So, with as little time as I’ve had to smoke lately, once I received it, I put it on my key chain.  I think that’s one of the greatest things about the Cigar Spike.  It’s not so sharp that you’re going to poke yourself if it’s in your pockets (at least I haven’t had it happen to me after carrying it around for two months) and it’s quite unobtrusive.  It’s not dangling off like some key chain punch cutters do.

Anyway, I was able to put this to use a couple of times and here’s my feedback.  It’s good, not great, and, in my opinion it’s not something that can be used with every cigar.  Wait, what?  Yeah…

First, call me simple, but there was a little learning curve.  They say to “gently push spike into cigar end” but “gently” is a very subjective term.  I’m a man!  My gentle wasn’t gentle enough and unfortunately I ended up ruining the ends of a couple cigars trying to spike it.  No worries though, because I was able to cut them into smokeable cigars.  Anyway, once I got the right touch, it was no problem.

So, surprisingly, the draw was quite good with the Cigar Spike.  Being a wedge shape, you can push it in further to get larger holes.  I really had no complaints in that area, but here’s where my biggest problem lies.  Cigars have tar in them.  Depending on the blend and the size, the level of tar differs.  Now, large ring gauge full-bodied cigars usually have more tar than smaller ring gauge mild cigars.  Now, if you’ve never experienced the build-up of tar on your cigar and getting it on your tongue, I don’t suggest going out just to try it.  Take my word for it.

I found that with my larger ring gauge cigars there was more tar build-up than I normally experience.  Actually, with some of my standard smokes I’ve never experienced tar before.  Using the Cigar Spike, unfortunately, I had tar on my lips more than once.

So, depending on the cigar your smoking, a standard cut is going to serve you better than the Cigar Spike.  On others, the Cigar Spike will work just fine, but you’ll have to judge what you’re smoking.  The good thing is that it can serve as an emergency tool… for just a couple bucks you don’t have to worry about not having your cutter with you in that one instant that you forgot it on your counter.

So, there you have it!  Hopefully it won’t be another month before I make it back.

No related posts.

First, the Cigamate is not an ashtray.  And, even though it took me a little bit to figure it out, it’s not intended to be.  Instead it’s a “portable cigar and cigarette disposable unit.”  And, yes, there’s a difference.  Once I realized the distinction, I was better able to evaluate the Cigamate for what its intended use is: a place to put cigars and cigarettes AFTER you’re finished with them.

So, let’s talk about that first.  I run into cigarette receptacles that are similar to the Cigamate quite often.  There’s one at the pool where I take my kids.  It’s always frustrating because I can never get my finished cigar in there.  Their holes are too small and they definitely don’t leave enough room for the 2-3 inches a normal person leaves on a cigar when finished smoking it.  Cigamate has eliminated that problem by making the hole larger and the neck of the product wider to specifically accommodate cigar smokers.  Wonderful!

extended

collapsed

Not only that, but they’ve added some other features as well.  First, it’s collapsible and portable as you can see in the images.  So, you can own one of these for your backyard or patio, take it with you to the beach (though I’d clean it out before traveling with it), etc.  It’s even got convenient little handles on it to pick it up and move it.  The top is wider so that you can fit a drink on it and it has two grooves in it to hold your and your friend’s cigar on it when you need to put it down for a moment.  Fantastic!

Now, is there room for improvement?  Sure.  Like I said, it’s not an ashtray, so depending on where you’re smoking, like say your back patio, you may or may not need an ashtray.  I don’t flick ashes on my patio floor, so I still need an ashtray.  I’m thinking that the hole could be a little wider to allow for the user to maybe just flick the ash into the receptacle without much problem.  As it is, it’s a little awkward to try and do that.  If you’re standing out in the grass, or in another area where it’s okay to ash on the ground, then this is all you need.

If you’re an outdoors kind of person who likes to take family trips to the beach, have friends over for BBQ, or just have kids running around the backyard and you don’t want them near a cigar you’ve finished that’s still burning out, then this is a recommended buy.  These would be great in company smoking areas, outside the local cigar shops, or anywhere someone might need to put a cigar or cigarette out before walking into a store.  It’d keep the cigarette butts off the ground, that’s for sure.

These retail directly from the Cigamate site at $39.99.  I actually think it’s quite worth it; especially if you’d be able to make use of its portability.  Cigar retailers can also contact them for wholesale info.  They come in two colors: adobe beige and cigar brown.  The one in the images is beige.

I don’t think this is a must-have for everyone, but I definitely think that for people whose needs this product does fit, it’s the best I’ve seen.  Those other ‘cigarette only’ models just don’t meet the needs of us cigar smokers.

CIGAMATE GIVEAWAY:  Cigamate is kind enough to offer up one of these for a giveaway to one lucky Cigar Command reader!!  All you have to do is leave a comment here in this post about your thoughts on the Cigamate before 11:59 CST Friday, July 24th and you’ll be entered in the random drawing.

No related posts.

LITTLE ROCK, MAR 7 — Margaret Walker’s angst is rising with the fall in business she says has been all too evident at the eastern Arkansas tobacco store she and her husband run since increases in state tobacco taxes went into effect last week.

Newspaper ads Mississippi tobacco stores are running inviting Arkansans to “drive a little and save a lot” just add to her anxiety, Walker said, because she feels customers are driving across the border to take them up on their offer of cheaper tobacco products.

Larry Cobb, retail operating supervisor of Forrest City-based Tobacco Superstores Inc. knows firsthand. His company owns some of the Mississippi tobacco outlets doing the advertising.

“We know that people have been doing it and are going to keep doing it,” Cobb said. “I’m losing money in my stores in Arkansas. But if they’re going to do it, I want them to go to my stores in Mississippi.”

Arkansas’ tobacco tax increased by 56 cents a pack March 1, and a correspondent hike in the levy on smokesless tobacco also went into effect as a result of Gov. Mike Beebe’s successful push for the tax hikes to pay for a statewide trauma system and other health program in his $86 million health care package.

Supporters say the programs paid for by the tax increases will save lives and improve the overall health of Arkansans.

But store owners and others statewide are complaining.

J.R. Thomas, director of the Tobacco Control Board, said the agency has been flooded with calls since the tax increases went into effect. Tobacco store owners say the tax hike is “killing their business,” he said.

Walker says her store could very well go under after a 61-cent federal tobacco tax goes into effect April 1.

“I live in a very poverty-stricken area,” said Walker. “Many of my customers are poverty-stricken, but now the cheap cigarettes cost as much as the premium products used to cost.”

At Little Rock’s Tobacco Superstore, store manager Brian Nobles said the business’ most popular and most purchased cigarette is Marlboro. Prior to the state hike, a pack of Marlboros cost $3.55 per pack and $34.91 per carton. Now they cost $4.17 per pack and $41.18 per carton. The federal tax increase is included April 1, the cost of a pack of Marlboro will be $4.79 per pack and $47.38 per carton.

Nobles said the store’s cheapest cigarette currently is the brand Shields currently at $28.66 per carton, while their most expensive brand is Benson & Hedges at $57.93 per carton.

Nobles agreed with Walker that the cheapest brands after the federal hike will cost as much as the premium brands cost prior to the state hike.

A Beebe supporter in his 2006 campaign, Walker said she feels she’s been blindsided by the governor.

“I’ve tried to get in touch with his office several times, him and (House Speaker) Robbie Wills,” she said. “I typically vote Democrat, and I never thought I’d say this, but I’m probably voting Republican from now on.

“I curse the day I voted for Beebe.”

The governor says the statewide trauma system and various health programs paid for by the tax increases will benefit Arkansans equally, smokers and the poor included.

“The governor wants to offset the high costs of taxpayer money that pays for tobacco-related illness with a program that will also deter smoking,” Beebe spokesman Matt DeCample said. “From the business aspect, this is just another case in which a business requires adaptability in order to thrive, and is just another challenge.”

But Greg McGee, owner of the Pipe and Tobacco Shop in Little Rock, said the tax burden was too heavy, particularly on top of the federal increase to come.

“For every dollar we make, 68 cents of it is going back to the government. It’s criminal,” McGee said. “We’re definitely not against trauma systems. But such a dramatic tax increase will kill business.”

Smokers had mixed emotions about the tax hike.

Joseph Johnson, 27, of Little Rock, said cigarettes should be taxed to a certain extent, but he said the 56-cent increase is extreme.

“I just don’t think it’s fair to only tax cigarette smokers,” Johnson said. “I mean, I’m not against all taxes, but that’s a lot to just weigh on smokers. And it’s supposed to be for everybody.”

Longtime smoker Lisa Jones, 56, of Little Rock, said she is for the tax hike, not just for the health programs but also for the deterrent to smoking.

“A tax increase like that will make a lot of people think twice before buying cigarettes, myself included,” Jones said. “I don’t see why they don’t just make it illegal. I know they want the health programs, but (smoking is) just so terrible.”

http://www.cigarrights.org/news_AR.htm

No related posts.

First off, when I got the Stogie Nubber, and pulled it out of the padded envelope it came in, I was seriously impressed with the construction on this piece. It appears to be constructed out of a solid piece of aluminum. Its got a band on the bottom that bears the Stogie Nubber name. I was anxious to try it out. I lit up a cubao #5 to test out this beauty on. Once I got down to the nub, I unscrewed the cap that covers the sharp point on the top, and inserted the stogie nubber onto the cigar. I was impressed at how easy it was to smoke the nub of this cigar farther and farther down without risking dropping the cigar. This invention of Chuck’s worked flawlessly. He asked me to review it with good and bad. Well, the good is, this thing does EVERYTHING he says it will, and looks really awesome to boot. The point that the cigar rests on is sharp and makes it easy to pierce the cigar. This could also be a downfall, if you have small children, or are clumsy like me. I managed to poke myself with it once.  The only other potential issue I saw is that the “band” on the bottom may come off with a lot of use, but it appears to be stuck on there really well. All in all, this is a great invention, and I am glad to have added it to my cigar accessories arsenal. I know I will be using this all the time, as I constantly nub my cigars, and this makes that task 100 times easier. Anyone that is like me, and loves to nub a cigar, I recommend you pick one of these up immediately! I love this little thing, and I plan on getting my local shop to carry this as an accessory. I really enjoyed my smoke with it!
Pictures down below…

Product Rating:

No related posts.

Ok, so I have been hanging on to my Palio cutter with the original black finish for about a year and a half, and have cut every cigar I have smoked with this cutter.  I picked this up on a whim after hearing on the many cigar boards that this is the best cutter that you can own.  I have cut NUMEROUS cigars with this cutter, and I have not ever had to have it sharpened or fixed.  Its been perfect for me, and I recommend this cigar cutter to EVERYONE that smokes cigars.  This is by far better than the Xikar that I have, and has also proven to be more durable.  My Xikar is broken, and I need to send it back to Xikar for another one… I have delayed doing so, because my Palio works so well.  If you don’t have one, PICK ONE UP NOW!

No related posts.

Developed by Monsieur Maurice Berger, a pharmaceutical chemist, each lamp features, under its’ stylish cap, a patented catalytic burner that destroys odors and helps purify the air, before the fragrance is dispersed.

I’m telling you these things work! And with scents like Southern Vanilla, Orange Cinnamon, and Creme Brulee you’ll find something that you and your lady friends will love. They can be a little pricey ranging from $50 and up and the oils can be too, but let me tell you that it beats getting grief about the smell of your abode.

No related posts.