In 2023, Steve Saka of Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust teased this new cigar cutter that he’d had made by the guys at Cigar Medics. More specifically, he worked on this cutter with product development engineer Luigi Lucente. Steve wanted the perfect cutter for everyday use that also had an easily replaceable blade. As you could imagine, it quickly became the next big sought after DTT product. He calls this cutter the Guillotina de Saka, or “Guillotine of Saka” in English.
Originally, these were supposed to be gifts and promotional items and were never meant to be sold as the cost would be very high for what it is. However, Steve later changed his mind and 1,000 cutters were shipped to stores the following year.
Under the Lid
First and foremost, this cutter is sleek. Very sturdy yet light weight for what it is. It has a beveled edge around the blade opening on both sides to ensure the perfect cut every time. There are two beveled edges that help provide the perfect cut however each side of the cutter has a different size opening. Each side also has either a plus (+) or a minus (-). On the (+) side the opening accommodates up to 50 ring gauge while the (-) side cuts up to 48 ring gauge.
The blade itself is somewhat thin but from my use that doesn’t seem to be an issue anywhere. The blade is made from 420 stainless steel, with the outer body being stainless as well. The blade can be removed to be changed out during the life of the cutter, something you do not see very often. It is also very easy to remove by simply pushing down on the rectangular cut out on the blade holder. This presses a spring steel piece in and unlocks the blade holder from the body. The blade might fall out as there is nothing that locks it in once the entire blade frame is removed from the body. It is only held in place by two small tabs on the blade holder. It is pretty easy to figure out the correct orientation as it will only fit one way.
There is a QR code inside the box that leads you to this video of Steve explaining everything about the cutter.
Pricing and Availability
The Guillotine de Saka cutter is currently only available in there Cerakote OD Green color and has an MSRP of $395.
Performance Notes
Cutting with this cutter is pretty straight forward and I do not think I need to spend too much time covering the obvious. But I will say the entire function is pretty flawless. The cutting motion is clean and swift with the blade staying inside the body without needed a latch or a click. There are magnets inside that hold the blade closed when not in use. The cutter seems to always hold the cut cap from he cigar allowing for easy disposal. Not all cutters do this and if you have used one, you probably know how messy they can be if not held correctly.
Smokin Wrap
Just about every cigar I cut with this cutter was left with a super clean, even and perfect cut. It is great for beginners or smokers who still advent mastered the perfect cut yet. For experienced smokers, it provides a more mindless cutting operation and you might even feel guilty about how easy it is. Having said all of that, would I recommend you buy it? The short answer is no, but that doesn’t mean its a bad cutter. For what it cost, you can find plenty of cutters out there that can do the job almost as nice if not just as good. However, I know there is a market for this cutter and if you are a big Dunbarton fan and or a collector of fine accessories go for it. Look it is a fantastic cutter so my only draw back is the price here.
Purchase recommendation: For $395, buy a Dupont cutter instead.
