Google + chat and the new generation of pipe smokers.

[Joe Hinkle Pipes]

I just thought I would share something from last night that I found interesting. I joined the PMF google + chat for the first time had a great time hanging with you guys! (and girl) It was a lot more like hanging out and having a pipe with a group of friends at a bar than a video chat. I made a lot of terrible jokes, and would like to appologize for one one I made about someone who wasn't present. It was good to see and hear some people that I hadn't met in person yet. I had some trouble hearing the details of what Premal was saying, but it was a microphone issue that cleared up later. That leads me to the real reason for this post. I was invited to The reddit pipe collectors google hangout earlier in the day and was hesitant to attend. After the PMF hangout I decided to go. They were a very welcoming and fun group. The one thing I didn't expect was the depth of their knowledge of pipes. The other thing that shocked me was the age of the members. They were all under 30. They knew things about pipes, pipemakers, and pipemaking that was truly amazing. They mentioned blowfish that looked like melted lolipops, instagram meltdowns, pipemakers that are having personal troubles, pipemakers that shipped cracked pipes, pipemakers that are cool, ones that are pricks. They knew EVERYTHING and when I asked how they knew it was always the same answer. We are nerds and we read the internet. They knew Nates racing and aviation background, where Clark Layton lived and what he used to make pipes, they even knew some information that I got straight from Premal in the google hangout an hour before and they got every detail right, put the info together from several different sources, and speculated on info that wasn't given to come to a conclusion that is pretty accurate. They know who used factory stummels, who uses premolds, who cuts nice slots, and who fakes it. It was unbelievable! This was a really long winded post and I guess im saying we are being watched. Every thing you do say and make is seen. good bad or indifferent. If you treat people well and your prices are in line with your product they are going to talk about it. If you make crap, are kind of a dick, or your prices aren't in line, they WILL dog you relentlessly. I witnessed it. When I asked about their numbers they said that all 13,000 of them pour over forums, social media, and articles, then they get together and talk about it on reddit. Talking with one member in particular. he showed two pipes he recieved that day from J&j and J. Alan. He then proceeded to smoke a Rad Davis, A different J&J, and talk about pipes he had from Eltang, Ryan Alden, jody davis, Bruce weaver and Grant batson. That sounded like a pretty serious collector to me. It was interesting to me, so i thought I would fill you guys in. Have a great day!

[Sasquatch]

Things have changed, for sure, there is more knowlege, both in breadth and depth, than ever before (and God help you if you come across someone who believes differently than you do about something as earth-shatteringly important as pipes). On one hand, the accountability is terrific - if you make something shitty, or rip people off, or if you're just generally a bozo, it will get around.

If you make good pipes and charge fair for them, that will get around too, even if you do look like a 1950s shop teacher. I'm not saying you do, but ... if you did, that would be fine. Joe.

...

REAL transparency is one way to treat this phenomenon. People know there's no such thing as dead root, they know that ALL briar is "finest mediterranean" so that stuff has lost some cache I think. I hope. Flipside is, these same people know the difference between a good stem and a bad one too, and that favors the artisan.

At its heart, pipe collecting is about branding more than smoking - there are guys out there who would find a top-quality unstamped pipe superior to a Dr Grabow and keep it forever, and there are guys (I think a lot MORE of them) who would trade that unstamped pipe for a Peterson. It means a LOT to these guys that they have a Weaver or a Davis or a whatever, and the Weavers and Davises (Davisi?) have worked hard to make certain that's the case. Excellent pipe after excellent pipe is the only way to do this for long.

Oh and be handsome like me.

[baweaverpipes]

Oh and be handsome like me.

You're GQ material, all the way, but not Calvin Klein material. However...................I do feel George would like to see you in a pair of skivvies!

[LatakiaLover]

However...................I do feel George would like to see you in a pair of skivvies!

[Joe Hinkle Pipes]

Way to crush my dreams todd. I knew I would never be the best pipemaker in the world, but I thought I had a chance to be the best looking pipemaker. Now that is out of my grasp as well...
As for the 1950's shop teacher, I'll have you know i still retain all ten digits.

[Joe Hinkle Pipes]

George,
Although that is my daily uniform the mannerisms are all wrong and I feel I slightly edge that guy out in the manliness category. Slightly.