I’m never
sure where the industry is trending with large format cigars. I remember a time
when a 56 ring gauge cigar was considered huge. But in the era of 70+ ring
gauge cigars, your average guillotine-style cutter just won’t do, and
guillotines designed to accommodate even today’s ridiculously large cigars seem like
an exercise in designed obsolescence. So it was with these thoughts in mind
that I finally, after almost fourteen years of cigar smoking, turned to cigar
scissors.
In my experience, most cigar scissors suffer from a fatal design flaw. The hinged design either crushes the cap, or it pulls the cap off—rather than shears a portion of it off. Inexpensive, entry level scissors aren’t very sharp. And unless they fold, they’re just not portable.
In my experience, most cigar scissors suffer from a fatal design flaw. The hinged design either crushes the cap, or it pulls the cap off—rather than shears a portion of it off. Inexpensive, entry level scissors aren’t very sharp. And unless they fold, they’re just not portable.
About a
month ago, Craig Vanderslice of the Cigar Craig blog sent me a prize package of
eight Toscano-style cigars (think of the cheroot in every Clint Eastwood
spaghetti western) and a neat little gadget—the Screwpop cigar cutter. Screwpop bills its products “the world’s most clipable keychain tools.” With a line of
keychain-friendly tools that includes a Chapstick-holder and Travel Stash (for
storing money, emergency meds, etc.), I’m inclined to believe them.
Although it resembles a guillotine cutter, The Screwpop’s hinged design makes
it adaptable to wherever the ballooning cigar trend strays. The two halves of
the Screwpop swing wide open, which makes this a better than average cutter for
70+ ring gauge cigars. For a cigar tool that fits conveniently on your key
ring, it’s surprisingly sharp. The folded wing finger rests feel comfortable in
the hand, giving a fairly high level of control. And the blades fit together nicely, so
there’s no deflection when cutting. I’ve been using the cutter for the better
part of a month—on cigars of all sizes—with little complaint.
There are
only two downsides, as far as I can tell. (1) For such a small cutter, the
Screwpop is a little heavy. So if your key ring already looks like it belongs
to the caretaker at Papa John's mansion, you may have second thoughts about
keeping the Screwpop on your person. And (2) the bottle opener takes some
practice.
But all things considered, this is a nice add to your cigar tool collection. And clocking in at under $20, it’s reasonably priced.
Until next time...
Smoke thoughtfully
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