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Last post 4 years ago by steve02. 20 replies replies.
Cutters. Type of cut and affect on smoking.
USNGunner Offline
#1 Posted:
Joined: 05-17-2019
Posts: 4,402
Hey guys.

I've been playing with these, I've got guillotine, Punches, a Shuriken, and just got a V cutter and have been experimenting with all of them.

I could not believe the difference that the cut made on the smoke-ability and flavor of the cigars. I've always favored the punch, as I'm not fond of tobacco bits in my mouth when I'm smoking. But depending on the cigar, they get hard to draw fairly quickly.

I like the V cutter, but I've found the same thing. Break out the draw enhancer. Think

I was smoking one down I had V cut yesterday, it started getting hard to draw and the smoke dropped off, but instead of grabbing my draw enhancer, I got my ring cutter out and chopped the end off, voila', smoke and easy draw. Paradigm changer there. Think

I honestly cannot abide the shuriken. I thought I would love that one, but it's kind of a pain in the buttocks, and the smoke gunks up pretty easily or the cap "rose petals" and opens way up defeating the purpose of the cap in the first place.

I thought this was pretty interesting. You guys may have already figured this out, but it was a bit of an epiphany for me.

What are you're preferences for cutting, and does the ring gage affect the way you cut/punch? I'm really interested in your thoughts on this one.

Thanks.

V
pacman357 Offline
#2 Posted:
Joined: 02-27-2006
Posts: 42,596
I have never had any interest in a shuriken. I just don't get it. However, I've seen just about everything used as cutters. First time I met Don Pepin, it was in his shpo in Little Havana. He cut me a petit corona with his thumbnail. Anyone else, that might have bothered me, but he knows what he's doing, and it was like watching well-done surgery performed with a butter knife. I've also seen some old timers use small pocket knives. I already managed to slice of a fingertip with a new mandolin and some potatoes, and that was back when both eyes worked, so that won't fly for me.

For me, it really depends on the cigar. Standard issue, I have to say the old guillotine cutter is still my go-to. I understand why folks like Palios. Nice and sharp, precision cut. However, even a cheap guillotine can do nicely, but it has to have 2 blades. One just doesn't...well, cut it. The tear-drop style cutters and similar designs also work quite nicely. For me, however, a guillotine with a solid backing is great, or just a regular 2 blade, resting the head of the cigar while standing the smoke vertically on a table or something flat and solid to get that slim, even cut. Figurados have to be cut a bit differently, of course, but there I tend to start small, test draw, then cut more if I need to.

That being said, not every cigar is rolled the same way. I love a v-cut with a cigar that tends to come apart at the head. That leaves more of the cap intact, and makes the smoke less likely to fall apart in my mouth. As long as the draw is not too tight, and I can get some decent light to see what the heck I am doing, a v cut is often very good, and you don't have to be super-precise. Just reasonably close to center and level.

I will use a punch for cigars that tend to have a looser roll (aka airy draw). That includes just about any Graycliff smoke, for example. and if I'm not sure, a punch that produces too little draw can always be improved with a v cutter or guillotine. You can remove material, but it's tougher to fix a cigar you've over-circumcised. For that matter, a v cut that doesn't produce enough draw can some times be fixed with a guillotine as well, if you're careful (but that can also go badly and leave you spitting out pieces of leaf for an hour). Has to be a real, actual purpose-built punch, BTW. I've tried punches that flip down from lighters. That's my last resort at best. Most usually put the cigar too close to the lighter and end up damaging the cigar (in my hands, anyway).

As for draw poker, I never could get one of those damned things to work right for me. Tried different brands. I've tried the cordless drill with a small, long bore bit, and work it from both ends, but I haven't tried that since losing sight in one eye, and that'd probably stop me from trying today. I'd rather toss out a smoke than pay the ER co-pay. However, I did find one secret that I will share, but I want to stress that these things are VERY sharp and VERY dangerous...upholstery needles. No kidding. Big, long needle, just thick enough to make a decent-sized hole, and long enough to cover any reasonable vitola. However, I cannot stress enough that you need to be very careful with these things if you try it. They are sharp and can go all the way through just about any body part in the way if you are not careful. Available at a jungle near you. In anticipation of a lawsuit, I will add: Do NOT try this at home. Nor anywhere else.

Of course for the old double-tapered figurado, you have to punch it in the middle and light both ends. Mo betta. http://www.cigarbid.com/...39571/TG-smokes-a-Gurkha
Palama Offline
#3 Posted:
Joined: 02-05-2013
Posts: 23,450
^^^ Good stuff. ^^^

I’m mostly a V-cut guy but use the Xikar V and VX2 or Colibri cutters depending on RG. Guillotine on smaller RG and torpedoes.
Pudding Mittens Offline
#4 Posted:
Joined: 08-15-2016
Posts: 1,291
.
Hi again USNGunner.

I have nearly all the cutters out there:

* Punches - Xikar 7mm, 9mm, 11mm

* V-Cutters - Xikar VX (small V cut), VX2 (medium V cut) and Colibri (huge V-cut)

* Scissors - Xikar MTX

* Double guillotine - Xikar Xi1, Xi2, Xi3, X8, X875, M8, XO, Palio, Cuban Crafters Perfect, etc.

Never bothered with the Shuriken because most reviews said it was gimmicky crap, which you've mostly confirmed, above.

The double guillotine reigns supreme, IMO. Best draw, no tar build-up issues, best ensuing cigar performance. Just make sure you only use REALLY SHARP ones (I recommend Xikar, they are the best-engineered and they stay sharp damned near forever, and when they DO eventually dull, far down the road, Xikar or an authorized dealer just gives you a brand-new one, and this same cycle of infinite free replacements continues for the rest of your life).

Punches and V-cutters that make small openings (e.g. 7mm punch and Xikar VX) can be good when a cigar has an abnormally-open draw, because then constricting the draw can help.

Punches and V-cutters that make large openings (e.g. 11mm punch and Xikar VX2 or Colibri V) can be good general-purpose cutters, but I find the double guillotine to be overall superior in nearly every case. Your opinion may vary. Try them all and judge for yourself.

Cigar scissors I just can't get into. Yes, I saw the YouTube videos on different techniques, and I didn't like any of them. However the Xikar MTX has an awesome bleeder tool that I use daily. That's all I use the MTX for, but it's highly effective!

If I had to pick one "desert island" cutter? Xikar M8 all the way. It's got sufficiently-large hole/blade size to handle all reasonably-sized cigars, the sharpness, the weight, the control (nothing beats dual finger holes IMO), the body thinness for accurate cut placement, the awesome feel (being all metal and weighty helps immensely with the feel), the looks and the integrated cigar rest (slightly thinner midsection). The all-around champ, IMO. The X8 is nearly as good (just less weight/heft, no other differences) and can be found dirt cheap if you're a deal-hunter (I got mine for $10 each, new in box). Also the X8's plastic body is nearly scratch-proof and ding-proof (rather like the Xikar Stratosphere's hard rubber case).

pacman357 wrote:
As for draw poker, I never could get one of those damned things to work right for me. Tried different brands.

Try the PerfecDraw. It works like a dream. Has barbs that remove a small amount of tobacco each time you insert and remove. Repeat until draw is perfect. Designed by a dentist, and they know all about such metal tools, and wow did he do an awesome job designing this one! Patented. Makes all others seem like garbage. Lifetime warranty too.
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USNGunner Offline
#5 Posted:
Joined: 05-17-2019
Posts: 4,402
Thanks for the feedback guys.

I've got an XI2 I like, I like the Palios V-cutter, and I have a pair of scissors that work well. I'm going to have to try the M8.

Whistlebritches Offline
#6 Posted:
Joined: 04-23-2006
Posts: 22,127
I punch almost everything 48 rg and up.I usually use a guillotine 46 rg and down,for torps/figurado's guillotine using the d1ck cut method.I rarely use a v-cutter........just never was a fan

Remember KISS
Thunder.Gerbil Offline
#7 Posted:
Joined: 11-02-2006
Posts: 121,359
Jesus bloody Christ on a Popsicle stick, how many forks, knives and spoons do you people go through at a single meal?

(not you Ron, you're awesome)

****, just cut the damn thing and smoke it...
Palama Offline
#8 Posted:
Joined: 02-05-2013
Posts: 23,450
Whistlebritches wrote:
Remember KISS


Was never a big fan but that chorus line from their most popular song is sure catchy:

“I wanna rock and roll all night and party every day”
midmofan Offline
#9 Posted:
Joined: 04-25-2014
Posts: 1,108
Always been "straight" myself.

Just not into anything else - not that there is anything wrong with that....
pacman357 Offline
#10 Posted:
Joined: 02-27-2006
Posts: 42,596
Thunder.Gerbil wrote:
Jesus bloody Christ on a Popsicle stick, how many forks, knives and spoons do you people go through at a single meal?

(not you Ron, you're awesome)

****, just cut the damn thing and smoke it...

You were always the impatient one, man. Bet you tear open the Lucky Charms bag with your teeth, then spend the next ten minutes scooping it up off the counter after the bag split down the middle.

BTW, my answer is borne of OCD. You don't want to mess with the OCD. We'll get upset, write you a long letter, stew about it for a day, then write another letter, check the stove and door locks, write you another letter. Trust me, it's just not worth the trouble.
clickbangdead Offline
#11 Posted:
Joined: 01-31-2009
Posts: 2,214
I punch everything but figurados. Been using the same $1.99 punch for like 4-5 years now. One of these days I'll splurge and get a fancy punch...maybe... Probably just buy another cheapie.
USNGunner Offline
#12 Posted:
Joined: 05-17-2019
Posts: 4,402
Thunder.Gerbil wrote:
Jesus bloody Christ on a Popsicle stick, how many forks, knives and spoons do you people go through at a single meal?

(not you Ron, you're awesome)

****, just cut the damn thing and smoke it...


LOL. I hear you. But I kept getting different draws, especially when I used the punches, so I started experimenting to see if I was screwing that up.

I have chopped a couple that I had originally punched but was getting hard to draw and that solved the problem. What ever works I guess. Herfing
Mrs. dpnewell Offline
#13 Posted:
Joined: 08-23-2014
Posts: 1,373
I went through phases where I would either punch or v-cut. I found that most cigars taste milder with these kinds of cuts, but since I smoke at a faster pace then many here, they would build up tar. I would normally have to chop and purge for the final 1/3. Now I just chop everything.

David
clintCigar Offline
#14 Posted:
Joined: 05-14-2019
Posts: 4,682
I'm back and forth between cut and punch. If I know a stick has a loose draw I punch.
USNGunner Offline
#15 Posted:
Joined: 05-17-2019
Posts: 4,402
Mrs. dpnewell wrote:
I went through phases where I would either punch or v-cut. I found that most cigars taste milder with these kinds of cuts, but since I smoke at a faster pace then many here, they would build up tar. I would normally have to chop and purge for the final 1/3. Now I just chop everything.

David


That may well be the issue that I've been having. I'm keeping track now though so we will see.
pacman357 Offline
#16 Posted:
Joined: 02-27-2006
Posts: 42,596
#4 I neglected to say: thanks for the pro tip. While I enjoy the excitement of a one-eyed stab with giant needles into a cigar, this might (I begrudgingly admit) be a safer alternative. Especially with the state of health care in our rural area.

I have to say (this is from years of court room experience, I have never been arrested) that I've seen prison shanks that scared me less. That thing looks lethal in the close-up. Like you could haul in Bluefin Tuna with one strapped to the end of your pig sticker. Wow.
USNGunner Offline
#17 Posted:
Joined: 05-17-2019
Posts: 4,402
pacman357 wrote:
#4 I neglected to say: thanks for the pro tip. While I enjoy the excitement of a one-eyed stab with giant needles into a cigar, this might (I begrudgingly admit) be a safer alternative. Especially with the state of health care in our rural area.

I have to say (this is from years of court room experience, I have never been arrested) that I've seen prison shanks that scared me less. That thing looks lethal in the close-up. Like you could haul in Bluefin Tuna with one strapped to the end of your pig sticker. Wow.


LOL. Right? I realize it's magnified, but that looks like it would gut the entire smoke.

I also think the guy that designed that had some urology experience. Doc had a tool that looked kind of like that, they would break it out at the STD training sessions, and explain that we didn't really want them having to treat us with that. OhMyGod
pacman357 Offline
#18 Posted:
Joined: 02-27-2006
Posts: 42,596
#17 I cannot run. Physically, my knees and back are shot. However, if a urologist pulled out a device that looked like that, I'd suddenly develop sub-4.0 40 yard dash time.

Had another thought...if you don't mind smoking the wrong end, I think I could cut AND light your cigars with the .44. Muzzle flash has to be at least a couple feet.
Pudding Mittens Offline
#19 Posted:
Joined: 08-15-2016
Posts: 1,291
.
For what it's worth, the PerfecDraw is designed to be screwed in, and those nasty-looking barbs aren't that big in real life, just in exaggerated close-up photos.

They're small and threaded so you can turn the thing clockwise and it'll sink itself ever-deeper into the cigar, then you carefully pull it straight back out (no turning) and it removes some tobacco each time you do this. Repeat until draw is good.

It's important to know it's threaded and you should "screw it in" though. You never need to actually push on the thing, ever, rather just turn clockwise and then pull out. If you push it, bad things will probably happen.
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steve02 Offline
#20 Posted:
Joined: 05-20-2004
Posts: 954
I've played with them all, including the shuriken when it was first released, but these days I'm strictly a cutter guy. Good, sharp Xikar is all I use anymore
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