{"product_id":"xo-double-guillotine-cigar-cutter-black","title":"Xikar XO Double Guillotine Cigar Cutter — Black","description":"\u003cp\u003eCigars got fatter. Somewhere in the last two decades the sixty ring gauge stopped being exotic, and a good many cutters bought before then will not close around one — they pinch rather than cut, and a pinched cap does not recover.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe XO is what Xikar built for that, and the mechanism is the reason to want it. Two stainless steel blades ride on a train of five internal gears — a planetary system, which Xikar states is patent pending — so the blades do not merely close, they close \u003cem\u003etogether\u003c\/em\u003e, arriving at the cap from opposite sides at the same instant. A spring-loaded button releases them; one squeeze brings them home. The body is a round aluminum disc, 2.38 inches across and six tenths of an inch thick, which reads in the hand rather more like a pocket watch than a tool.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eIt takes a 64 ring gauge as a matter of course and will cut up to a 70 — the working end of what is actually rolled today, rather than what was rolled when most cutters were designed.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eWhat Xikar publishes for the XO is \"stainless steel,\" and that is as far as we will take it. For the Xi1 the maker states a grade and a hardness — 440C at Rockwell 57 — and our page for that cutter says so because Xikar says so. Absent the same statement here, we are not going to infer one.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cul\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003eDouble guillotine cut — dual stainless steel blades\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003ePlanetary-geared cutting system, five internal gears (Xikar states patent pending)\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003eSpring-loaded blade release button\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003e64 ring gauge standard; cuts up to 70\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003eRound aluminum body, black finish\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003e2.38\" diameter × 0.6\" thick (60mm × 15mm)\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003eArrives in Xikar's own presentation box\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003eXikar limited lifetime warranty\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eOn the cut.\u003c\/strong\u003e In \u003ca href=\"\/blogs\/field-guide\/a-cigar-counselor\"\u003eA Cigar, Counselor?\u003c\/a\u003e we argue that the cut does more to determine how a cigar smokes than the price on the band. The XO is that argument applied to the ring gauges people actually buy now.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eBuilt for the desk, the humidor and the bag that already carries a laptop — a disc this size lies flat in a jacket pocket and sits badly in a trouser pocket. If you smoke at 54 and under and want a cutter that disappears when carried, the \u003ca href=\"\/products\/xi1-double-guillotine-cigar-cutter-phantom-black\"\u003eXi1\u003c\/a\u003e is the better instrument and costs less. To carry cutter and flame as one piece, see the \u003ca href=\"\/products\/ultra-mag-torch-lighter-slim-cutter-combo\"\u003eUltra Mag combo\u003c\/a\u003e; for the flame that belongs beside this one on a desk, see the \u003ca href=\"\/products\/volta-quad-jet-tabletop-lighter\"\u003eVolta\u003c\/a\u003e. The rest of the range is in \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/cutters\"\u003eCutters\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003eQuestions we are asked\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWhat ring gauge will it cut?\u003c\/strong\u003e A 64 as standard, and up to a 70. That covers the modern gordo and the sixty-ring toro without asking you to measure first.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWhat does the planetary gear system actually do?\u003c\/strong\u003e Five internal gears drive both blades from a single squeeze, so they reach the cap simultaneously rather than one leading the other. A blade that arrives first has to push the cigar across to meet the second one, and the cap is what gives.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eHow is this different from the Xi1?\u003c\/strong\u003e Capacity and size. The Xi1 is a teardrop that cuts a 54 in half and up to a 60 depending on the cap, and it travels better. The XO is a 2.38-inch disc rated to 64 and cutting to 70. If your cigars are mostly 50s, the Xi1 is the more sensible buy.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWhat steel are the blades?\u003c\/strong\u003e Stainless. Xikar publishes a grade and a hardness rating for the Xi series and does not publish one for the XO, so we state what the maker states and leave it there.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWill the blades open in a pocket?\u003c\/strong\u003e They are held closed and come out only when the spring-loaded release button is pressed. It is not a cutter that opens against your hand.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eDoes it come in a box?\u003c\/strong\u003e Yes — Xikar's own black presentation box, which is a sensible place for it to live between cigars and makes it a gift you can hand over as it arrives.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWhat is the warranty?\u003c\/strong\u003e Xikar's limited lifetime warranty against manufacturing defects, with no registration or receipt required. Xikar may return a refurbished equivalent rather than a new one.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eBarrister \u0026amp; Bespoke Curated Collection — hand-selected from Xikar, for its craftsmanship and fit within our world. Curated pieces carry their maker's own identity rather than ours; our house collection, designed and branded exclusively for Barrister \u0026amp; Bespoke, is marked separately throughout the shop.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eWhy we carry it.\u003c\/em\u003e Most of what a maker claims about quality cannot be checked before you buy. A warranty can. Xikar covers these pieces for life against manufacturing defects, with no registration and no receipt required, and states plainly that it may return a refurbished equivalent rather than a new one. That is a commitment written down and honored by a named distributor, rather than a claim about craftsmanship you would have to take on faith. We curate Xikar on that.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003csmall\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWarranty.\u003c\/strong\u003e Covered by Xikar's limited lifetime warranty against manufacturing defects, and by Barrister \u0026amp; Bespoke's own Thirty-Day Assurance for the first thirty days after delivery. After that, claims are handled directly by Quality Importers, Xikar's distributor — no registration or receipt required. Normal wear, misuse, and tampering are excluded. Xikar determines the remedy at its discretion and may replace an item with a refurbished equivalent. Full terms are stated in our \u003ca href=\"\/pages\/warranty-policy\"\u003eWarranty Policy\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/small\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Xikar","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51737667273019,"sku":"XI-403BK","price":109.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0963\/8153\/4523\/files\/XI-403BK_1786018657.png?v=1790542162","url":"https:\/\/www.barristerandbespoke.com\/products\/xo-double-guillotine-cigar-cutter-black","provider":"Barrister \u0026 Bespoke","version":"1.0","type":"link"}