Boston Cigar Cutter
A classic almost died in the Boston Cigar Cutter Co.'s table-top model with the unique "cat's eye" incision, but thanks to a team of woodworking brothers from New England, the company is up and running again.
The company's cutters have been on retailer shelves, cigar lounge bars and aficionado desks since 1993, but sales fell off with the surge of competitors on the market and the spate of copycats that were cropping up around every corner. In 1999, production at the company was virtually frozen. Enter Chris and Nick Ferland, who purchased Boston Cigar Cutter in 2002. The brothers, who machined the wooden bodies for the previous owners, did not want to see the company go under. Now, along with their woodworking operations, the Ferlands construct the entire handcrafted tabletop cutters under the Boston name at their workshop in Bellingham, Massachusetts.
The devices are fashioned in black walnut, mahogany, bloodwood or lacewood or the limited-edition options of cocobolo or figured maple and trimmed in brass or sterling silver.
To make a cut, place a cigar (up to 60-ring gauge) headfirst into one of two holes on the top of the unit. Pull the arm as you would on an old-fashioned cash register, to rotate a hidden surgical-stainless-steel blade—not a pressed metal blade, the earmark of a fake cutter. The edge slices the head in an oblong, wedge shape dubbed a cat's eye, and the debris falls into the body of the drum; the side panel is removable for cleaning.
You will not be carrying these around, however. No matter—Boston Cigar Cutter offers a junior version of the tabletop cutter called the Little Guy, which is about the size of a matchbook and can cater to cigars with up to a 56-ring gauge.
The cutters are sold in 200 retailers across the United States, but supplies may be short. If ordering, allow four to eight weeks for delivery. The tabletop cutter has a suggested retail price from $539 to $700 and the Little Guy, $149 to $198.
Visit www.bostoncigarcutter.com.
