Am I using the Perfectdraw incorrectly?

[peteando]

So after all the rave reviews, I finally ordered a Perfecdraw.  It arrived quick and is a very high quality looking piece. 

So I had a plugged Upmann this past weekend, very tight draw.  Pulled out the Perfectdraw and reamed a hole  about 2/3 of the way thru.  I immediately got a ton of smoke through the channel- Unfortunately it was totally acrid and metallic tasting.  Pitched it.  It was still burning really poorly.  I'm thinking I either drilled way too far in, or there are simply some cigars that can't be saved no matter what?  Since I've only used it once, wondering if others have tried and pitched anyway.

[HarveyBoulevard]

"reamed a hole" and "2/3 of the way thru" are not words I'd use to describe how to use the PerfecDraw.

It is a precise instrument that needs to be applied with care.  I usually just put in the tip (lol and haha, get it out of your system) and slowly rotate the tool until the barbs disappear.  Gently pull out the tool and some tobacco will come out.  Give it a test draw.  If needed again, drill a little further.  Go slow and test it out each time.  Massage the cigar a bit after each pull and see if the removed tobacco and the space left have improved the draw.

If you just stab it in there and ream out a giant hole, the cigar is not going to burn well and will be hot and bitter.

Best of luck on the next one.

[BJRPorter]

Using it delicately is the way to go. I have only had to use it on a couple of Churchill’s, and I did have to insert all the way.  I had no burn, or adverse flavor issues.

[TBird55]

14 minutes ago, HarveyBoulevard said:

"reamed a hole" and "2/3 of the way thru" are not words I'd use to describe how to use the PerfecDraw.

It is a precise instrument that needs to be applied with care.  I usually just put in the tip (lol and haha, get it out of your system) and slowly rotate the tool until the barbs disappear.  Gently pull out the tool and some tobacco will come out.  Give it a test draw.  If needed again, drill a little further.  Go slow and test it out each time.  Massage the cigar a bit after each pull and see if the removed tobacco and the space left have improved the draw.

If you just stab it in there and ream out a giant hole, the cigar is not going to burn well and will be hot and bitter.

Best of luck on the next one.

Oh the places my mind wants to go with this. ?

[NSXCIGAR]

This video may help you a bit:

 

[SenorPerfecto]

I used one once. Never again. Plugged = cut again. Still plugged? Cut again. Still plugged? Pitch it, new cigar.

[aphexafx]

It takes some finesse; you can target problem spots with it.  @HarveyBoulevard is spot on.  I've saved enough cigars to consider it well worth the trouble.  PerfecDraw == ?.

[irratebass]

Love my PerfecDraw

[Islandboy]

Glad I read this, as I’ve also had pretty poor results with mine so far...no funny taste though. Turns out I’ve been far too aggressive with my tool, shoving it all the way in. I guess I need to take a more delicate approach. Same goes for my PerfecDraw 

[shrink]

It won't save 'em all. But used carefully, it will salvage most.

[Edward7]

Only tried using it maybe twice. Not much success with either. It's so important to have smoke coming through between every surface of all the bunched up leaves from wrapper to binder to filler. I think most plugged cigars get better as it loosens up with heat or as you burn past the plug itself. What's far worse is a tunneling cigar. Burning, bitter, rock hard ash under the unburnt wrapper. Angering to say the least.

[stogieluver]

Love mine.

Watch the video NSX posted or the one on their website. Used properly it will save many a plugged cigar. It has for me. I also find myself using it on any cigar with a tight, not necessarily plugged, draw.

Worth its weight in gold. 

[LLC]

Main thing is not to push it in but screw it in and the. Pull it straight out. Can’t save every cigar but it should save most without the bad flavor changes you mention.


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[slowsmoke]

After using the tool, you need to be a little more careful smoking the cigar too.  Once the burn line reaches the "channel" you created, it is more likely to tunnel.  You need to smoke slower and draw easier, to keep it burning evenly.  Tunneling will definitely ruin the flavor.

If I have to go more than halfway into the cigar to get a decent draw, I'll still light it and see how it goes, but I pretty much assume the cigar is a lost cause.

[MigsG]

What everyone said.  I just got mine last Friday after procrastinating for years.  Watched the video and then tried it.  A little at a time, then test.  Listo!  

[inter4alia]

It won't save every stick, but mine has more than paid for itself with the sticks it has saved. 

[NSXCIGAR]

If you're not happy with the perfecdraw you're probably not using it correctly.

That being said, I have had some issues with smaller cigars that are just absolute tent pegs top to bottom. You can get them to draw but you end up hollowing out quite a bit of the cigar resulting in some less-than-ideal smoking characteristics. But since the cigar would have been a total loss anyway, no harm done. 

The perfecdraw works well for 90% of cigars with tight draws. I can usually never tell I used it. As I said there will of course be those that are simply impossible to clear without destroying the filler but 

[tsolomon]

16 hours ago, shrink said:

It won't save 'em all. But used carefully, it will salvage most.

The fact is you can't save them all and when you have to go 2/3s of the way to get a better draw I would suggest that you let that cigar rest or dry box for a couple of weeks and then try it. When the channel you ream is so wide open along with the draw, it just won't smoke well.  There are days when I sit down and go through some of these questionable cigars and give them a try and usually toss them halfway through smoking them.  I like the perfect draw and have saved many cigars using it, but you can't save them all. 

[J-ROB]

On 3/25/2019 at 3:12 PM, Islandboy said:

 Turns out I’ve been far too aggressive with my tool, shoving it all the way in.

Whoa! Can't unsee that mental image butI suppose metaphors are unavoidable.

Anyway, I have found that if the tool meets with resistance, best to stick it in a half inch, withdraw some tobacco, repeat a little deeper, and so on and gradually one will make progress.

I wrote the designer, Rod, to make some comments and he stressed that the teeth are posed to extract tobacco more so than being an effective "drill."

I found I was bending the tip by trying to push it in past tight spots. then, if the tip bends slightly, the point rushes to the side and pokes a hole through the wrapper.

 Lightened up on my "stroke" and much more satisfaction is at hand, so to speak.

As a small RG smoker, it was a great game changer for me. I end up using mine almost daily.

The biggest problem I have is that holding the cigar tightly enough to push in/pull out the tool often causes the wrapper to crack. Not really sure how to solve that one yet. Any suggestions?

[Luca]

It's a great tool. Mine has almost paid for itself with the amount of cigars it has saved.

However, as @NSXCIGAR has said...the PerfecDraw will save about 90% of your cigars. There are some cigars that you just can't save...without destroying the entire filler.

[SenorPerfecto]

41 minutes ago, crking3 said:

Nooooo lol


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I constantly felt like I was going to send the pick through the wrapper out the side, and/or into my bloody hand!

[Capt. Corona]

I went to the hardware store and purchased a length of small diameter SS rod and made my own for around 2 dollar. I've saved many but you can't get em  all.  The trick I've learned is work slow and steady BEFORE you light up to get the draw of your liking.

[Capt. Corona]

3 hours ago, J-ROB said:

The biggest problem I have is that holding the cigar tightly enough to push in/pull out the tool often causes the wrapper to crack. Not really sure how to solve that one yet. Any suggestions?

You need to aquire a ladies touch. 

[aphexafx]

1 hour ago, Capt. Corona said:

I went to the hardware store and purchased a length of small diameter SS rod and made my own for around 2 dollar. I've saved many but you can't get em  all.  The trick I've learned is work slow and steady BEFORE you light up to get the draw of your liking.

You've made a poker.  They aren't very effective, even with a hook-cut.  That's why the PerfecDraw is so popular.  

[Heatmiser]

On 3/25/2019 at 3:05 PM, slowsmoke said:

After using the tool, you need to be a little more careful smoking the cigar too.  Once the burn line reaches the "channel" you created, it is more likely to tunnel.  You need to smoke slower and draw easier, to keep it burning evenly.  Tunneling will definitely ruin the flavor.

If I have to go more than halfway into the cigar to get a decent draw, I'll still light it and see how it goes, but I pretty much assume the cigar is a lost cause.

Just do what I do...  I poke about 20 different holes through the entire cigar.  Now the draw flows through many "channels".