Claudio Cavicchi

[salewis]

I have five pipes from Claudio Cavicchi and they rank among my favorite pipes in my rotation. Yes, I have many Petersons, three Rad's, a few S. Bang pipes and many others but Cavicchi's rank higher than most and equal to my Rad's. It is said that Cavicchi has one of the best sources of briar going since he has been selling several hundred pipes a year for many years. His pipes can be found on smokingpipes.com and sell for about $175 to $450. What is your experience with Claudio Cavicchi pipes?

 

[thesmokindragon]

I have one of his sandblasted Billiards, outstanding smokers,

won't be my last ;-)

 

[phil22]

I have two Cavicchi's and love them both. I currently have my eye on a Cavicchi Bent Dublin and may pull the trigger shortly. My better half has asked me, "Don't you already have enough pipes?" So once I come up with the perfect answer I will likely proceed. ::

 

[john218]

I've heard a lot of praise for their smoking qualities and they are on my want list.

 

[pauljmjr]

I have one Claudio Cavicchi that I purchased new and I am a huge fan. Incredible pipes for the money. Incomparable briar and terrific design. Fantastic smokers for sure. Another very similar Italian pipe is Radice. The two makes are quite similar in many ways and comparably priced. You just can't go wrong with either of those two. I think they measure up favorably to designer pipes costing a whole lot more.

 

[tennsmoker]

I once owned three Cavicchis. I sold them to buy some Dunhills. Bad decision.
All three were from some of Claudio's early days when he was selling most of his wares from The Briary in Alabama. I had a beautiful Canadian, a chubby author and a gorgeous plateau Dublin. All were reasonably priced.
Sadly, I don't own a Cavicchi now, but I have had my eye on one. That trigger will get pulled sooner rather than later.
And, Phil22, I have learned over time to tune out all the wifey white noise around my house about "don't you already have enough pipes. Why do you need another one. It's just a pipe."

 

[ssjones]

I had a rusticated Cavicchi, but the bowl was somewhat thin and it smoked hotter than I cared for. I sold it and the new owner loves it, so it was probably me.

 

[captainbob]

Most of my pipes are made by Bob Hayes (www.bobhayespipes.com). However, I do own one Cavicchi 5c pictured below. It is a wonderful smoking pipe and as a 5c it is flawless (and very expensive). If you can find one it will be $500 or more.

click to enlarge:





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[crazypipe]

Wonderful pipes ,i have 4 ::

 

[pstlpkr]

Wonderful pipes ,i have 4 ::

Me too.
A long time friend of mine knows Claudio personally, said the following:

"He's a real pain in the ass."
Personally I couldn't give a fat rat's rear end....

He makes great pipes.

Here are mine..............

 

[lestrout]

My first Cavicchi was a magnificent author which puffs magnificently. I just got a very classy Prince. Cavicchis do a spectacular job showcasing the grain. One problem is that many current Italian pipes are huge, and I am trending to smaller bowls.
hp

les

 

[PlanxtyPipes]

Probably the maker who's pipes I desire most right now. Cavicchis all just look "right" to me. I definitely want to get my hands on one someday.

 

[foggymountain]

Since you asked. I had 1 oom paul by Cavicchi. It was a fine looking pipe, beautifully carved. I say this as a sculptor and former woodcarver. It was the most beautifully shaped oom paul I have ever seen. But it tasted like crap. The dark stain he used had such a strong taste it ruined the smoke. I smoked it for a month or so, but it didn't get better. So finally I removed the stain, mostly with Green Chartreuse, a 100+ proof liqueur. Still tasted like crap. So I sold it back to smokingpipes at a big loss. Wouldn't consider another. Let me say something. There are people on this forum who would not give anyone such a bad review, no matter what. I believe that a big advantage of this forum is that we can warn each other about problems so that we make a minimum of bad purchases. Pipemakers have to be responsible for what they do, including the choice of stains. Maybe his lighter stains taste better. Maybe he has not such good taste and does not know the difference. I read somewhere that 75% of humans do not have fully developed taste buds. Whatever, watch out for his dark stain. In case you read this, Claudio, you are a great carver, but should get a second opinion on stains before you use them. Because briar is a root, the stain does not remain on the surface, it penetrates into the pipe and the taste of a bad one can linger for years. I am finally ready to throw out a 1959 Stanwell black sandblast with an awful stain. It took 35 years for the taste to go from bad to not so bad. I tried to sell it to smokingpipes, but they returned it. I would have taken $10 for it.

 

[tonibaruch]

Two rather big Cavicchi are in my regular rotation.

A bit on the large size for me, in this moment, as I became mostly a pressed virginia smoker.
But great, great pipes. I had the pleasure to know and meet Claudio personally and he didn't seemed to me "a pain in the ass", either

As many know, he's a former world champion in slow pipe smoking. I think this is part of the reason why his pipes are enginered to smoke so well.

 

[recoilrob]

A friend told me about Cavicchi about 15 years ago, he had purchased a few, including a Diamante, a simply gorgeous pipe.
About 14 years ago I was contemplating getting married. I figured if I was going to shell out $thousands for a diamond ring I ought to at least get myself a Diamante. At the time there was a seller on from Italy that was selling Cavicchis, he went by the name of Pinter. I told him I was in the market for a Diamante and he kept his eye out for one. I got it a few months later, a large, perfectly cut, straight grained, plateau topped Dublin that came with a lucite stem and a true amber stem, and a 18K gold band, a fitting smoke for a wedding. I also got a 1C in the shipment.
I never got married so I never lit up the Diamante, still new in the box. I hear they are incredibly rare now, only a couple a year get made and the price has tripled. The 1C is a great pipe that's in my regular rotation, just a wonderfully designed and executed pipe.

 

[tonibaruch]

Hi Rob! That seller was me
(Yet I don't sell pipes anymore, just buy and enjoy them)

 

[foggymountain]

Rob: Smoke it!

 

[ssjones]

That Diamante is a regal pipe. I think my hands would be trembling if I held a match to that bowl.

 

[recoilrob]

I'm not going to smoke, never know when Miss Right may come along or may just sell it to fund some other hobby.
Toni, thanks for the pipes back then, you were a pleasure to deal with. Any idea how much is a Diamante these days?
Rob

 

[tonibaruch]

Hi Rob, it is impossible to say because I think Cavicchi makes just one Diamante each year so there is no availability at all. Also, I don't think they still have the twin bit, amber and lucite.
My educated guess is it could cost something like Euro 1000-1200, if found. But it is just a guess.

Try to ask to Luca Di Piazza at neatpipes. I think he knows it for a fact.