Kriswill

== Introduction ==
Founded in the late 1950s, Kriswill was one of two large pipe manufacturers in Denmark during the 1960s and 1970s, on par with Stanwell as measured by number of employees, pipes produced, and quality. The Kriswill catalog cover reads “By Appointment to the Royal Danish Court, KRISWILL, Kriswork Briar Trading, Briar Pipes Hand Made in Denmark.”
thumb|KRISWILL GOLDEN CLIPPER 53 Courtesy of [http://blaik-pipes.ru/ Blaik-Pipes]
thumb|KRISWILL DANISH CLIPPER 549 Courtesy of [http://blaik-pipes.ru/ Blaik-Pipes]
thumb|KRISWILL CHIEF 65 Courtesy of [http://blaik-pipes.ru/ Blaik-Pipes]
== History ==
Kriswill began immediately after World War II. Karl Robert Kris, an engineer for the shipping company AP Møller at the time, was in port (undoubtedly in the Mediterranean) when he encountered a shipment of briar. The briar blocks awakened his curiosity and he took some home. About this time the the shipping trade become difficult due to the war, causing Kris to consider other business opportunities. In 1947, Kris (then 47 years old) established himself as a pipe maker in his hometown of Kolding.
Kriss started his pipe making operation in a house located at Haderslevvej 115 in Kolding, and was soon joined by 3-4 employees. The pipes were sold under the name Rocky and supplied the domestic market. Within 6 months the company had grown, more employees hired, and their sales expanded to markets abroad.
Due to increasing production and marketing, Karl Robert Kris decided in the mid-1950s to expand. An entirely new factory was built at Sdr. Ring road on the outskirts of Kolding. At that time the pipes were branded Kriswell. That name did not last long, however, as Stanwell believed that name was too close to theirs. The compromise was to change the name to Kriswill. Kriswill soon grew to become a serious competitor to Stanwell, especially in the export markets. The Kriswill factory logo, stamped on the stem, became the stylized compass rose - as a reference to the manufacturer's maritime background.
Kriswill pipes excelled in design and craftsmanship. Karl Robert Kris was not afraid of new designs and had a good eye on the US market, where larger and more innovative designs were increasingly popular. Craftsmanship was given top priority throughout Kriswill's production. A local designer / architect had designed the first models. Later, the famous architects Sigvard Bernadotte (Swedish prince and brother of Queen Ingrid) and Acton Bjørn designed their own series, which were known as Bernadotte designed.
Two other series were the Golden Clipper and the Chief. The Golden Clipper pipes were smaller, lighter, more reserved, and popular in Europe. The Chief series was especially designed for the Americans, who wanted larger pipes. These pipes were light for their size, however, very different from the "Danish Free Style" pipes that other Danish makers were sending to the US market. Kriswill pipes that did not meet the requirements of the main lines were sold as "seconds" under the names Danish Crown and Navigator.
At its peak (mid-1960s) Kriswill had 40 employees.
== Post Karl Robert Kris ==
Karl Robert Kris died in 1966. The factory was well-run, and Kris's widow wanted the family to continue the business. Karl's son, Jens was groomed as director and remained with the company until 1975. The 1970s were difficult times for pipe-making in Denmark, as in the rest of the world. In addition to declining demand, they struggled with runaway inflation and annual wage increases of 18-20 percent. It was challenging to maintain the level of craftsmanship without raising prices, yet customers had difficulty accepting large price increases. As a result manufacturing become less profitable. Soon Jens Kris left Kriswill and new management and staff were hired at the factory.
Shortly after Jens departed Kriswill the company failed. The Kriswill name and model series were sold to the Norwegian pipe factory Lillehammer. The machines were acquired by Erik Nørding, and the property was sold.
After a few years Lillehammer also ceased production. Kriswills were made for a while in the 1980s at the Catalan factory, Iberica de Pipas. But these pipes were far from the quality of the originals, and became Kriswills in name only.
File:Kriswill Saga.jpg
File:Kriswill Saga 1.png
File:Kriswill Saga 3.jpg
File:Kriswill Chief.JPG
File:Kriswill Chief-1.JPG
File:Kriswill Chief-2.JPG
File:Kriswill-1884.jpg
File:Kriswill-1888.jpg
File:Kriswill-1890.jpg
File:Kriswill 1883.gif
File:Kriswill 04.JPG
File:Kriswill 1843.JPG
File:1011-01.jpg|KRISWILL 1485 SUPREME HAND MADE IN DENMARK
File:2049-1.jpg|KRISWILL 449 SAGA
File:Kriswill 5-2-1.jpg
File:Kriswill 7.jpg
File:1095-1.jpg
File:1095-4.jpg
File:1095-7-1.jpg
File:KRISWILL VALHALLA 377.jpg
File:1026-1-1.jpg
File:1026-4-2.jpg
File:KRISWILL 420 COUNT HAND MADE IN DENMARK.jpg
File:2588-1.png
File:Kriswill Bernadotte 1813.jpg
File:3433-01.jpg
File:Kriswill-001.jpg
File:Kriswill-02.jpg
File:Kriswill-003.jpg
File:Kriswill-004.jpg
File:Kriswill-005.jpg
File:KrisDanishClipper01.jpg|Danish Clipper
File:KrisDanishClipper07.jpg|Danish Clipper Nomenclature
File:KrisChief01.jpg|Chief
File:KrisChief08.jpg|Chief Nomenclature
Kriscon01.jpg|Kriscon
Kriscon07.jpg|Kriscon detail
Kriscon08.jpg|Kriscon detail
Kriscon13.jpg|Kriscon detail
Kriscon.jpg|Krison Box
PrAmled01.jpg|Prince Amled, Likely made by Kriswill
PrAmled07.jpg|Prince Amled detail
PrAmled08.jpg|Prince Amled detail
PrAmled09.jpg|Prince Amled detail
PrAmled10.jpg|Prince Amled detail
KriswillGoldenClipper01.jpg|Golden Clipper w/box
KriswillGoldenClipper07.jpg|Golden Clipper detail
KriswillGoldenClipper08.jpg|Golden Clipper detail
KriswillGoldenClipper11.jpg|Golden Clipper box
Kriswill01.jpg|Chief
Kriswill07.jpg|Chief detail
File:Saga01.jpg|Saga
File:Saga07.jpg|Saga detail
File:Kriswell Cheif41 .JPG
File:Kriswell Cheif41 1.JPG
Kriswill_Pipe_01_WEB.jpg
Kriswill_Pipe_02_WEB.jpg
Kriswill_Pipe_03_WEB.jpg
Kriswill_Pipe_04_WEB.jpg
Kriswill_Pipe_05_WEB.jpg
 
== Catalogs and Brochures ==
* January 1969 catalog, courtesy Ralph Web via Doug Valitchka.
* April 1970 Catalog, courtesy Ralph Web via Doug Valitchka.
== Offsite Links ==
*See an extensive history of Kriswill at piberyger.dk, which was the bases for this article.
Category: Pipe makers by nationality
Category: Denmark