Cigar Scissors
Scissors specifically designed to cut cigars.
What is Cigar Scissors? Cigar Scissors, also known as cigar shears, are specialized two-bladed cutters designed to make a clean, straight cut across the cap of a cigar. Unlike guillotine cutters with a fixed aperture, their jaws open to any width, which means they accommodate any ring gauge and handle non-parejo shapes such as torpedos, perfectos, and piramides with ease. Wikipedia regards them as the best choice for cutting a cigar with exactness, a reputation built on the precision of the blade geometry. For aficionados who care about the ritual as much as the smoke, scissors are the most controlled way to open a cigar.
How They Work
The defining feature of cigar scissors is the beveled blade. Instead of a flat edge, each blade is angled so it slopes gracefully around the round head of the cigar, slicing through the wrapper without cracking it. Because there is no fixed opening, the same pair of scissors works on a slim corona and a fat double figurado alike — the user simply opens the jaws as wide as the moment requires.
Proper technique matters. Hold the cigar perpendicular to the surface, open the jaws at a slight angle to the cap, then close the blades slowly to avoid crushing the tobacco. The cigar stays steady in one hand while the scissors do the work in the other, and balance in the grip is what separates a pleasant cut from a ragged one. This is why fit and weight in the hand are treated as serious criteria when shopping for a quality pair.
Materials and Notable Makers
Premium scissors are built from stainless steel, and the very best are forged from specialty alloys. Donatus, for example, uses Solingen steel from Germany, while Siglo L&R relies on Japanese steel — both prized for their edge retention and resistance to corrosion in a humid environment. The result is a tool that can be sharpened, polished, and passed down rather than replaced.
Pricing reflects this craftsmanship. Davidoff offers a French-made pair at roughly 470 dollars, the Donatus Big-Cut runs about 180 dollars, and the Siglo L&R sits near 321 dollars. More accessible options include the Xikar MTX at around 59 dollars and Visol models near 35 dollars, with the Xikar MTX in particular adopting a compact folding design for travel.
When to Choose Them
Cigar scissors shine when precision and presentation matter — opening a torpedo or piramide cleanly, or performing a cut as part of the ritual in a dedicated smoking room. They are the natural choice for shaped cigars, where guillotines and punches struggle, and they reward the smoker with an exact, repeatable cap removal that helps the draw stay even.
They are not, however, an everyday carry tool. Full-sized shears are considered showpieces rather than pocket cutters, which is why guillotine cutters remain more popular for daily use: they are cheaper, more practical, and easy to slip into a pocket. A serious enthusiast often owns both — scissors for the lounge and a guillotine for the road.
