Review: GRAMM Works Stag Ashtray
Crystal and porcelain ashtrays, though elegant and aesthetically pleasing, are often too fragile for use beyond the man cave. For every showpiece ashtray you own, it's good to have another that's fit for the garage, a cluttered desk or outside. So if you don't have a sturdy backup for that crystal behemoth you keep centered on your coffee table, consider The Stag from GRAMM Works: a single-serving ashtray made by the same company that provides aluminum products to the U.S. military. And, it's manufactured right here in the United States.
"We use the same military standards for anodizing GRAMM Works products as we do when anodizing aluminum products for the United States Armed Forces," company co-founder Greg Knorr told Cigar Aficionado. "The Stag is produced from billet 6061 aircraft-grade aluminum and anodized for color and protection." A billet-grade aluminum product, which is sculpted from one solid piece of the metal, is much stronger than one that is cast, or melted down and shaped in a mold.
GRAMM Works, a Pittsburgh-based cigar accessories company, was founded in 2012 by five co-workers from the General Manufacturing Company in Bethel Park, Pennsylvania. General Manufacturing is a family-owned contract manufacturer for the Department of Defense, specializing in small arms replacement parts and mortar-mount systems for the United States Armed Forces.
The Stag ashtray measures approximately 3 inches wide by 5 inches long and has a thick rim that's about an inch tall. It's small enough to place on a crowded desk and the rim is tall enough to retain ash from spilling on any important papers. And if your workspace is the great outdoors, the sturdy cigar rest (which measures around 2 inches) will keep your cigar from blowing onto the lawn or driveway.
However, the sleek design of The Stag—which comes in gunmetal gray and black—means it also looks great at the kitchen table or resting on the arm of a couch. The Stag's key stabilizers are its rubber feet, which are embedded into the bottom of the ashtray and provide extra traction. Even on an angle, the feet will keep the ashtray sturdy, ensuring it won't spill ash.
The Stag starts at $40. Single ashtrays ordered with custom laser engraving start at $50 and ship within 48 hours, making it a great gift idea for the holidays.
GRAMM Works products are available at www.grammworks.com.
