When a Cigar Cutter Knife Just Might Outperform a Cigar Punch or Traditional Cutter
You may personally have years of experience sampling fine tobaccos and trying new cigars, or you may just be getting into the enjoyment of the experience now - but whether you are a greenhorn or a veteran, there are some tools of the trade you can’t go without if you expect to taste fine tobacco.
For example, you need a way to light your cigar. Choose matches or cedar spills like a traditionalist, or commit to carrying one of those space-age butane jet lighters, you still need a way to toast and light. That’s just one vital accessory.
You can’t seriously expect to achieve a good draw on your cigars without a quality cutting tool of some kind or other. These are necessary to prepare the cigar for smoking.
Most cigar smokers carry a cigar cutter or a cigar punch, or several of each. A cigar cutter consists of a mechanical blade or a pair of blades that can be closed together over the end of a cigar’s cap in order to remove a small sliver of tobacco. This removes some of the wrapper and opens up a draw through the body of the cigar.
By contrast, a cigar punch is a little, ring-edged tool that is intended to be inserted into the cap, and then twisted and removed. A small plug of tobacco will accompany the punch with its removal, which accomplishes the same function, essentially, as a cutter. It opens up a draw through the body of the cigar.
Each of these has its benefits and drawbacks, but there is now another player in the industry that offers similar functionality in a brand new package. It also happens to be very classy and offers a bit of extra utility as well. It’s a Les Fine Lames cigar cutter knife, and if you try one out anytime soon, you just might not be going back to traditional cutters or punches.
If you have no experience with them, they’re making pretty big waves in the cigar industry for some of the following reasons. Specifically, you should try one out if you can sympathize with any of the following conditions.
When You’ve Had Trouble with Traditional Cutters
One reason to try out a cigar cutter knife for size is when you’ve had trouble with traditional cigar cutters. Alright, admittedly, there really aren’t many problems you could run into with a cigar punch, but cutters are a different story.
Let’s preface this by clearing something up. Producers of cigar cutters are aware of the fact that some designs are better than others. For this reason, they’ve designed models like v-cutters that have blades that are stabilized along two axes and so are better than others at cutting through the tobacco without tearing or deforming it.
Yet the majority of cutters are flat-bladed cutters, and inexperienced cigar smokers have had plenty of problems with these. One common problem is associated with blades that are not properly sharpened, and if we’re being honest, it’s very difficult to sharpen the blades on most cutters, if not impossible.
Without a properly sharpened blade, the cutter in question is more likely to compress or deform the cigar than it is to cut through it cleanly. Premium cigars are hand-rolled to very precise specifications, and compressing the binder and filler even a very insignificant amount is going to affect the evenness of the draw and the quality of the smoke.
Another problem some cigar cutters have is with cleanly shearing through the wrapper at the cap of the cigar. Sometimes what happens is the cutter compresses the cigar, cleanly cuts through the wrapper for a bit, before bunching the wrapper up the rest of the way and tearing it.
The problem with torn wrappers is that tears want to travel. A tear forms along a plane of weakness in the first place, and as you smoke the cigar, if the wrapper has been torn, it is very likely to want to continue to tear. Then you’re going to be dealing with a cigar that seems to want to fall apart as you are smoking it, which, needless to say is less than a pleasant experience.
A high-quality cigar cutter knife, like a Les Fine Lames cigar knife, is precision ground and fitted, meaning that with no more than a little bit of practice, you can remove very finely measured caps of tobacco from the head of the cigar, each and every time.
These cigar knives come with exceedingly sharp blades which sort of work like a modified guillotine cutter in order to remove a cap from the head of the cigar - which is another reason to try them out - when you want to be more precise in your workings.
When You Want to Be Able to Remove Tobacco with Precision
Another benefit of a cigar cutter knife is that it enables you to have your cigars cut with a very fine degree of precision. For their part, cigar punches will replicate the same process time and time again with effectively no variance whatsoever.
Yes, you can alter the depth to which you insert the punch, but if you don’t press it in all the way it might just not come out with a plug of tobacco, and then it won’t be very much use.
By contrast, a cigar cutter allows you more freedom and flexibility than a punch, and a cigar cutter knife allows you much more freedom and flexibility than a regular cigar cutter. With a cigar knife, you can alter the angle, depth, and orientation of the cut to provide optimal results.
Of course, you can simply lay the cap of your cigar across the recess cut out of the scales and firmly close the blade on it - this is how the knife was intended to be used - but it is far from the only operation of which the tool is capable.
You can create angled cuts or even use the point of the knife to precisely carve out a plug, which, given the precision grinding of this knife and its razor-sharp edge, should not be overly difficult with a little practice.
When You Crave Versatility
There is another reason that you might appreciate the added value of a Les Fine Lames cigar cutter knife, and it’s when you crave versatility. The thing about cigar cutters and punches is that they are quite seriously only useful for one single application. Beyond cutting cigars, they’re practically useless.
A cigar cutter knife may be highly specialized, but it is still a variant of man’s oldest and most useful tool - a regular knife. Basically, the bottom line here is that a cigar knife is much more useful as a tool than just for cutting cigars.
If you carry a handsome, practical friction folder like a Les Fine Lames in your pocket, you’ll be ready to meet the day. You can cut your way through envelopes, boxes, packages, and much more. You’ll have food prep covered, too. Just make sure you clean the blade off adequately before storing it or using it to cut a cigar.
Honestly, a basic cutting tool is one of the most basic and universally practical tools you can carry, and in this instance, it will be highly specialized to prepare a cigar, especially for your enjoyment. That said, the utility of the device does not end there. The dollars you invest in a cigar knife may pay themselves back many times over, and you might not be holding a cigar at every point.
When You Crave Undeniable Class
Another reason you might want to add a cigar cutter knife to your repertoire is for the very simple fact that these Les Fine Lames models are downright beautiful. They are unforgettable both in terms of quality and aesthetics, and the mere fact that many of them are sold out should speak volumes. They are incredibly practical and simply fly off the shelves, virtual and physical.
Just take a look through our Les Fine Lames Le Petit collection, which contains some truly beautiful gems. Even their plainest offerings, with Green Micarta and Carbon Fiber handles, are pretty classic and minimalistic, and despite their lack of florid dashery, they’re made of quality, solid materials and very durable.
The other versions are the ones that turn heads. Some of the Les Fine Lames collection’s most notable entries are elegantly decorated with natural materials, such as Acacia Burl, Olive Wood, Curly Maple and Marblewood. The collection also features highlights that are finished with the dignified touches of Ebony and Padauk.
Many cigar cutters and punches are plain, but the undeniable class and unforgettable style of the Les Fine Lames cigar knives cannot be contested. They create life, light, movement, color and contrast, and when wisely chosen, can make a stunning addition to your collection of personal effects. You might not be the only one preparing a cigar for enjoyment, but you may very well be the only one with a cigar knife bedecked by Marblewood scales.
Defining Quality in a Cigar Cutter Knife
They say “any port in a storm” and without a doubt, someone, somewhere, at some time or other, has whipped out a pocket knife and attempted to cut the end off of a cigar’s cap. If that person knew what he or she was doing, and had a sharp knife and a steady hand, it may have turned out alright. Let’s be serious - skill is more important than the tool, and people have been jury-rigging solutions in the field for as long as history has been recorded. In fact, that has been the greater part of recorded history.
Come to think of it, there are special pipe knives that contain a tamper, a reamer, a pick, and a blade. Doubtless, someone else, somewhere else, has attempted to cut a cigar with one of these. We can only guess at the results.
But the Les Fine Lames line of cigar cutter knives are not jury-rigged tools. They are precision-developed, purpose-driven instruments of the modern day. They have been expressly designed with the intention of redefining everyday tools - and they have done so admirably.
With this in mind, the final reason you should consider an investment in a cigar knife is on the ground of quality. The people at Les Fine Lames have taken great pains to ensure that, despite the unforgettably sophisticated presentation of their knives, quality has not been lost in the picture.
As you can probably imagine, the Les Fine Lames cigar knives are made from extremely high-quality materials, some natural and some synthetic. The fit, finish and workmanship of their cigar knives are next to none, and they want nothing for aesthetics.
In addition, their blades are made in Thiers, France, the French capital of cutlery - think Thiers-Issard razors - and crafted from 14C28N stainless steel for durability, corrosion resistance and edge retention. As if the workmanship of the knives themselves doesn’t do enough to speak for itself (though we believe it does) each of their cigar knives comes with a lifetime warranty.
That’s the kind of quality and versatility you can expect to get from a Les Fine Lames Cigar Cutter Knife, and with the warranty coverage, there’s little risk involved in it for you; only years of enjoyment ahead.
If you want to learn more about these amazing cigar knives, take a look at our collection here on our website or make it a point to come in and visit us in our store in Syracuse, New York where you can meet our staff.
You can also get in touch with us by phone at 888-216-5834 if you have any questions or you’d like to get our recommendations for different punches, cutters, cigar knives or other accessories. Feel free to contact us with any questions or comments, and in the meantime, make it a point to follow us on our social media platforms - Facebook, Instagram and YouTube!