One of the most popular posts on CigarJack is this guide on how to cut and light a cigar.
Everyone has their own style — and device — that they use to cut a cigar. Some folks use cutters. Others prefer lighters. I usually use a chainsaw.
Kidding.
I was intrigued when I ran across this promotional account for a product I had never heard of in a random #followfriday mention on Twitter. The product: The Cigar Spike.
The Cigar Spike is an interesting gadget. Its creator, Bryan Peruski, started creating the devices for himself out of his friend’s old guitar picks. He then made a few Spikes for his friends, and the company was born in 2009.
I reached out to Bryan, and he sent me a couple of Spikes. For this review, I used the Spike on a Pepin Garcia Blue Label toro. Here are my thoughts:
There are four reasons why you’ll like the Cigar Spike:
1. It’s small. The Cigar Spike is about an inch and a half long, and less than an inch wide. It has a keyring-sized hole on the end. The Cigar Spike seems to have been designed with portability in mind, and since it’s small, it could be a great stocking-stuffer.
2. It’s inexpensive. You can buy three Cigar Spikes for $2.99.
3. It’s different. Some folks prefer a cutter, and others a punch. I use both on occasion, depending on my mood. For narrow cigars (lanceros, etc.) I may use the Cigar Spike just to keep my cigar burning longer.
4. It’ll keep loose tobacco out of your mouth. This could be a good thing.
There are two reasons why you may not like the Cigar Spike:
1. There’s room for error. Cigar cutting is quite subjective, while cigar punches are quite foolproof, I believe. There isn’t a rule of thumb, yet, with the Cigar Spike. You may want to pierce your cigar a 1/4 inch, or a 1/2 inch, or if you’re smoking a larger ring gauge cigar, 5/8 inch.
There’s no indicator on the Cigar Spike on how deep you should pierce your stogies. Be mindful of this, and make a mental note of your cigar’s draw each time you use the device, just to get the hang of it.
2. Potential tar buildup. If you use the Cigar Spike, the opening in your cigar will be quite small. This means, if you chew your cigar, you may taste a bit of tar at the end. This isn’t exactly a surprise, but the neater the hole is, the less of a chance you’ll taste the tar.
My verdict: The Cigar Spike is a nice backup tool to have in case you don’t have (or want) a cutter or punch on you. As you use it more, you’ll develop your “spike” style, whether it’s a simple spike, two mini-spikes, a spike and a twist, etc.
Just keep this bad boy in your wallet, and you’ll be set.
Popularity: 10% [?]
{ 8 comments… read them below or add one }
Hmm…interesting little tool. I may have to pick one up if my tobacconist carries them. It’d be good to have in the wallet in case I forget my cutter.
The main thing I wonder about the product is what do they mean by “Step 1: Prepare cigar”.
This is not addressed in your review and it is repeated seveeral times on the sales site.
What I wonder about the article is what is meant by “You may want to pierce your cigar a 1/4 inch, or a 1/2 inch, or if you’re smoking a larger ring gauge cigar, 5/8 inch.”
You mean depth, right? why would you pierce larger ring gauge cigars deeper than any other? Don’t do that with a punch.
Frank: It all depends on the cigar’s draw. I used the Spike again last night, pierced a 5/8″ deep hole, and got zero draw. However when I used a punch, I ended up getting a great draw out of the stick.
My point: There should be a bit more direction on how consumers should use the device.
Interesting tool… Would be cool if there was video clip on it’s use. I will have to keep an eye out for this tool.
Thanks for the review!
I picked up a few of these to try (and for blog-fodder). I find that it works well on a loosely filled cigar, I am hesitant to try to pierce a tightly packed cigar with it. Not a bad tool, although I feel a little ripped off…$.99 each, $2.99 for 3? I lost $.02 on the deal, volume purchases should save me money :-)
CigarCraig
As a guitar and mandolin player, I have tons of guitar picks around, so I just cut one into a cigar spike like the article says the maker did. No stogies around at the moment, though, so trying it will have to wait.
Hmmm… why would anyone pay a buck for something you can do with your fingernail, a toothpick, a wood splinter or your teeth?
Actually the last time I picked up a couple of sticks they gave me a single blade guillotine for free. Free. Granted it’s not the greatest cutter and does not look like it’ll last very long, but the price is right and beats the crap out of poking the end of a cigar with a guitar pick.
For the love of gawd… a buck for a piece of freaking plastic.
Interesting….whenever I do not have a punch or cutter, I’ve been doing the same thing with my trusty pocket knife.