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Savinelli

Tier:

Country: Italy

Price: € 60+

Production method:

Notes: Savinelli makes a lot of pipes in various quality grades. Autographs (like the piece shown) and Guibileo d´oros are the top of the range in the modern and English style, respectively. Both lines can be found at very attractive prices on the estate market.

Savinelli's affordable pipes are highly popular in most countries, but especially in the USA and Britain. In fact, they are the most successful of all quality brands in the UK. The firm also makes cheaper pipes under labels such as 'Oscar' - incidentally, these are clearly stamped as Savinelli products, not anonymous seconds.

Comments: Most Savinellis fall into the affordable category - where they are sometimes more expensive than comparable pipes such as Stanwells (without boasting noticeable advantages, in my opinion). Mid-range lines include the Punto Oros, which I have found fairly decent.

The higher-end Savinellis are good pipes, but less special than some books suggest. Though Autographs, produced as semi-freehands, are the better known of the two top lines, some collectors have more respect for the Guibileo d'oros, judging them the more 'serious' and less flashy pipes. Be that as it may, few Savinelli Autographs can be classed as true high-grades. Some Italian mid-tier artisans produce equally well-crafted pipes at a lower price. Shape design is rather restricted, in my opinion, and partial blasting is somewhat inflationary - while not always aesthetically convincing.

From a value point of view, I would mainly recommend high-end Savinellis to those smokers happy to buy estate pipes. That said, many experienced pipesters claim that Savinelli produces a high proportion of 'great tasters'. The brackets around the 'X' for 'Elevated' indicate that some people have a higher opinion of Autographs than I.

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