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Kai Nielsen

Tier:

Affordable	Mid-grade	Elevated	High-grade	Top
		X

Country: Denmark

Price: € 180+

Production method:

Factory	Machine-assisted	Freehand
		X

Notes: Son of Viggo Nielsen and brother of Jorgen (whose output appears to be sparse). He long shared a workshop with his father and has the same trademark - a silver dot on the stem.

His pipes are frequently ungraded, though he does have a grading system, using the names of precious stones. Like Viggo, he stamps his top pieces as 'Jewels of Denmark' (see picture). Rumour has it that grades for lesser work are sometimes only written on a piece of paper inserted in the pipe's bowl.

Kai Nielsen is fond of short, squat shapes, especially Bulldog variants.

Comments: Kai's pipes are definitely good value for money, but I hesitate to define him as a true high-grader. This is due to the quality differences I perceive in his output. 'Inconsistency' would be the wrong word, since there appears to be a scheme behind the phenomenon. Certainly, I've never seen sub-standard workmanship on a 'Jewel of Denmark', but some of his lesser-grained pipes seem to receive scanter attention to detail.

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