Luigi Radice has had a long and varied history in the world of pipe making- so long and varied that he now holds the honorary title of Oldest Italian Artisan Pipe Maker Still Actively Involved In His Craft. Gigi, as he is known to his friends, actually started off in the jewelry trade as an engraver. He carried this skill over when he began in the pipe trade with the great firm CASTELLO, situated in a village not far from his own. In 1970 or so he and another talented pipe maker, Pepino Ascorti, founded the CAMINETTO brand which was sold for ten years before internal difficulties forced its dissolution. In 1980 Gigi made, for the first time, a brand under his own name and with his own individual style. Known throughout the pipe making world for his skill, inventiveness, and panache his work is always recognizable as RADICE.

To the left is an example of the RADICE inventive genius- now available in the RADICE TWIN BORE SERIES. The idea was first generated over thirty years ago in response to pipe smokers who have delicate palates or who suffer from the dreaded tongue bite. Traditional twin bore mouthpieces offered some relief in this area, but were extremely difficult to clean in that each of the twin bores came in at a 45 degree angle from the end of the lip making it almost impossible to run a pipe cleaner through either channel. So... the traditional twin bore came and went. RADICE devised a method where each of the twin bore channels runs parallel to the other from the end of the lip and connects mid-way down the mouthpiece. In this way the smoke is cooled considerably as it mixes with air in both parallel channels, the pipe draws much more freely, and the pipe smoker can clean his pipe as easily as a standard pipe.* Thus he derives the following benefits in that the Radice twin bore:
1) Helps to alleviate the unpleasant symptoms associated with a 
     delicate palate, and to eliminate tongue bite for the smoker who uses 
     Virginia blends or aromatics;
2) Allows the smoker to puff more easily;
3) Makes allowance for uneven packing of the pipe.
The result is a more pleasant smoking experience.

* For those of you that have purchased a Radice twin bore pipe with the clear acrylic mouthpiece, please adhere to the following cleaning procedures in order to insure that the blackened center channels remain such:
     Allow the pipe to cool for 5 minutes before cleaning
     Use only regular fluffy pipe cleaners- not extra wide or bristle cleaners

RADICE OIL CURED SERIES- utilizing a unique method first developed almost 100 years ago the Radice family now offers a series of oil cured pipes for those who prefer a nut-like flavor during break-in. Each Radice oil cured pipe sports the twin bore mouthpiece described above.

                                                                                
  Pipe bowls lying in their oil bath                          Carved bowls drip-drying before the curing process begins

As of late 2003, in response to many customer requests, the Radice family have thinned the lip of all their hand-cut Plexiglas mouthpieces

Starting January 2005 the Radice family offers their customers another choice- that of a hand-cut highest quality vulcanite mouthpiece for those who prefer the look and/or feel of this material. Of the approximately 1,000 Radice pipes sold in the United States on a yearly basis perhaps 20% will have a black or brindle vulcanite bit. Such a pipe may be readily recognized by the small "V" stamped on the shank. And of course the bit will feel differently between the teeth than the traditional hand-cut Plexiglas bit.

A word or two on price of Radice pipes with vulcanite bits: there is a $25 surcharge for these pipes. Why? Although cast Plexiglas bits are more expensive than cast vulcanite mouthpieces, the opposite is true when comparing the price of highest quality vulcanite rod with sheet Plexiglas. Vulcanite rod, as a material, is not much used in our so-called modern age and so the limited production of this material carries a stiff price tag. Plexiglas (U.S. trade name Lucite), on the other hand, still finds a wide variety of uses and its production is many times more than that of vulcanite rod. Because of this fact Plexiglas, in sheet form, is much cheaper to obtain. Hence the need for the surcharge.

Radice Price List and Gallery

Hawkbill Page

The Radice Family At Work

Radice's Krazy Kreations

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