The basic design of the cigar cutter hasn’t changed much in the last 100 years. Sure, you have different shapes, different number of blades, and of course there are many levels of quality, but the basic design has remained the same. Until now.
At this year’s IPCPR Trade Show, Xikar revealed the XO Double Guillotine Cigar Cutter. The XO is a revolutionary cutting machine that changes cigar cutting forever. Once you use this thing, you may never go back to anything else. The dual stainless steel blades operate on a patent pending “planetary gear system”, causing the blades open and close simultaneously. It’s hard to describe, and even hard to appreciate just by seeing it. You really have to hold it in your hand, snap the blades open and squeeze the XO shut watching the blades move in perfect harmony to really appreciate the XO. The XO Double Guillotine cutter features an aluminum body, stainless steel blades, planetary geared cutting system with five internal gears, spring-loaded blade release button and 64 RG hole (cuts the cap of up to 70RG cigars).
The XO has been in R&D for over 3 years with multiple patents pending Gear train designed using planetary gear sets to evenly distribute power to the cutter mechanics; the cutter can actually be closed applying pressure to only one blade. The sun gear rotates around the cutter opening, delivering spring force to the blade gears The XO delivers the precision of a traditional scissors cut, in a compact and automatic package. The blades maintain equal spacing inside the cutter opening at all times; providing the ability to apply controlled and precise pressure. The large opening allows up to a 70 RG cigar, but handles small RG cigars just as well.
Look and Feel
The cutter is quite the spectacle just to look at. I can’t ever remember seeing a circular cutter before, much less one with gears showing. It is nice and compact when shut; from a length and width perspective it’s actually a bit smaller than their Xi cutters. The height, or thickness, is where you see the difference. It is quite a bit thicker than your average cutter, surely due to the intricacy of the gear system, which is really my only very tiny complaint about this cutter, if you can call it that. It’s not going to stop me from using it, and maybe someday they will come out with a slimmer design once they can scale things. When it’s open, it kind of looks like the Bat Symbol, which is pretty awesome. You can see all the teeth attached to the blade that make the gears work and you get an even better look into the internals of the body.
Performance
Functionally, you could not ask for anything more. It cuts like a dream. The blades are sharp and the equal pressure on both sides from the gear system makes cutting your stogie almost dummy-proof, which comes in handy after a few libations. It feels solid when you hold it and when you cut a cigar, no more holding your breath and hoping for an even cut, just line it up, squeeze and enjoy. You can even cut your cigar using only one hand if that’s something you often find a need to do. Take a look at the slo-mo video below of it taking the cap off a Warped Maestro del Tiempo.
Bottom line, this cutter is fantastic. It may just replace my precious Xikar VX V-Cut as my every day cutter, and that is something I thought I would never say. Now if they made XO in a v-cut… game over. Kurt, start working on it! The price tag is $99 and it is well worth it, put this on your Christmas list gents.
Verdict: Extraordinary
(Highly Recommend)