Cigar Tip: Xikar VX Cutter Review
21 Nov 2011
I have been a fan of V-cutters and punches since I started smoking cigars. All that talk about making sure your guillotine didn’t slice off too much of the cap and cause the wrapper to unravel made me nervous. At least that was one worry I could eliminate.
Even now that I think I have enough skill to clip the head without inflicting undue damage, I still like the V-cut. It opens up the cigar but maintains its integrity and shape. But I’d never had a good V-cutter. Until recently, the only high-quality one of which I was aware was from the Boston Cigar Cutter Company, and they’re, frankly, too pricey for me.
Enter the VX Cutter from Xikar, listing at about $50 and generally available for $10 less. I have long used and appreciated a regular Xikar cutter. I like its sharp blades, fine action, and the company’s no-questions-asked lifetime guarantee. So I took the plunge, selecting the silver VX model.
The first thing I noticed was the heft. After a succession of cheap plastic V-cutters, the Xikar’s metal construction stands out, as does the easy sliding action and the ergonomic design. The blade is extraordinarily thin and sharp. The result is a surgically clean clip through most any size cigar. The indention for the cigar head is ample, working for a ring gauge up to 64, according to Xikar.
The company also notes that the bottom of the cutter is concave and can be used to hold a cigar. I guess that might come in handy at some point, though I’m not really sure when.
I’ve used my cutter on a dozen or so cigars, and it has opened up every one perfectly. So, whether you’re afraid of unraveling your wrappers or just like a V-cut, I highly recommend the Xikar VX.
photo credit: Stogie Guys
Patrick Ashby
Co-Founder & Editor in Chief
Patrick Semmens
Co-Founder & Publisher
George Edmonson
Tampa Bureau Chief
Using the concave bottom of the cutter as a place to rest your cigar is particularly useful when the communal ashtrays at your local B&M (or your own front porch) are full of someone else's butts…or if you just have germ-o-phobia about sharing ashtrays with other people (sometimes, this can actually be justified). I've used my VX to rest my cigar before lighting while I am emptying my ashtray…that way the stogie doesn't roll away or have to lay on the dusty outdoor furniture.
Makes sense. Thanks!
I never gave much thought to using a V-cutter I have only used them at my local B&M along with the punch. I never really cared for the experience I got with theirs, I guess it was an inferior cutter. I have regularly used a guillotine since the very day I started smoking cigars. But your review has definitely made me rethink the V-cutter, I told myself you need another cutter, an like myself not thinking outside the box at times I was going with another Xikar X whatever, now I will look into VX. I'm also a Xikar user, I never had an issue with any of their products and their warranty is great! Thanks for the review (helped me to think outside the box I was in for the moment)!
Xikar products Rock! Quality stuff…
how cool is that man! i like it! 🙂 Look like a solid buy!
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