With my free time stretched a little thin these last couple of weeks, I wanted to find a way to incorporate the usual write-up with a video. The hitch was finding a way that wouldn’t take the usual amount of time to accomplish such a feat. After giving it some consideration, I thought a product review with a little video might be a nice change of pace. What I have for you is a look at the Xikar Xi3 Carbon Cutter.

You may remember, a while back, that I did a couple of lighter reviews. Both of those lighters were Xikar products, the Axia and Trezo. Around that point in time, I also received a cutter from Xikar for Stogie Review to take a look at and potentially review.

While the Xikar Xi3 was never my staple cutter, it did see a lot of use over the past several months. With that said, lets take a look at what Xikar has in store for us with the Xi3 Carbon Cutter.

Positive Aspects:

This model of the Xikar Xi lineup has a good bit of weight to it. All of the metal components give it a sturdy, well built, feel.

Aesthetically, this cutter is an eye catcher. I like to take this cutter along if I am planning to smoke a cigar outside of the usual setting. For instance, if my wife and I meet up with friends for dinner and I have plans to enjoy a cigar after the meal someplace, I like to bring this cutter along. I suppose it sets the same tone as wearing a nice watch out to dinner instead of your digital Timex.

Fits comfortably in the hand and feels natural. If you are accustomed to using a standard style cutter, where your fingers tips to all the work, this cutter may take a little getting used to.

Negative Aspects:

All of the polished steel smudges easily. No matter how much you wipe this thing down, it never looks as good as the day you got it.

There appears to be a thin clear plastic film over portions of the cutter. This film looks sloppy in spots as it does not extend to the edges of the cutter. At first glance it would appear that this film is just a protective coating meant to be removed, however, it is on there very well and is covered by the latch which opens the cutter.

I don’t like that after walking out of the store with this $100.00 piece of hardware, you do not receive any sort of protective sheath to put it in. While this may not seem like a big deal to some, it bothers me a bit.

Overall:

I really like this cutter and thinks it both looks and feels fantastic. I have not run into any problems with the cutter breaking or the blades becoming dull. From what I understand, the entire Xikar line is a little notorious for going to pieces when dropped. Fortunately, I can neither confirm or deny this as my cutter has never been dropped.

Because the bulk of my experience has come in the form of other styles of guillotine cutters, I have a bit of trouble with the design. While the cutter may feel very comfortable in the hand, I struggle to make a straight cut with it. This becomes very apparent when I cut torpedoes. It seems that my hand naturally twists a bit as I close the cutter. This twisting motion results in a crooked cut each and every time.

So, for the real question. Would I spend roughly $100.00 on this cutter? I think it is money well spent if you are looking for a quality piece of cigar cutting hardware and you find yourself in dressy situations where a cutter of this style can be shown off.

If you are looking for a cutter that is more about cutting cigars than being showy, one of the less expensive Xikar Xi models are probably for you. In either situation, Xikar products come with a hassle free lifetime warranty. In the event that you have any problems with your product, ship it back to the company and they will take care of you.