Neptune Pipes

Todd Johnson, Pete Prevost, as well as host of other seriously talented folks who work at BriarWorks International, have set out to challenge our very notions of what constitutes a high quality pipe, and what we should expect to pay for the same; the premiere champion of their cause is the Neptune briar. Like many of the competitors currently in BriarWork's sights, the Neptune briar is crafted from Mimmo heath, lavished with a pleasantly daunting, hands-on attention to detail, (in fact, such an attention that it makes many 'one man; one pipe' marques pale in comparison). All Neptune pipes sport comfortably thin, hand-finished mouthpieces, the tenons are adhered in such a manner that fit will remain proper, no matter the humidity of a given region. Further, the stems/bits are milled out with a deep V-groove, filed smooth, sanded internally, and then polished. The smooth stains worn by Neptune briars are the exact same that Mr. Johnson uses in his multi-thousand dollar masterpieces, the darker sandblasts feature a dual stain, and you will find the quality of the actual blasting to be second-to-none. Finally, their champion line will be available in a mightily impressive array of shapes--forms designed specifically for the Neptune briar by some of the most talented artisans in the business.

The key, Todd believes, to bringing in this many cool attributes at a crazy-affordable price point is to apply hyper-efficient, lean sigma work-in-progress processes to a craft which has previously been far less than streamlined. In the words of Mr. Johnson, 'Envision a briar Calabash with a removable bowl, finished to hand-made standards, and available in six different finishes, and now picture a price point of $300 -- it's coming.' Hubris, or a simple matter-of-fact? Only you can decide, and that decision starts with trying out a Neptune briar.

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