sandre746

No affiliation with Upshall pipes here, other than being a huge fan of how well
they are crafted and how superbly they smoke, but I think Mike Falba's comments
are extremely well taken.

Many collect *old* Dunhills, *old* GBD's, *old* Chartans, *old* Comoy's, *old*
Sasieni pipes...well, you get the idea. Upshalls are still made in the finest
tradition of the best English "firsts," with no compromises being made to
produce more pipes or to cut corners. That the grain is not quite as fine on
some samples as on the same grade of past Upshalls *may* be a valid
observation, but the inherent quality of the briar itself in terms of curing
and smokeability is IMHO absolutely the same. I've owned and smoked dozens and
dozens of Upshalls from all eras in that firm's production, and I'll be darned
if I can discern a difference in how they smoke.

Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but sometimes subjective opinions
are passed off as fact or are repeated so often as to be taken as fact by
others who lack sufficient experience with a given brand to know better. If you
want consistently tighter grain, buy a higher grade from that brand or search
for an estate Upshall from earlier production IF it has exceptional grain. I
would suggest, however, that older examples of many pipe brands are coveted for
their fine(-r) grain as opposed to current samples simply because of the
limited availability of such bria, so this phenomenon is not limited to Upshall
pipes. Upshall's uncompromising approach to producing only flawless "firsts"
lacking in visible flaws simply further limits the potential supply of briar
from which Barry Jones carves pipes as he will not pass off a pipe with
tremendous grain if it has pits or other flaws.

Seems like most of the contentiousness surrounding this topic revolves around
"'P' Grade" Upshalls, some of which had exceptionally fine grain in the past.
There are still some "P's" which exhibit superb grain, but on some others the
grain is simply not as tight or comparitively unbroken as was the case in the
past. Has nothing to do with their smokeability, though, and purchasing a "'B'
Grade" is one solution to that matter.

I agree with Martin in that discussion of these issues is the way to go, as it
offers different perspectives as well as affording an opportunity to dispel
myths and rumors. It would be a shame if the pipe-buying public allowed
Upshalls to go the way of other traditional English brands. Upshalls are, INHO,
the real deal and are one of very few pipes being made to the same exacting
standards as "firsts" from the past.

Andy S.

ncguy6

I hope you will allow me to be the exception to the rule here.I bought a new
Upshall 8 years ago now.Though the pipe has a nice grain,and is well balanced
the bowl has always been hot to hold even after those years of trying to break
it in.
Needless to say i am very dissapointed in said pipe.I contacted the folks at
Upshall in England.They asked me to mail them the pipe, which i did.They then
informed me that they were going to send me a replacement pipe.After several
weeks of waiting and some unanswered email in which i asked them to at least
return my pipe.I'm still waiting for a response from them,and they still have
my pipe.At this point i have no idea what their intentions are regarding this
matter.

NCguy

jb

Well said, Andy.

These are just opinions...nothing more. When opinions become
absolutes, we will all be in trouble.

JB

apollo

Upshall U.K at all time reply my email within a week, if you brought the
pipe from their dealer with warranty, they will replace your pipe regarless
of your ploblem. Try email jamesupshall@XXXbtopenworld.com(remove the XXX
before btopenworld.com)and let us know the result.

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Arthur

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