolex but pipes not sure.
I think it's a false equivalence, as I don't think ignorance or laziness plays much part. A Nissan GT-R is a cool car but its almost a sleeper. It's pedestrian looking. I sincerely doubt anyone is buying a Lambo over a GT-R because they are ignorant or lazy anymore than someone is buying a Harley rather than a Honda or Kawasaki. Both brands make far better motorcycles and are more technologically advanced than a Harley and are in some cases half the price. In the case of the Harley and the Lambo, people are often buying an image.
Re: Ariel Atom: about 60% of the power to weight compared with F1 cars. Re: cars in general I agree with the analogy, and would take it a step further and say spend the same as for a Toyota Yaris for a bike which blows anything with four wheels out the water, or road
I used to hang out with petrolheads in the late 90s, the usual cars to tune up in Greece were 4x4 Fords, Lancias, Audis, Subarus, Mitsubishis...one guy had a ridiculously tuned up Ford Sierra Cosworth routinely destroying Porsches and the like, but it looked like a 90s family car, ie CRAP! Performance is one among many factors for spending money. A good friend of mine is a lawyer, he spent his first couple of months' wages to buy a Rolex, yet in everyday life he wears a $100 Swatch, I asked him what the hell, he said in his line of work it's an important part of the outfit. Thankfully my job is 95% behind a computer!
In general there are diminishing returns regarding price vs "performance" on high-end goods, personally I go for performance and reliability, incidentally last night one of my shoes soles disconnected, the shoes look perfect otherwise but I've had them for 15 years, I can't recall their exact price, but it was below $200. I may look to get them fixed. Would 400-600-1000 dollar shoes PERFORM - ie last while looking good - 2x, 3x, 5x better? I likely won't live 45 more years, and certainly not 75 more years so why spend the money? I got cheap tastes thankfully!
Pipes are really no different than wine, cars or watches. All the same factors are at play; rarity, exclusivity, fine craftsmanship, artistic expression, collectability, etc.
Actually, what DOES make a car, Rolex, or wine bottle cost 1000s? Rarity is one factor, but Rolex watches, Lambos etc are not "rare" in that they are still being made. Picasso is dead for decades, Rembrandt for centuries, yet their paintings are, all things considered, paint over cloth, the base materials cost nothing, so it's rarity, prestige, commonly accepted "value" but more than anything the below:
What does make them cost that much is that there are people who are willing and able to pay that much to have them, as with everything else priced way above median price.
My best smoking pipes are not Lees, but instead large Danish freehands. The Danes took the basic critical part of a pipe, the briar, and selected the largest practical pieces a man could clench in his teeth, chased the grain, and stuck a hard rubber stem on it. The Danish pick axe is pure function, and we’ve grown accustomed to the style. But they’d smoke as well, if left in the rough. A Grade 1 Nording is just over $100. Nothing made of briar on this earth can beat these as tobacco smoking devices, once broken in. An equivalent size Missouri Meerschaum Freehand cob is only about $35 and a large meerschaum might be $300. All tobacco pipes are luxury items, but more than $100 for a briar pipe I think is an expensive luxury item.
I’ve heard said the perfect is the enemy of good.
And while it’s nothing to me if a man buys the very best of something, I’ve always believed a man should own his toys, rather than having his toys own him.
After all, greed kills more people than whiskey.
I’ve heard said the perfect is the enemy of good.
And while it’s nothing to me if a man buys the very best of something, I’ve always believed a man should own his toys, rather than having his toys own him.
After all, greed kills more people than whiskey.
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You can't put Yakima racks on either one...LOL!!
I don't think people buy a Rolex because they want to know what time it is. There is some factors beyond use that draw us to high end products. It is all good and nothing wrong morally or ethically if you pay $35K for a pipe probably.
Personally, I'd be so uncomfortable wearing a time peice like a Rolex that it would be a distraction. I used to have a Hamilton Khaki that stopped working. Now I wear a Casio Marlin that cost $45 and is the best wrist watch ever for my use. So, there is a certain enjoyment is finding what you need for little cost.
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