As with fine wine, the smoking of a cigar is supposed to be a relaxing activity. You wouldn’t want to ruin it with a dull, cheap cutter. The best cigar cutter enhances your experience by giving you the perfect snip to enhance the flavor and body of your cigar.
But that doesn’t mean your cigar cutter needs to be expensive—unless Dueling Dragons, the world’s priciest cigar cutter with 18 karat gold and pavé rubies, is within budget. There are many excellent cigar cutters that won’t break the bank and will maintain the quality of your cigars.
A good cigar cutter should be able to do several things. The cutter should have the right ring gauge and be made of the sharpest stainless-steel material for clean, precise cuts every time. Whether you prefer a double guillotine or puncher, we’ve got you covered.
Let’s take a peek at the top 8 cigar cutters below. Let’s first take a brief look at the various types of cigar cutters.
Cigar Cutter Selection
Each type of cigar cutter has its pros and cons, so I’ve laid them all out so you know what you’re dealing with.
The blade of the Guillotine cutter is: The cap is cut with a single blade. The majority of these cutters can cut up to 54 ring gauge cigars. It’s often the cheapest, but you’ve got to cut in one strong, quick motion.
Guillotine double blade cutter: The guillotine is similar, but this version uses two blades to make a more accurate cut. Some have sophisticated spring mechanisms that guarantee a clean, precise cut. Cuts any shape, just don’t cut too low and unravel the cigar.
Bullet puncher Cut a small hole in the head of the cigarette. To make a bigger hole on the cap, try different locations. No skills are required here, but you can’t use it on a Figurado shape.
V-cutter: As you’d imagine, this one cuts a v-shape on the cap. It has more surface than a punch. Don’t buy it cheap or it’ll damage your cigar.
Scissors: Like a double guillotine, scissors give a clean, elegant cut, but you’ve got to have surgical-quality stainless steel. And they’re not always portable.
What you need to know
For this quest, I began poring over hundreds of photos, customer reviews, and even my partner’s humidor until I was able to whittle down the list to the 8 finalists you see here.
Overall, the best cigar cutter is Xikar Xi1 because it’s extremely well-crafted in durable titanium with the hardest, sharpest stainless steel available, and, don’t forget, a crisp, precise cut. Cigar Blvd Perfect Cigar Cutter offers the ultimate in creating a perfect cigar cut with its patented star-shaped cutter.
Why it’s Great: If you are familiar with cigar accessories, you may already know about Xikar. The brand is known for producing some of the finest lighters, humidors, and cigar cutters in the business, and the Xi1 cutler is no exception. Its patented blades are made of 440c spring loaded stainless steel, the hardest and sharpest available. The thick, sturdy screws and the titanium plating give the knife a masculine, tactical feel. It is beautifully crafted and very easy to use.
Useful information: It’s all quality here, from the hefty feel in your hand down to the tight tolerances and effortless guillotine snip. You only need to make one confident, strong motion.
If you find a flaw, it’s not a deal-breaker. It might be a little pricey, but a cigar cutter isn’t a pair of sneakers. A cigar cutter should only be purchased once. Thanks to Xikar’s lifetime warranty, you’ll never have to buy another cigar cutter again.
Type: Double Guillotine | Material: Titanium and stainless steel | Colors: 5
Why it’s Great: Anntuck is a good option if your budget is tight. It’s clean, it’s straightforward and it has self-sharpening stainless steel double blades that cut with precision. It can cut up to 60 ring gauges.
Use it: I like a cigar cutter with some weight to it, maybe that’s just a personal preference, but this one is solid and feels nice and weighty in the hand. It’ll give you the Eastwood confidence to snip and light.
While there are some flaws in the product, they do not make it a deal-breaker. A few customers didn’t find the cut sharp nor clean enough, but the majority of reviews found it more than satisfactory.
Type: Double Guillotine | Material: Stainless steel | Colors: 1
Why it’s Great: This cutter, available in blue, white or red (the colors of the French Flag), commemorates the 10th anniversary of the legendary endurance sports car race, paired with iconic French brand S.T. Dumont. Perfect for that guy who already has everything. The inkjet print design on this cutter symbolizes speed, motor racing, and movement. Carefully crafted by Maison’s artisans, one side bears the Le Mans logo and the other the lucky number 8, Maison’s first address.
Use it: This single guillotine knife cutter is a little tricky to use, but it comes with two golden kickstands to aid in the process.
Flaws are not deal-breakers Obviously, it comes with a pretty price tag, but it does make for a thoughtful gift if it’s within budget. Even better, add it to your Christmas wish list this year.
Type: Guillotine Blade Cutter | Material: Metal | Colors: 3
Why it’s Great: Alaska Bear also makes an affordable, simple cutter with self-sharpening, solid blades. I do happen to prefer the slightly more elevated look of the brushes stainless steel here, but that’s a personal preference. It works for cigars of up to 60 gauge, and comes with a protective bag.
Use it: Just place the cap on top and cut. Cut the cigar only as far as you need to.
There are flaws, but they’re not fatal. Although some reviewers feel the blades could have been sharper, most are happy with their purchase.
Type: Double Guillotine | Material: Stainless steel | Colors: 2
Why it’s Great: It may look like any other cutter, but Cigar Boulevard’s perfect cutter is uniquely designed to cut the exact amount of tobacco from the head of any cigar—including Figurago and Torpedo shaped cigars. The patented star shape in the middle will tell you that it is this cutter. The star shape makes it easy to slice your cigars. Oh, and don’t forget the precious lifetime warranty.
Useful information: Place any cigar upto 64 gauge in the stainless steel star tip.
Flaws are not deal-breakers There’s always one reviewer that finds the blades to be dull, but I have a feeling you’ll be happy with this one.
Type: Double Guillotine | Material: Stainless steel | Colors: 1
Why it’s Great: The stainless steel blade makes Colibri a great choice for cigar enthusiasts. It is also beautiful. It is designed to cut at an angle that allows for a deep clean cut, which penetrates as far as 7mm into the cap. This ensures a robust, rich draw. This is great for cigars that have a ring gauge of 60+.
Use it: Although it claims to be contoured, I find that the grip is much more secure. Cut with confidence.
Even if there are some flaws in the product, they do not make it unusable. If you have any problems with your spring mechanism, the limited 2-year guarantee can help.
Type: V-cutter | Material: Stainless steel | Colors: 8
Why it’s Great: Do you want to make a lasting impression on the cigar lover that you know this Christmas? Hit ‘em with this beautiful gift set that has everything you need to light up, including one ultra-thin double jet butane lighter. The visual fuel window will let you know the amount of gas left. As for the cutter, it’s forged in tough 420 carbon steel with a max cutting diameter of 0.86 inches.
Use it: The included tool helps to adjust the flame valve, and the double-guillotine cutter is a quick and precise way to cut the gas.
There are flaws, but they’re not fatal. It is supposed to be refillable but many customers have had trouble refilling the lighter with butane.
Type: Double Guillotine | Material: Carbon stainless steel | Colors: 3
Why it’s Great: There’s something so appealing about the ease of a punch cutter, especially one as compact as this one. I love that it’s portable, and easily clips onto your bag, pocket, or key ring. The stainless steel is anti rust, anti impact and anti corrosion. Who knew you could make such an investment at such a low cost? This would be a perfect last-minute gift for someone you forgot about whose birthday it may or may have been.
Use it: Simply unscrew cap to reveal puncher. The cigar leaves can be easily removed by pressing the convenient button.
There are flaws, but they’re not fatal. While it does cut an 8mm hole in any cigar, you can’t use it with cigarillos.
Type: Punch | Material: Stainless steel | Colors: 2
The Best Cigar Cutters to Buy
Types of
The type of cutter that is best for you depends on how well you can cut and what ring gauge the cigar has. The v-cutter or puncher will cut any size cigar, but the double guillotine will give you the best result.
Blades Material
The best cigar cutters are those that have blades made of stainless steel, preferably surgical grade. It will ensure that your cigar is cut with the sharpest and cleanest blades. Self-sharpening is another key word to look out for, and indicates blades that won’t wear down over time.
Brand
Typically, name brands shouldn’t matter, but when it comes to the top cigar cutters, you want one from a company you can trust. Reviews are great, too, but so is a brand’s reputation. Names like Xikar for example, indicate strength, durability and patented designs.
Why you can trust us
I’m a fashion and grooming writer at FashionBeans, meaning I compare, test, and research all things clothing and accessories. In order to write this review I collaborated with many trusted sources, and also reviewed my own knowledge about all things cigars.
I began by examining dozens and dozens of cigar cutters, before narrowing them down to 8 of the best that would suit a variety of consumers. In the end, I’d like to see everyone finding the right cigar cutter.
Final Verdict
The best cigar cutter will cut your cigar with speed and precision, at the right spot. The Xikar Xi1, a titanium cutter with stainless steel spring-loaded blades, is one of the few that can do this. That’s what makes it my top pick, and one I’d be shocked if you were disappointed by.
You can find out more about this by clicking here.
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What matters is your personal taste. Double guillotine may be the most popular but cigar lovers around the globe love the v-cutter for its richer flavor.
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A cigar cutter is a cigar punch. The punch makes a hole on the cap of the cigar. Other cutters such as guillotine and v-cutters take a piece of the cap to smoke.
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