As cigar smokers, we all can have very different experiences in this hobby. Based upon one's palate, we are each able to pick up different flavors from the same cigar. From these flavors, we individually discover our most loved cigars. We all have our favorite place to smoke, favorite drink pairings and favorite vitolas. When it comes to cutting and lighting a cigar, it seems we each have formed our own rituals as well. We prefer specific lighters and cutters. Many of us toast our cigar's foot while others just light em right up! Some smokers use ashtrays to deposit cigar ashes in, like me, while others use their laps, like Jim.
One thing everyone might notice to be the same in our many different cigar experiences is the all too familiar sensation of small bits of tobacco in your mouth after cutting a cigar. It has happened to me when using guillotine, punch and v-cutters alike. It is just something I have gotten used to. I will blow the loose tobacco bits off the cigar before putting it to my mouth, I even brush the freshly cut stick with my fingers to aid in the removal of these fine particles. Inevitably, I still get a few small shards of tobacco that stick to my tongue, inciting within me the need to spit.
I found a cigar accessory account on twitter called Cigar Perforator. I checked out their website at
www.cigarperforator.com, and read up about their product, the PerfDog. According to what I read, this product was designed to end the annoyance of getting those small bits of tobacco in your mouth after cutting a cigar. This idea intrigued me and at the same time caused some doubt to fester. None the less, I started conversing with the company about their product, and they were generous enough to send me a unit to review.
They have 11 different colors to choose from. I was given a "Purple Hazed" one for this review. When the package showed up at my door, I opened it to find a small white cardboard box. Inside this white box was a faux crystal, plastic, hinged box. Lifting the lid revealed the PerfDog cozily sleeping in a velvet pillow. The packaging is very reminiscent of how jewelry is presented. I was so impressed by the creativity in this, that I hollered for my wife to come see. She walked over, looked at it, looked at me and then gave me the look which I have received so many times in the past when I get "overly" excited over cigars!
Ignoring the pressure "The Look" had just dumped on me and my self-esteem issues, I woke up the PerfDog from its slumber and did a thorough examination of it. The PerfDog is made in the USA and features a very sturdy construction. It is made out of stainless steel and aluminum alloy. This means you don't have to worry about any kind of plastic crap breaking. The plunger, on top of the perforator, has a hole through it, which enables you to install it on a key ring if you are so inclined. When you push the plunger down, you feel some spring resistance behind 5 sharpened pins. This spring is what aids in the return of the pins once you have pierced a cigar. There is a shoulder/ridge in the middle of the PerfDog body that you use to hold onto the perforator while piercing a cigar. I have medium sized hands and this shoulder felt borderline too small for me to be completely comfortable and secure in my grip of it. This sensation aside, it caused no real issues during usage.
This perforator was used as my exclusive cutter for a couple weeks for this review. Anytime Jim came over, he used it as well. I wanted to throw as many things at this as possible for a thorough review. I kept it in my pocket with my keys and lighter and it has no scratches. "Purple Hazed" performed so well, that it has become my regular method of opening up a cigar's head for smoking. The design allows all 5 pins to puncture cigars that are a ring gauge of 38 and up. The middle pin is longer than the outer four, which allows you to use this on cigars with smaller ring gauges, as well as torpedo shaped cigars. With the latter, you just end up with a single, small hole in the tip of your cigar instead of five. The one type of cigar that this perforator, in my experience, will absolutely not work with, is one with a pigtail. I tried in on a few cigars that had small, flat pigtails on the cap. This resulted in the PerfDog tearing off the top of the cap. The torn off part of the cigar would then get stuck between the pins. I had to use a small tool to get the broken cigar caps out of the perforator.
Curious to see how just 5 small holes would affect a cigars draw, I tried it on some sticks that I knew had a looser draw. Being PerfDog'd made the draw tighten up nicely. Of course, one would wonder how these 5 small holes effect a cigar with a normally tighter draw. In order to squash that quandary, I used it on some sticks that I knew had a denser pack. I was surprised when it performed splendidly on these as well. I never had an issue with a draw being too tight. I know everyone's preference on a cigar's draw is different of course, but I happen to like a medium to firm draw that is not the least bit airy. This delivered that on every cigar I tried. Are there some sticks out there that might have too tight a draw after using the PerfDog? The obvious answer is yes, but none of those cigars live in my humidor.
One thing that I had to get used to is the extra time this took to puncture a cigar. It is recommended by Cigar Perforator to moisten the tip of your cigar before using this. I found this step to be a necessity. If the head of the cigar was not moistened, 9 times out of 10, It ended up damaging the cigar's cap or ripping it off completely. You have to make several short plunges of the pins into the cigar's head, going a little deeper each time. Due to the short taper of the sharpened end of the pins, you also have to wiggle the PerfDog back and forth in the cigar a bit each time to keep the pins from getting stuck. As engineers, Jim and I couldn't help but think that putting a longer taper on the pins would alleviate this need for wiggling as well as decrease the potential of damaging a non-moistened cap.
As with any new tool, you have to get used to it and become comfortable with it. It took me maybe 4 or 5 cigars, before using the PerfDog became a breeze. I was able to use it at a quicker, more comfortable speed without damaging my cigar. I have yet to try this, but it is also possible to use this on a cigar while it is still in the cellophane. I reckon I will have to give that a shot sometime.
Overall I was very impressed with the PerfDog. The crew at Cigar Perforator struck gold with this and have made a unique, effective cigar accessory. I have a HUGE amount of respect for them keeping the manufacturing in the USA as well as for using a full metal design. This product works exactly as advertised, and I have yet to get a stray piece of tobacco in my mouth when using it. The design is versatile and can be used with nearly every cigar you encounter.
Thank you very much to Cigar Perforator for sending this in for review! I greatly appreciate it.
https://youtu.be/AaHuAhC9whY
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