Customer Reviews

Crazy Apple
Much like the other pipes that I've bought from Jeff, Crazy Apple starts off with a basic shape, in this case an understated Danish apple of somewhat muscular proportions, then Jeff adds his personal flourish to the pipe, in this case an asymmetric seam that spans the bottom from front to back. As with all of Jeff's work, fine design is coupled with excellent execution as Jeff shows off his ability in this pipe to combine sweeping curves and sharp lines flawlessly.

Quite apart from the pipe's physical attributes, which I will concede are a matter of personal taste, there are two other aspects of this pipe worth mentioning. As a fairly hard-core pipesmoker (as opposed to simply a collector) who smokes up to 12 or more bowls a day sometimes, I find nothing more irritating than paying a lot of coin for a fancy pipe only to have it be a poor, or even average smoke. It is in this regard that Jeff's work truly shines.  Jeff's pipes are smokers first and foremost. The ergonomics on this pipe are excellent. While the pipe was larger than I had expected when I first got it, the curvature of the stem, the width and feel of the bit and the weight of the bowl all come together to make for a most comfortable smoking tool. Finally, the drilling and engineering on this pipe are spot on. The draw is open without being sloppy and a pipe cleaner passes with ease. Another wonderful creation from a truly talented guy.

Phil Lau -- High-Grade Pipe Collector

Smooth Egg
The Smooth Egg is my second J. Alan Pipe. It may have been a year ago, that Erwin [Van Hove] recommended Jeff’s work and I ordered my first pipe, a stunning Disc-Blowfish.

And now I have added a second to my small collection. I´m really pleased with the pipe. First, of course, with the shape (otherwise I would not have chosen it). The pipe is swinging and well balanced and the size is good. I have no preferences with the size of a pipe, each size fits to a particular occasion. This recent J. Alan pipe is more of an easy-chair pipe then an office pipe, but I have numerous larger pipes.

The reason why I wanted this pipe was the marvelous ivory work. I love ivory as a precious material; it’s very harmonic both with bright and dark pipes. I own several pipes with ivory applications from some of the finest pipemakers in the world, but out of all of these ivory applications, Jeff’s is the nicest (IMHO).

I’m also very impressed by Jeff’s stemwork and I would be very interested to know how he makes these wide slits. Because of this good stem, the airflow of the pipe is great, only comparable with a Tony Rodriguez pipe I bought in 2003. This one is drilled with diameters Rick Newcombe prefers. Jeff’s stemwork is, in my very personal opinion, one of the best; also compared with all the high-grade carvers I know - and believe me, I know a lot.

The briar is very nice. I’m also satisfied with the finish, it seemed to be very stable and I’m sure, the pipe will become more and more shiny during use (as the Blowfish did). The coating is also very well made and there are no bad tastes (and I have broken in pipes costing $3000+ that had horrible coatings).

To summarize: I’m more than satisfied with the pipe and I can highly recommend Jeff’s pipes to pipe enthusiasts. And yes, this pipe also merits the requested price!

Jörg Lehmann -- High-grade pipe collector

Sandblasted Lovat
“The mechanics of the pipe are absolutely superb.  The finishing of the mouthpiece and the polishing of the airway draws the smoke beautifully, and the quality of the briar is excellent! This pipe rates with all of the major names of pipemaking both past and present!  Over the years my collection has had as many as 300 pipes and this pipe ranks in the top 3 in all respects.”  

Norm Winokur -- High-grade pipe collector

Smooth Brandy
"I have truly enjoyed smoking it. The first thing that attracted me to it were its gorgeous looks. I really enjoy the flow of the lines on the pipe as well as the way the grain accentuates the shape of the shank and the bowl. These are things I knew upon buying the pipe though... I have enjoyed it even more now that I get to smoke it whenever I wish. It is truly a pleasure to smoke. The pipe feels good in my hands. It makes you want to hold onto it. It smokes beautifully and gets better with every smoke. I love this pipe and there is nothing that I would change about it. Thank you so much; it has been a wonderful addition to my collection."

Jenn Tillman -- Formerly of SmokingPipes.com

Bamboo Liverpool
"Initially attracted to the visual appeal of the delicate design, the desire-at-first-sight of the aesthetic appeal has turned into true love through the excellent smoking characteristics of Jeff's pipe.

The attention to detail and excellent engineering show through in the fact that this pipe is an absolute pleasure to use."

Rob Novak -- Pipe Collector