Parker pipes are the king of hidden gems in my opinion, and they are probably the brand I recommend the most when someone tells me they are looking for an amazing pipe that will not break the bank.

Parker is, in a way, a Dunhill seconds company, but as I have explained in some of my videos, it is not quite that simple. They gained their own popularity and, in combination with Dunhill’s high standards and somewhat strange briar-grading workflow, a lot of Parkers ended up being just as good as, and sometimes even better than, standard Dunhill pipes.

That being said, Parker pipes were definitely not blessed with the same crazy level of quality control as Dunhills were.

This pipe is a perfect example of that — the briar is actually better than on most Dunhill Shells, and the stem is also amazing, but you can see they did not put the same amount of effort into making it perfectly flush with the briar. Even the fading P stem logo has been stamped on the bottom rather than the top…

I can only imagine the trouble an employee would get into if they did that in the Dunhill factory, but for Parker that was good enough, I guess.

Please don’t let those small cosmetic details deter you from getting an absolutely amazing pipe, which I am sure would outsmoke most Dunhill Shells out there.

I know that because this Parker comes from my personal collection.

The pipes go through one final check before shipping, so if you notice any inconsistencies in the carnauba finish or smudges they will be taken care of before your pipe is shipped to you.