PerfecPunch & Stand

After experiencing draw issues with his favorite cigar, the Montecristo No.2, Rod Kurthy realized he wanted a different type of draw tool than what was on the market. Kurthy, a dentist and development scientist, founded Perfect Cigar Solutions, Inc. and began selling his first product, the PerfecDraw, a draw tool that is marketed as allowing users to better adjust the draw of a cigar compared to a standard draw poker.

Since then, the company has released more products, including:

• PerfecRepair glue
• PefecCase humidifier cases
• PerfecPak accessories case
• PerfecStrap quick-connect strap.

Last year, after more than four years of development, the company released the PerfecPunch & Stand, a combination triple punch cutter and cigar stand.

What Is It?

True to its name, the PerfecPunch & Stand is a punch cutter with three different-sized blades: 8mm, 11mm and 14mm. However, the top part of the cutter’s body also doubles as a cigar rest, which can be used in two different directions and even features some circular cut-outs that are designed to make it easier to grab a cigar off the cigar rest, especially a thinner ring gauge cigar that has been smoked down.

The punch opens via a hinge on the back of the thicker side of the cutter. Between the hinge and the profile, it opens in a way that looks like a crocodile’s mouth. From a physical specifications standpoint, the PerfecPunch & Stand measures 2.17 inches long when the cutter is closed and 4.18 inches long when both sides are fully opened to 180 degrees. In addition, the cutter is .75 inches at its widest point while weighing a total of 20.68 grams. The body of the cutter is made of aluminum, while the blades are made up of 440C stainless steel.

How Much Does It Cost?

$39.95

How Does It Work?

Due to the built-in magnet, pulling the top of the punch away from the bottom portion takes a little bit more effort than anticipated. Once opened, the bottom features the three blades that are attached to the underside of the top section in a line from smallest to largest.

To use the punch, I line up the cap of the cigar with the end of the specific size blade I want to utilize. I then firmly push the body of the cutter against the cap with my thumb—but not too firmly, being careful not to damage the cap with too much pressure—while slightly rotating the cigar. Once the blade has reached its maximum depth, I pull the blade out slowly and carefully.

Because the punches are attached to a flat piece of metal—instead of at the end of a bullet-shaped case, like a number of other punch cutters on the market—I feel like I have more control over the punch when I am using it on a cigar. The result is a cutting process that is noticeably less awkward, meaning I don’t have to think about it nearly as much, which in turn leads to a much better experience overall.

The cut cap is contained inside the blade and can be easily dislodged by simply closing the two sides of the cutter together. Since the stands that go inside the blades are designed to only fill up about half of each blade’s opening, when the cutter is closed and the cap is pushed out, that cap is pushed out at an angle, making it exceedingly easy to remove.

The cigar stand function is extremely straightforward: with the cutter closed and laying flat on a surface, I simply place whatever cigar I am smoking into the opening with the cap facing towards the end that is more flat. There are two notches cut out of the stand—one on either side—which makes picking up the cigar a breeze. The stand function was useful for every single cigar I placed into it, regardless of size or vitola, although I did have to place larger or smaller cigars in slightly different locations to compensate for their sizes.

The Good

• Regardless of Which Blade Was Used, the Cuts Were Great — The most important thing for a cigar cutter to be able to consistently cut cigars. When it comes to the PerfecPunch & Stand, all three blades performed wonderfully, with very, very few minor issues and no major problems at all.
• Three Different Cutting Options That Are Easy To Use — Because the three cutting options are attached to a flat base, I found the cutting process easier, simply because I had plenty of room to position my thumb when pushing the blade into the cap. There is also plenty of room between each blade, which allowed me to use each option with no fear of the cigar cap I was cutting bumping into the next blade over.
• Cigar Caps Are Easy to Remove After Cutting — Some punch cutters are designed better than others when it comes to actually removing the cigar cap from the blade after it is cut, but as I noted above, the PerfecPunch & Stand has no issues in that regard.
• Cigar Stand Is Extremely Useful — While it may sound like a gimmick, I assure you that the cigar stand built into the top of the cutter is very useful, no matter what size of cigar I happened to be smoking at the time. In addition, the cutouts on the sides came in handy for actually picking the cigars up, especially those cigars with smaller ring gauges.

The Bad

• The Cigar Stand Smells Strongly Of Smoke — When using the cigar stand, the cigars are sitting on top of the top side of the cutter for long periods of time, so it is not surprising that this part smells strongly of smoke. The issue was easily alleviated by simply cleaning the top portion of the cutter off, but if you don’t do that, your pocket—or whatever you carry the cutter in—may start smelling like smoke.
• The Price — Sure, $40 isn’t exactly breaking the bank these days for a cigar cutter, but it is more expensive than the price of a more standard punch cutter. There is no doubt that you are paying for the convenience of having not only the cigar stand but also three different-sized cutting options in one easy-to-use product, but I didn’t find the cuts from this premium-priced punch were noticeably different than at least some $10ish punch cutters.

The Competition

Both the PerfecPunch & Stand and the Colibri Quasar Punch ($59) eschew the bullet-style format and feature three blades, albeit not the same three sizes.

Colibri:

• 7mm
• 9mm
• 12mm

PerfecPunch

• 8mm
• 11mm
• 14mm

However, the PerfecPunch costs $20 less than the Colibri, weighs significantly less and includes a built-in cigar stand, while the Colibri is more sturdily built and features a much more unique visual design. In addition, the PerfecPunch’s design is quite a bit less complicated, and although the Colibri’s disappearing blade trick is cool, more moving parts likely means a higher probability of issues with failing or getting damaged. I find both cutters to deliver excellent cuts, and while I really prefer the look and unique approach of the Colibri from an aesthetics standpoint, I’d recommend the PerfecPunch due to the price, ease of use and the included cigar rest.

Additional Competitors

• XIKAR 10mm Punch ($64.99) — The XIKAR only has one 10mm blade option and costs $25 more than the PerfecPunch, but the XIKAR also includes a number of features the PerfecPunch lacks: a pointed awl in the middle of the blade that helps the user center the blade before it is actually pushed through the cap and a twist-action that offers two different cutting depths in the same product. While I appreciate those features as well as the excellent cuts that I got from the XIKAR, I prefer having three different blades over having the optional blade depth, while the PerfecPunch’s cigar stand and the lower price make it easier to recommend.
• Credo “3-in-1” Punch Cutter ($46.50) — A square titanium cutter that opens up to reveal three blades measuring 6mm, 10mm and 14mm. This option costs about the same as the PerfecPunch, but I have not reviewed this cutter yet, so I cannot give an opinion about which option I prefer.
• Vertigo Omni Twin Cutter ($99.95) — Although it costs $60 more than the PerfecPunch, this product actually includes four different cutting options: a double guillotine cutter that will cut cigars up to 64-ring gauge, an “extra deep” v-cutter that is also able to cut 64-ring gauge cigars, a 6mm punch and an 8mm punch. However, the Vertigo also weighs quite a bit more than the PerfecPunch and is also quite a bit larger. I have not reviewed this cutter yet, so I cannot give an opinion about which option I prefer.
• Visol Torpedo Three Cut Cigar Punch ($25) — At $15 less than the PerfecPunch, this cutter has a similarly small footprint and three different-sized punch options. It also includes a keyring, but you do have to unscrew each blade separately to use it. I have not reviewed this cutter yet, so I cannot give an opinion about which option I prefer.
• Victorinox Swiss Army Cigar Cutter Multi-Tool ($300) — The Swiss Army Cutter Multi-Tool also includes three different punch blade sizes, as well as a knife, scissors and nail file. However, it seems that the only place you can purchase it is on the secondary market, and the price point is significantly more than the PerfecPunch. I have not reviewed this cutter yet, so I cannot give an opinion about which option I prefer.
• Cuban Crafters 3 Size Round Punch Cutter ($22.99) — This is a knock-off of a design that Davidoff used for years. At $23, it’s about 1/15th of the price of what Davidoff charged but we have no experience using this cutter.

Is There a Difference Between Cheap and Expensive Punch Cutters?

When it comes to both cigar lighters and cigar cutters, oftentimes, there’s one factory that is producing both cheap and expensive products regardless of what brand they are sold under. While I don’t know which factory produces this product and whether that’s true, I was curious about how much of a difference there would be with the cuts themselves. As I’ve found in the past, sometimes a $5 cutter will cut as well as anything else on the market. While I have plenty of experience with a wide range of straight and v-cutters, I can’t say the same about punch cutters. Most of my experience is with the more expensive options.

So I bought four relatively inexpensive punch cutters and briefly used them, but closely examined the results. The four were:

• TISFA Cigar Punch Cutter Cigar ($6.99)
• Mrs. Brog Cigar Punch ($7)
• Craftsman’s Bench Bullet Cigar Cutter ($9.95)
• Vertigo Striker Cigar Punch ($13.50)

I found that cuts from the TISFA and Mrs. Borg exhibited some minor but noticeable issues, including slight tearing of the wrapper around the cuts and small pieces of tobacco that were left over after I removed the blade due to the blade not cutting cleanly. While noticeable, I don’t believe that any of the issues would be worrisome enough to cause any problems when actually smoking those cigars.

However, the Craftsman’s Bench and Vertigo gave me results that were pretty much indistinguishable from the PerfecPunch. While I still very much prefer the combination of the PerfecPunch’s ease of use, the trio of blade options and built-in cigar rest, if all you are after is a punch cutter that cuts well, you don’t need to spend $40.

Should You Buy This?

Yes.

Over the years, I have found myself more and more liking punch cuts to the point where, if not for having to review cutters, I’d probably use a punch around half the time. With three different-sized blades, the PerfecPunch & Stand cut every size cigar I threw at it with virtually no issues at all when it came to cap or wrapper damage. In addition, having a well-designed cigar rest built into the design turned out to be quite a bit more useful than I expected. If you are one of those people who have no problem using the punch that is probably included on whatever lighter you have or if you are not going to use the cigar stand feature, this product is probably not for you. But for those who see themselves utilizing the cigar stand feature, use a punch cutter exclusively or find themselves using multiple cutting options, this is one of the best products I have used in quite a while.