The product featured for this Accessory Review is the Palio guillotine cutter. This particular model is the standard black body with the older black emblems. I have had this cutter since sometime in early 2006 and have used it fairly regularly since my purchase.
I picked up this cutter in a group buy on Club Stogie and paid somewhere in the neighborhood of $25.00 (shipping included). Included with the cutter was a black sheath with an impression of the Palio brand name on the front side.
The body is made from engineering polymers (not plastic) while the blades are 420 Stainless Steel with a Rockwell c hardness of 57/58. The blades are said to be made from the hardest Stainless Steel of any cutter currently available on the market, which leads to a long lasting, sharp cutting edge.
The Palio website states that the opening on the cutter will accommodate a 60 ring gauge cigar but does not note the dimension of the opening itself. When measured, my cutters reads 49/64 of an inch. While you will not be able to slip it down the length of a Robusto sized stick, I can vouch that it easily handles a 60 ring gauge cigar if the shoulder is not encroached.
Pros:
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Hard Polymer frame
Easily withstands the occasion drop without issue
Sharp Blades:
Have not had a problem with a torn cap, even after all this time.
Simple Appearance:
The straight up cutter look, which lacks bright colors, gets a surprising amount of attention at the local B&M.
Affordable:
While the price isn’t exactly bargain basement, I feel you certainly get more than your monies worth with this product.
Protective Sheath:
Keeps the cutter clean and free from lint if placed in your pants pocket.
Contoured Body:
The contoured shape of the cutter holds a cigar nicely if you do not have an ashtray to rest it in.
Large 60 Ring cigar held comfortably by Palio cutter
Cons:
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Cleaning:
Can be a slight hassle to get into the tracks with a q-tip to remove tobacco oil and dust
Blade Depth:
When placed on a table and measure from the table top to the lower blade, the cut is 12/64. Many new smokers are given the advice to cut their cigar in this manner for a proper cut. With the Palio this recommendation removes a lot of cigar. For a few more of these measurements take a look at Cigar Cutters: No Matter Which Way You Slice It.
To sum things up, I think that this cutter is well worth the price and will provide years of dependable service. With a price that won’t break the bank, it was very appealing to me as a new cigar smoker. Not wanting to spend double the price on other well known cutters this was a great option which I still appreciate purchasing.
Happy Smoking
Walt –
I use a CC-23PERFECT Cutter made by Cuban Crafters. The blades are made of surgical grade stainless steel and it’s advertised to handle up to a 54 ring gauge, but I’ve used it on larger ring gauges.
It’s an all stainless steel double guillotine cutter with an engineered backstop. There is no guesswork in cutting your cigar and there’s no need to place your cutter and cigar against a flat surface for intricate cuts. It simply clips off the exact amount everytime.
The spent tobacco remains in the cutter’s chamber until you re-open the blades to discard it.
What makes this cutter unique is the cigar head rests against the backstop which positions the blades for a precise cut. There is a small round hole in the backstop to accomadate Torpedo and Figurado shaped caps.
I’ve had this cutter for some time and it still makes precise clean cuts. Priced at $14.99, it’s worth every penny.
I’ve listed the URL below for those interested.
http://www.cubancrafters.com/products.php/item_id/78
That’s great Paul, do you work for Cuban Crafters or something? That comment had nothing to do with this review.
Nice job Walt. I got my first double bladed cutter on Friday and I like it a lot compared to single blade! It’s a cheap $3 double blade, but I can see the difference already.
I had the Cuban Crafters Perfect Cutter until I lost it recently, and now have a Palio. The CC is not as razor-sharp as the Palio – you can’t do a slow cut with the CC like the Palio. Ironically enough, this is only an issue for me with Cuban cigars. (Cubans have flat-cut tobacco under the cap, i.e., the cap isn’t glued onto the filler like (most?) non-Cubans). It is difficult to cut off less of the cap with the CC.
OTOH, the CC has that backstop that makes goof-proof no-thought-or-concentration-required perfect cuts every time. This is especially useful while driving, or talking, or after a bit of alcohol consumption :-). The backstop also stabilizes the cigar, so one’s cuts are always square, especially with tapered cigars. It really does give a perfect cut.
If I had to pick one, I would pick the CC because I don’t have to think about cutting, and it is half the price of the Palio. OTOH, if you’re a ritualistic smoker, the Palio is a better cutter and I really admire the design of the Palio. The designer really improved the double-guillotine concept. You can see why the Palio costs twice as much (which is still a great deal).
Both of the cutters (that I’ve had) could have used more finishing – the edges of the finger holes on the CC, and the flashing on the Palio – but I’m not complaining at the price. A few minutes with a file and a dremel tool cleaned up both of them.
So … is that a Nub or a Stumpy?
Please forgive me Jon. How unworthy of me, to comment in your presence. I hope you are not near Yankee Stadium today. I would hate for Pope Benedict XVI to hear about my comment; for he may judge me as harsh as you.
Jon, your “cheap $3 double blade” comment is spot on w/ the review and very relevant.
One of the cons Walt pointed out about the Palio was, “When placed on a table and measure from the table top to the lower blade, the cut is 12/64.
Many new smokers are given the advice to cut their cigar in this manner for a proper cut. With the Palio this recommendation removes a lot of cigar.”
My point was to show there is an alternate cutter for smokers where ease of cutting depth is an issue.
Sorry dude, I was in a really sour mood when I made that comment and shouldn’t have said it. I get what you mean now in reference to the one con.
I’ve been using a Palio for a long time and been looking to get a new one with a different finish on it from Cigarmony.
There is nothing wrong with the one I have. For some reason I feel the need to have two… 🙂
I love my Palio. Although I’m intrigued by the Cuban Crafter cutter. I agree with you Walt on the difficulty cleaning the Palio. Although it’s within my tolerance I suppose as it doesn’t botther me. I’m more concerned about how I’m going to clean my Xikar Eris ligher???? Have to wait until it’s empty of gas I guess.
Ok, back to Palio. I use alcohol dipped Que tips and am amazed at how much brown cigar oil I pick up. Wow, all that from just a cut, go figure.
People seem to ooh and ahh over the cutter but I get more over the lighter. Bah, heathens that probably are just fine with pinching off a hole at the end, errr, ok, I admit, I do that if I don’t have my fine Palio around 😛
Dave
LOVE my Palio… i had one that was a present, and lost it… bought another one…lost it. bought another and TREASURE IT!
I just purchased a Palio cutter and I love it! If you’re having issues cleaning it the Palio website have a few good tips such as you can put in the dishwasher “yes it’s dishwasher safe”. Good luck ; )
Interesting, I never thought to put my Palio in the dish washer. It is stainless steel though and by golly, that makes sense!!!! But your taking the skill and anal retentiveness out of the cigar gizmo hobby. No, I’ll stick with fancy Que tips, alcohol, rubbing cloth and Scotch. Why the Scotch, well, to drink while cleaning my Palio of course 🙂 I could drink Scotch while my Palio is in the dish washer but that might look like I’m a lush. Drinking while doing something tricks the wife into thinking I’m busy.
Dave
I wonder if others think the Palio is still best bang for the buck now that the price has gone up to about $35?
I have a Savoy cutter someone gave me as a gift a year ago. It doesn’t have a heavy, solid feel even though it is all metal. It doesn’t cut any better than the plastic Craftsman Bench cutter I bought years ago for about $12. The Xikar cutters are priced from $35, and that’s for the light, “fiberglass/nylon” cutters (feels like plastic to me). The aluminum body Xikar is nearly $50 bucks. No thanks.