Aro, the way to be successful here is to figure out what kind of pipe you want, figure out who makes that kind of thing, and then talk to a few carvers about it. Establish a price point for yourself (which will eliminate carvers in tiers above AND below the price point) and find someone whose work resonates with you.
Most carvers charging in around 300 dollars for "ordinary" pipes are making very, very good quality stuff. Above that you are paying for really fine work, certain tailored perfections, certain finishes etc. Below that you are talking to someone who may or may not have their act totally together in terms of making pipes. Not to say you can't get a good 200 dollar pipe from an artisan, but you'll see a fairly large shift in quality as you head toward 300 USD amongst american carvers, anyhow.
When people kick tires on my work at this point, I usually ask them what they want, what they like, I get them to send me pictures of pipes they like and if it's stuff I don't want to or can't make, I generally direct them to people who do that kind of thing. Matching up the pipe with the carver will get you your best results here.
The hope is that you get a pipe so great that you want to throw away everything else you've ever smoked. It may or may not go down that way, but if you get a really well made pipe, it will be objectively better than a Savinelli in just about every way - comfort, briar, smoking.. all of it.