Decided the Shuriken just isn't a cutter I'd buy... After having to relight twice and constantly puffing to try and keep the stick lit, I resorted to my trusty Cuban Crafter's Perfect Cut. I'll have it out to Marty tomorrow.
P.S. Glen, I wrote imgembo's addy in as requested.
Once again, thanks for the chance to try a new gadget. Maybe some of the other BoTL's will have a better experience.
Thanks for the nod Dan, and sorry that it didn't work out as well for you. However, Glen, thanks so much for letting us all have a go at this it is a great "pass" and I really appreciate it man thanks!
Decided the Shuriken just isn't a cutter I'd buy... After having to relight twice and constantly puffing to try and keep the stick lit, I resorted to my trusty Cuban Crafter's Perfect Cut. I'll have it out to Marty tomorrow.
P.S. Glen, I wrote imgembo's addy in as requested.
Once again, thanks for the chance to try a new gadget. Maybe some of the other BoTL's will have a better experience.
Thanks for taking care of the address brother, and more importantly, for posting your experiences and some pics. I nearly crapped myself when I saw that the cutter had pulled the cap off your Upmann!!! I will purchase a replacement stick and ship it out to you if you wish - the LAST thing I ever considered happening when I started this was having BOTL ruin some of their favorite sticks with the thing! Shoot me a pm and let me know, and again thanks for your participation!
Thanks for the nod Dan, and sorry that it didn't work out as well for you. However, Glen, thanks so much for letting us all have a go at this it is a great "pass" and I really appreciate it man thanks!
My pleasure 90, just hope this thing doesnt mangle any more sticks! Intellectually I know it wasnt my fault, but that knowledge somehow isnt stopping me from feeling incredibly guilty!
Don't worry about a replacement, Glen, it's cool. The cap pulled off as a result of my ineptitude, no other reason. It was all part of the learning curve. Just like Gurkha's or Black & Mild's, the Shuriken isn't for everyone, but I once again thank you for this very original pass and the opportunity to learn about a new product.
Just opened today's mail and it's here. I'll give it a try in about 20 minutes when I have my daily stogie. I'll probably have it back in the mail before my week is up - we'll see. Man, it's a BIG puppy, ain't it??
Not too comfortable carrying in a pants pocket, no. LOL Thanks for letting us know it made it there OK Marty. You know Im a fan of your reviews, cant wait to read your impressions on the Shuriken.
Well, to put it concisely, I'm underwhelmed. I have a saying "It don't take me all day to do a day's work" and it didn't take me a week to evaluate this little (?) oddity. I tried it first on a pointy-headed rascal - a Reposado '96 - and it didn't do diddly!! Next, I tried it on a Montecristo Flor-Fina (parejo) and, again, it didn't do diddly. I even gave the Reposado a little sideways wiggle to hopefully open up the slits just a bit but even the 'gnaw-and-draw' technique didn't work for me.
On the Montecristo, the head split wherever there was a slit but I can't give all the blame to the Shuriken. When it didn't work originally, I used my punch to open up the head so I could smoke it. That, and the humidity, are what I think caused the splitting.
In any case, it ain't for me. I'ts on its way to Xmacro this morning - -DC# 9405 5036 9930 0487 0868 00.
Well, to put it concisely, I'm underwhelmed. I have a saying "It don't take me all day to do a day's work" and it didn't take me a week to evaluate this little (?) oddity. I tried it first on a pointy-headed rascal - a Reposado '96 - and it didn't do diddly!! Next, I tried it on a Montecristo Flor-Fina (parejo) and, again, it didn't do diddly. I even gave the Reposado a little sideways wiggle to hopefully open up the slits just a bit but even the 'gnaw-and-draw' technique didn't work for me.
On the Montecristo, the head split wherever there was a slit but I can't give all the blame to the Shuriken. When it didn't work originally, I used my punch to open up the head so I could smoke it. That, and the humidity, are what I think caused the splitting.
In any case, it ain't for me. I'ts on its way to Xmacro this morning - -DC# 9405 5036 9930 0487 0868 00.
I totally agree with your testing and reviews, Marty. It looks and sounds good in theory, but just wasn't effective for me. If I have a stick go out because I neglected it, fine, but I'm not a fan of constantly relighting and "hot-boxing" just to be able to enjoy a smoke...
Just smoked a Diesel Unlimited d6 (6x60); the cut was excellent, didn't need to do any of the biting that others on here had problems with; no wiggling or whatnot was needed and the cigar stayed an easy draw throughout the cigar. While the draw was a tad tighter than my perfect cutter, it wasn't a difference anyone would notice unless they compared the two side by side like I did. The draw was almost as easy as when I use my perfect cutter, and I haven't had any problems with the first stick. Rh in the humi was around 68%, temp, around 64; outside smoking conditions were 45% Rh, 72F.
It should be noted that I almost never smoke torpedoes if I have a choice in the matter, and rarely smoke small gauges, though I'll be trying this out with an AJ Fresh rolled later on though. Will post more as I use it
AJ fresh rolled is inconclusive - I had a normal draw, but the shuriken tore the cap, so I'm not sure what's the cause of the easy draw. Either way, it smoked just fine - no complaints
Day 2; just smoked another Diesel d6, again, no draw problems. I've begun to notice that you really need to jam the cigar down on this thing; gotta make sure it's in all the way, and when smoking, your lips need to past the slits. But so far, I'm enjoying this little thing
EDIT - just smoked a San Lotano Oval; as usual, great cut, no complaints even with the odd shape; but there is one thing that needs to be mentioned - the shuriken cuts pretty far back, that is, the slits are pushed far back.
If you're the type of herfer that uses his lips to puff, who puts the cigar end up to his lips but not in the mouth, then the cuts are very likely too far back, the draw will be non-existent/very tight, and you'll need to bite down; if you're the type of herfer that holds the cigar in their mouth, or inserts it about an inch past the lips (no homo), then the shuriken works about as well as a traditional cutter
Day 3; Uzi weighs a ton, 5x60 - good drawn on pre-light, but I had to make sure that I really pushed it down all the way, to get the maximum cut on the slits; maybe the blades are getting dull, or maybe they were always like this, but every time I do it, I'm kinda afraid that I'll break the cigar since I have to push down so hard. I will update this post as I go along.
I will say that I still believe that if you're the type of herfer that puts the cigar to his lips and puffs, this cutter will cause you problems; if you're the type that holds the cigar with their teeth while puffing, then the weight of your teeth is enough to open the slits without even thinking about it, and this cutter works quite well.
EDIT - just smoked an AJ Fresh rolled; cut was fine, no tearing like the last one, but the draw was noticeably tighter than last time; I had to hold the cigar in my teeth and the natural weight of my jaw opened the slits enough to draw; unfortunately, I usually like to smoke small ring gauges without holding them in my teeth, but instead hold them with my lips, so it was a bit of an inconvenience to press down
Day 4, the final day; gonna mail it out tomorrow. Just used the shuriken on an Ave Maria Reconquista; very tight draw - unacceptable. I used another Reconquista, this time clipping a little bit off the end, not enough for a good draw, but the amount that my perfect cutter usually takes off (usually I need to do two clippings with the perfect cutter for torpedoes) - I then used the shuriken. It tore the hell out of the cap and bits of tobacco came off, but the pre-light draw is now acceptable.
Final conclusion: If torpedoes or small gauges are your thing, avoid this cutter; if you like to smoke a traditional shape, or even the new oval, this cutter will serve you very well, but a typicaly perfect cutter will work even better. THe shuriken is a novelty cutter that does a good job with normal shapes or even the new San Lotano Oval, but suffers terribly with torpedoes and to a lesser extent, small ring gauges
Hey guys sorry for the delay I got this a few days ago and in an airhead-Olympics move forgot to post saying so! I'm currently trying the cutter for the first time as I type this on a Jesus Fuego Delirium Robusto from Dennis. Cigar rocks and the cutter has worked fairly well. If you line it up carefully the first time and push in one continuos motion and then pull it back our carefully it doesn't mangle the head for me. However after having to gnaw on the head so to speak to open the slits the cap has the tendency to tear slightly. I do have some slight tar buildup but not terribly so. Gonna try on a few more and see what I think but jury is still out on this one as of now. Thanks again Glen!!!!
This is after I used the cutter but before I started gnawing on it:
Sorry for the marginal pic but here is the tearing I was talking about. Also with 1/3 left I cut it again but with my Xi cutter to try to compare draw and tar buildup, draw was nearly the same and still some buildup so the cutter performed as intended and worked fairly well. Just wanted a comparison on the same stick. Gonna try again on a different cigar to see if I get a different experience.
To a point possibly, but I'd also say that like with most tools (cigar or non-cigar related) that there is a distinct learning curve, but I'd also agree that this one's is a bit steep.
Hey boys! Sorry Ive been absent from the thread for a while - been out of commission with a blown up back. Its been cool going back and reading the experiences folks have had with the cutter so far! Im going to continue to withhold my thoughts & opinions on the Shuriken until after the pass is complete, but I agree with much of what has been said from the BOTL who've tried it so far - both good AND bad.
One thing I will speak on are some of the comments folks have made about the Shuriken being a "novelty cutter" and having a "learning curve". Im not sure Id call it a novelty item so much as a "new item", which definitely contributes to the learning curve comments. Guillotine cutters, V-cutters and punches have been around since Christ was a corporal, so whenever a noob has problems with them or are learning we can all tell them "OK, this is how you use the thing right."
One of the things I hope comes out of this pass is that between all of our experiences and experiments with the Shuriken, we can cobble together the same sort of knowledge to pass on to others. Some folks have had good success with it, others not so much. Hopefully at the end of it all, we will have gleaned enough knowledge to tell someone "Here's how you use the thing" the same way we can with the other cutters. Thank you all for contributing to that.
And even if we arent successful on that, we still all got to try out something we've been curious about! So keep them reviews coming in fellas, and have fun! :-D
Hey guys so I've given the cutter two more tries, one on a CAO Brazilia Gol! And another on a no-name Robusto. The Robusto did well and didn't fray or tear anything and allowed for a great draw but the wrapper was slightly young and supple whereas the CAO was an utter failure the cap was tight enough I couldn't get the slits to open and allow a draw so had to go back to the Xikar. All in all I wouldn't purchase one but I will say I'd use it on occasion if I ever did have one. It has it's place like with you get sticks but it's a difficult tool to use with every cigar and has so so results based on the cigar in question.
Glen thank you so very much for this opportunity and the slick use of your tool, this is boxed up and flies to the next person tomorrow morning
Comments
P.S. Glen, I wrote imgembo's addy in as requested.
Once again, thanks for the chance to try a new gadget. Maybe some of the other BoTL's will have a better experience.
On the Montecristo, the head split wherever there was a slit but I can't give all the blame to the Shuriken. When it didn't work originally, I used my punch to open up the head so I could smoke it. That, and the humidity, are what I think caused the splitting.
In any case, it ain't for me. I'ts on its way to Xmacro this morning - -DC# 9405 5036 9930 0487 0868 00.
I totally agree with your testing and reviews, Marty. It looks and sounds good in theory, but just wasn't effective for me. If I have a stick go out because I neglected it, fine, but I'm not a fan of constantly relighting and "hot-boxing" just to be able to enjoy a smoke...
I'll be sending this out in a few days; considering I've been going through 2-3 a day, it shouldn't take me long to put this through its paces
It should be noted that I almost never smoke torpedoes if I have a choice in the matter, and rarely smoke small gauges, though I'll be trying this out with an AJ Fresh rolled later on though. Will post more as I use it
EDIT - just smoked a San Lotano Oval; as usual, great cut, no complaints even with the odd shape; but there is one thing that needs to be mentioned - the shuriken cuts pretty far back, that is, the slits are pushed far back.
If you're the type of herfer that uses his lips to puff, who puts the cigar end up to his lips but not in the mouth, then the cuts are very likely too far back, the draw will be non-existent/very tight, and you'll need to bite down; if you're the type of herfer that holds the cigar in their mouth, or inserts it about an inch past the lips (no homo), then the shuriken works about as well as a traditional cutter
I will say that I still believe that if you're the type of herfer that puts the cigar to his lips and puffs, this cutter will cause you problems; if you're the type that holds the cigar with their teeth while puffing, then the weight of your teeth is enough to open the slits without even thinking about it, and this cutter works quite well.
EDIT - just smoked an AJ Fresh rolled; cut was fine, no tearing like the last one, but the draw was noticeably tighter than last time; I had to hold the cigar in my teeth and the natural weight of my jaw opened the slits enough to draw; unfortunately, I usually like to smoke small ring gauges without holding them in my teeth, but instead hold them with my lips, so it was a bit of an inconvenience to press down
Final conclusion: If torpedoes or small gauges are your thing, avoid this cutter; if you like to smoke a traditional shape, or even the new oval, this cutter will serve you very well, but a typicaly perfect cutter will work even better. THe shuriken is a novelty cutter that does a good job with normal shapes or even the new San Lotano Oval, but suffers terribly with torpedoes and to a lesser extent, small ring gauges
Sorry for the marginal pic but here is the tearing I was talking about. Also with 1/3 left I cut it again but with my Xi cutter to try to compare draw and tar buildup, draw was nearly the same and still some buildup so the cutter performed as intended and worked fairly well. Just wanted a comparison on the same stick. Gonna try again on a different cigar to see if I get a different experience.
One thing I will speak on are some of the comments folks have made about the Shuriken being a "novelty cutter" and having a "learning curve". Im not sure Id call it a novelty item so much as a "new item", which definitely contributes to the learning curve comments. Guillotine cutters, V-cutters and punches have been around since Christ was a corporal, so whenever a noob has problems with them or are learning we can all tell them "OK, this is how you use the thing right."
One of the things I hope comes out of this pass is that between all of our experiences and experiments with the Shuriken, we can cobble together the same sort of knowledge to pass on to others. Some folks have had good success with it, others not so much. Hopefully at the end of it all, we will have gleaned enough knowledge to tell someone "Here's how you use the thing" the same way we can with the other cutters. Thank you all for contributing to that.
And even if we arent successful on that, we still all got to try out something we've been curious about! So keep them reviews coming in fellas, and have fun! :-D
Glen thank you so very much for this opportunity and the slick use of your tool, this is boxed up and flies to the next person tomorrow morning