Grading & Pricing Information

This page gives information about my grading and pricing. Pricing is current for 2010 through 2011. Lindner Pipes are graded from lowest to highest starting at E, and going to D, C, B, A, and AA. There are also two top-grades: Top-graded smooths are symbolized with a Dragonfly and top-graded sandblasts are symbolized with a Spider. In addition, within each grade, there is a set pricing tier stamp. Please see "Pricing" below for a full explanation of these tiers.

Sandblast Grading

The entry grade is the E grade. These pipes are always crosscut sandblasts. For someone wanting to experience my smoking qualities and engineering without breaking the bank, the E grade is a great place to start.

From there, the D grade encompases exceptional crosscut sandblasts, radial (front-to-back) crosscut sandblasts that are craggy and well-defined, as well as off-center ringblasts or pipes that, for one reason or another, did not qualify to be a C grade.

After that, we have the C grade. The C grade is for exceptional sandblasts with great rings and nice definition. These are pieces which are well executed and superbly blasted but simply do not attain the level of perfection and character found in my "Spider" grade.

Finally, the highest sandblast grade is the “Spider” grade. These are stamped with a small spider. This grade is reserved for “the best of the best” sandblasts and partial sandblast pieces. Typically, the “Spider” grade ends up on the more artistic, creative shapes and not the classical shapes, but I have produced a small number of classical shapes which have qualified as a "Spider" graded piece.

Smooth Grading

The entry grade for smooths is the B grade smooth. These pieces typically are classically shaped pieces featuring crosscuts with nice birdseye and well-defined grain. B grade smooths can be stained any colour from virgin/natural to high-contrast red over black and everything in between.

The A grade is reserved for flamegrains, loose straightgrains and exceptional crosscuts, as well as certain "Art" shapes. There may be some sandspots, but these will be minimal. A grade smooths are typically stained natural although there are exceptions.

The AA grade is reserved for straightgrains and "Art" shapes. Both the A grade and AA Grade are graded first according to quality of grain, followed by the number and size of natural flaws (e.g., sandspots). These grades are not necessarily reserved for straightgrain pieces; for example, both the Blowfish and the Pickaxe are crosscuts. Although my grading is slightly subjective, as a general rule of thumb an AA grade is going to have nicer grain than an A grade as well as fewer sandspots and better execution. Nearly every AA Grade will be stained with a light natural stain, although like everything else, there are exceptions.

The Dragonfly is my highest grade and also my lowest production – as of July of 2010, I have produced only 10 or 11 Dragonfly graded pieces. If I have any question in my mind when I am grading my pipes as to whether or not it should be a Dragonfly grade, I stamp the pipe "AA". Unlike the other grades, there is no subjectivity involved in grading a Dragonfly: Execution of the shape and graining pattern needs to be as close to perfect as humanly possible. There will be few, if any, natural flaws or sandspots. If there are any sandspots, they will be miniscule and may only be apparent with a loupe. In essence, the Dragonfly is as close to perfect as I can get at the time the pipe was made. As with the Spider, The Dragonfly is typically reserved for the more artistic, creative shapes and not for classical shapes (although, as with the Spider, this is not set in stone; I just haven’t yet produced a classic piece that deserved the “Dragonfly” stamp!)

Pricing

The pricing of my pipes follows a tiered scale. The pricing is spaced out and there is no longer any overlap between grades. In other words, the highest price A grade will always be less expensive than the lowest priced AA grade, and so on. Grades E through A have three pricing tiers. Grade AA has four pricing tiers, while the Spider and Dragonfly grades have five pricing tiers. In addition, both the Spider and the Dragonfly have a top-tier and these are priced "per piece". These represent the "best of the best" and I will be fortunate indeed if I make even one of these in my lifetime. Currently the highest grade to be produced was a Dragonfly 4, a Satori shape made in 2009.

The pricing tiers are there to distinguish between things like complexity of shape (a simple A Grade billiard might be a first tier pipe [A1] while an A Grade blowfish would be a third tier pipe [A3], for example) as well as adornments and add-ons (a D grade billiard with an ivory inlay would be graded "D2" while the same billiard with no inlay at all would be graded a "D1", for example.) The thing to remember is that as far as the quality of the grain and the quality of the engineering, pipes within a grade are identical. The pricing tier is there to account for things like the absence or presence of natural sandspots, the complexity of the shape, the addition of adornments such as bamboo or ivory, and so on. In other words, that A1 Billiard is going to have the same quality of grain and level of engineering as that A3 Blowfish. The reason they're priced differently is because a Blowfish is a much more complex shape that takes two or three times as long to complete.

Here are the pricing tiers for standard size pieces. Most of my pipes are approximately a group 4 size, but this pricing can encompass anything from a small group 1-sized pipe to a group 6 piece (based on Dunhill sizing). Larger than this and it falls into "Magnum" or "Double Magnum" pricing, which is shown below.

E1 Grade: $400
E2 Grade: $450
E3 Grade: $500

D1 Grade: $525
D2 Grade: $575
D3 Grade: $625

C1 Grade: $650
C2 Grade: $700
C3 Grade: $750

B1 Grade: $800
B2 Grade: $850
B3 Grade: $900

A1 Grade: $950
A2 Grade: $1050
A3 Grade: $1150

AA1 Grade: $1200
AA2 Grade: $1350
AA3 Grade: $1500
AA4 Grade: $1650

Spider1 Grade: $800
Spider2 Grade: $950
Spider3 Grade: $1100
Spider4 Grade: $1250
Spider5 Grade: $1400
Spider0 Grade: Per Piece, starting at $1550

Dragonfly1 Grade: $2000
Dragonfly2 Grade: $2500
Dragonfly3 Grade: $3100
Dragonfly4 Grade: $3800
Dragonfly5 Grade: $4600
Dragonfly0 Grade: Per Piece, starting at $5500

Magnum and Double Magnum pricing is higher due to the fact that, besides larger blocks are simply harder to obtain and are more expensive, there is a greater chance of losing blocks due to internal cracking so there is much more scrap loss and time loss when making Magnum-sized pipes. Pricing is based on size and grain (although as you get into the upper grades, the complexity of the shape is taken into account as well). Based on the classic billiard, I define a pipe as a "Magnum" as being at least 6 3/4" long, having a bowl that is at least 2 1/2" tall, at least 1 7/8" across, and at least a 7/8" tobacco chamber diameter, while a Double Magnum is defined as being at least 8" long, having a bowl that is at least 3 1/4" tall, at least 2 1/8" across, with a chamber at least 1" across and 2 3/4" deep. These are rough guidelines; and are based on the billiard shape. There may be exceptions: Certain shapes, such as a bent bulldog, might be shorter or squatter or what-not, or a Canadian might have a slightly smaller bowl than listed above but have a particularly long shank. Here are the pricing tiers for Magnums:

E1 Magnum: $725
E2 Magnum: $800
E3 Magnum: $875
E4 Double Magnum: Per Piece, starting at $1300

D1 Magnum: $825
D2 Magnum: $900
D3 Magnum: $975
D4 Double Magnum: Per Piece, starting at $1500

C1 Magnum: $925
C2 Magnum: $1000
C3 Magnum: $1075
C4 Double Magnum: Per Piece, starting at $1700

B1 Magnum: $1050
B2 Magnum: $1150
B3 Magnum: $1250
B4 Double Magnum: Per Piece, starting at $2000

A1 Magnum: $1450
A2 Magnum: $1600
A3 Magnum: $1750
A4 Double Magnum: Per Piece, starting at $2500

AA1 Magnum: $1900
AA2 Magnum: $2100
AA3 Magnum: $2300
AA4 Magnum: $2500
AA5 Double Magnum: Per Piece, starting at $3000

Spider Magnum: Per Piece, starting at $1350
Spider Double Magnum: Per Piece, starting at $2100

Dragonfly Magnum: Per Piece, starting at $4000
Dragonfly Double Magnum: Per Piece, starting at $6000

All site content © 2001 through 2010 by michael lindner handmade pipes. Problems with the site? Contact the Web Geek.