XIKAR 10mm Punch Cutter

During the 2022 PCA Convention & Trade Show, Quality Importers Trading Co. released three new cutters under its XIKAR brand: the Xi80, the Revolution and a 10mm punch cutter. Because of its novel way of opening and closing its blades, the Revolution double guillotine cutter got most of the press during the show, but the 10mm punch cutter received its own share of attention due to its inclusion of two relatively unique design elements: the fact that it has two different cutting depths and the inclusion of a sharp awl in the middle of the cutter to help decide where to place the blade.

WHAT IS IT?

Visually, the XIKAR 10mm Punch is a cutter that includes a 10mm blade within a case that is tapered on both ends and a buldge in the center. The 10mm is a reference to the diameter of the blade, which can be used to cut cigars roughly between 40 and 70 ring gauges.

However, the two aforementioned design aspects on the XIKAR are what sets it apart from most other punch cutters. First, the cutter includes a pointed awl in the middle of the blade that helps the user center the blade before it is actually pushed through the cap. Second, the XIKAR is a twist-action punch that offers two different cutting depths in the same product. This allows more flexibility when it comes to how loose or how tight the draws will be, since the user can simply use the deeper option to cut further into the cigar in order to give a looser draw. The deeper cut is actually more akin to a standard punch depth, while the first punch depth is one of the shortest on the market.

From a physical specifications standpoint, the body of the cutter is made of aluminum alloy while the blade and the awl are both made up of stainless steel. The XIKAR 10mm Punch Cutter measures 2.48 inches long when the blade is retracted and 2.65 inches long when the blade is fully extended. In addition, the cutter is .8 inches at its widest point and .29 inches at both ends while weighing a total of 2.18 ounces.

HOW MUCH DOES IT COST?

The XIKAR 10 MM Pull-Out Cigar Punch is sold in four different colorways—bronze, gold, gunmetal and silver—all of which carry the same MSRP price of $64.99.

HOW DOES IT WORK?

Because the blade of the XIKAR 10mm Punch Cutter is completely retractable, the only thing visible when the cutter is picked up for the first time is the vaguely bullet-shaped form. A closer inspection reveals the opening where the blade is housed on one end—the key ring is attached to the other end—as well as two sections that feature a pebble-like texture, one of which is used to expose the blade when it is twisted.

To use the cutter, I grip the bottom section of the cutter in my right hand while twisting the top section firmly with my left hand in a counter-clockwise motion. While it takes a bit more force than I expected, there is an obvious when the blade hits the end of the line for the first cutting depth. The blade then locks in place with a noticeable “click,” meaning that I can cut cigars easily without worrying about the action pushing the blade back into the body before I am ready.

In order to extend the blade even further to take advantage of the deeper, albeit more standard cutting depth, the above action is repeated: twisting the top section of the blade counter-clockwise another 180 degrees until the same “click” is heard and the blade stops moving. In addition, the pinpoint centering guide extends at the same time as the blade, although the awl protrudes just slightly beyond the edge of the blade. The cutter has been designed this way for a good reason: the purpose of the awl is to give a visual guide, specifically to help show exactly where the blade is going to cut into the top of the cigar.

After performing the above actions, the actual operation to cut a cigar is fairly easy to figure out: line up the top of the cigar with the centering guide—which extends slightly beyond the ring of the punch blades—placed in the middle of the cap, then slowly push the blade into the cap while slightly rotating it at the same time. The user can then slowly and carefully pull the blade out of the opening that was just cut into the top of the cigar, taking the round cut piece of tobacco with it. Finally, the top section of the cutter is rotated clock-wise—either 180 degrees for the shallow cut or a full 360 degrees for the deeper cut—which retracts the blades while also ejecting the circular piece of tobacco that was just cut out of the top of the cigar.

THE GOOD

• The Awl Really Works — It seems like a no-brainer in retrospect, but adding the pin to help guide where the blade cuts into the cap is actually really useful.
• Two Different Cut Depth Options — While there is only one size blade—see below for more on that—the fact that you can get cuts at two different depths in the same cutter simply by twisting the blade a bit more turned out to be a bigger deal than I expected. Interestingly, I ended up utilizing the shallower cutting depth significantly more than the deeper option. Since the deeper depth is actually closer to what is found on most punch cutters, having the option of using the shallower cut on the same product was a bit win for me. In fact, other than a few 60 ring gauge cigars, there were very few times that I actually used the deeper cut.

• There Were Virtually No Issues With Cuts — After using this cutter on almost every cigar I smoked for about two months, there were only two times that I was not totally satisfied with the resulting cuts.
• It Is Nicely Designed and Well-Built — From the first time I picked it up, the combination of metal exterior and firm movements make it obvious this cutter is built to last. In addition, the weight is well-balanced—which helps when actually cutting cigars—the pin guide is well-integrated into the middle of the blade and the addition of a key ring makes it useful as more than just a cutter.

THE BAD

• One Size Does Not Fit All — While the cuts I get from the XIKAR turned out to be extremely good, the fact that the punch is limited to 10mm punch means you are not going to use it on smaller ring gauges any time soon. It can cut cigars 44-70 ring gauges—a wide range—but those who smoke small ring gauge cigars will need another cutter.
• Pretty Much Useless For Torpedo Caps — Along with the above, this cutter—along with just about every other punch cutter—is basically useless when it comes to cutting cigars with torpedo caps.
• It’s Heavy — While carrying this cutter around alone—i.e. not attached to anything else—was fine, once I attached it to my already stacked key ring, the weight became more noticeable. At 2.18 ounces it is noticeably heavier than the key fob to my car which comes in at 1.79 ounces, despite the fact that the latter is more than twice as large from a physical perspective.
• The Cut Cap Is Not Always Removed From The Top Of The Cigar — This is not an issue that cropped up all of the time by any means, but every once in a while the round piece cut out of the cap would not actually be removed from the top of the cigar when I retracted the blade of the cutter, meaning I would have to pry it off somehow manually. A minor inconvenience to be sure, but an inconvenience nevertheless and one that occurred enough to mention.

 

THE COMPETITION

When looking for a competitor to the XIKAR 10mm Punch in the same price range, the option that jumps out at me is the Colibri Quasar Punch ($59.) The Quasar Punch features three different blade sizes—7mm, 9mm and 12mm—compared to the singular 10mm blade on the XIKAR. In addition, the XIKAR includes an incredibly useful pinpoint centering guide, a key ring and the option to cut to two different depths, whereas the Colibri has none of those. While both cutters do a great job actually cutting cigars and have unique features, the Colibri’s unique features are more useful. While helpful, the awl is not necessary to get good punch cuts and the shorter depth option is a big advantage for the XIKAR against most punch cutters, except the Colibri is actually pretty shallow itself. On the other hand, the Quasar Punch can cut just about any size parejo cigar, whereas the XIKAR is not a safe option for cigars under 44 ring gauge.

Additional Competitors

• Dissim Bullseye Cigar Punch ($49.99) — Other than being shaped more like an actual bullet, an 11mm blade, and a slightly cheaper price, the Bullseye has a virtually identical features list when compared to the XIKAR: there are two cutting depths, there is a key ring attached, there is a center awl and the blade extends and retracts via a twisting motion. There is a good reason for this: XIKAR and Dissim have a relationship and thus are sharing the overall design of the cutter. I have not reviewed this cutter, so I can’t give an opinion on which is the better product but hit should perform pretty similar while also saving 25 percent compared to the XIKAR.
• Visol 10mm Elder Black Matte Cigar Punch ($24) — This option also features a 10mm blade and is designed in a somewhat similar style compared to the XIKAR—including a key ring and the fact that the blade is revealed by twisting the case—but it does not have a centering point or a deeper cutting option. However, at $24 the Visol comes in at almost a third of the price of the XIKAR. I have not reviewed this cutter, so I can’t give an opinion on which is the better product.
• Davidoff Escurio Punch ($99.99) — Although priced at $35 more than the XIKAR, Davidoff’s Escurio Punch has a blade that is virtually the same size—9.9mm versus 10mm for the XIKAR—opens and closes in the same manner and includes a key ring. Both cutters perform very well and the Escurio punch has a higher quality feel to it, but the price difference puts the XIKAR over the Davidoff cutter. It doesn’t seem like Davidoff sells this cutter anymore, which is another win for the XIKAR. With that said, Davidoff does sell a Zino-branded version of what appears to be the same Davidoff cutter for $60, which is much closer in price to the XIKAR.
• XIKAR 9mm Cigar Punch Cutter ($64.99) — Coming in at the exact same price is this different XIKAR product that includes a key ring as well as a twist-to-open design, but it is built with a slightly smaller 9mm blade and a price point that is $25 less. I have not reviewed this cutter, so I can’t give an opinion on which is the better product.

SHOULD YOU BUY IT?

Yes, indeed.

Whenever I review a good quality punch cutter like the XIKAR 10mm Punch, I wonder why more people don’t use them. This cutter is easy to use, is built like a tank and—most importantly—cuts cigars like a dream. In addition, having a centering awl and the option to choose between a standard deeper cutting depth and a more unique shallower cut turned out to be a big advantage to me since I ended up preferring the latter option that is not available on most other cutters. Sure, there is only one blade size option which makes it better suited for medium to larger ring gauges, but if you are going to walk around with only one punch cutter on your keychain and you don’t smoke lanceros exclusively, the XIKAR 10mm Cigar Punch won’t let you down.