Guillotina de Saka - Is this the Ultimate Cigar Cutter?

[JohnS]

Does this cigar cutter have everything? And what about the price? Read Brooks Whittington's excellent Halfwheel article below...

Guillotina de Saka - Is this the Ultimate Cigar Cutter?

 June 27, 2025 - Brooks Whittington 

In 2023, Steve Saka, founder of Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust, announced that he was working on a new cigar cutter named Guillotina de Saka cutter—Spanish for Saka’s guillotine—which would feature a blade that is replaceable by the user. Saka had been developing the cutter with Luigi Lucente, a product development engineer at CigarMedics, Inc. Lucente also designed The Baller, a cigar cutter that combines aspects of both a punch cutter and a v-cutter into one product.

According to Saka, the impetus behind the Guillotina de Saka came from his experience using the Cigar Bris Tool, a single guillotine cutter with a plastic body that Drew Estate sold until mid-2000. In many ways, this cutter is the spiritual successor to the Paul Garmirian Super Sheffield Cutter, another single guillotine cutter that was developed as one man’s passion project to make the very best cutter, commercial concerns be damned.

Initially, Saka said that he had no plans to sell the cutter on a commercial basis—because the cost would be too high—and that cutters from the initial production were to be used as contest prizes and “thank you” gifts to select Dunbarton accounts. However, he changed his mind, and the final product was shown off during the 2024 PCA Convention & Trade Show, and about 1,000 cutters shi to retailers in August 2024.

WHAT IS IT?

The Guillotina de Saka is a single guillotine cutter made with a 420 stainless steel blade inside of a stainless steel exterior case. Design-wise, the Guillotina de Saka includes a couple of unique aspects:

The steel blade is designed to be easily replaceable by consumers without having to use any special tools.

The cutter is designed with a different-sized opening on each side of the case; one side is designed to cut for cigars up to 48-ring gauge, while the other is designed for cigars of 50-ring gauge and thicker.

Physically, the Guillotina de Saka weighs 59.4 grams while measuring 1.65 inches wide and .323 inches thick, with a total length of 2.95 inches tall when closed and 3.86 inches when fully open. The cutter is made up of two pieces that are sealed together with six small screws.

HOW MUCH DOES IT COST?

$395.

That price includes a replacement blade. Currently, it is only sold in one color choice: Cerakote OD Green.

HOW DOES IT WORK?

When it comes to actually cutting a cigar, the process is about as easy as it can be: I choose which size opening I want to use and push up on the top section that the blade is attached to. This action releases the magnets holding it in place and causes the blade to pop up with a satisfying “clack” sound. As a result, the blade retreats out of body of the cutter, which in turn opens up the hole where the cigar cap goes. I then place the cap of the cigar into the opening and push the blade portion down, which forces the actual blade itself through the cap of the cigar. As the blade cuts through the cap and comes to the end of its journey, there is an audible click as the magnets engage again, signifying that the process is complete.

Interestingly, the blade of the cutter does not disappear all the way into the housing. There is about a 1.5mm gap of space left, which is designed so that the cut cap is held in place. This worked almost every single time I cut with this cutter, regardless of the size of the cap or the type of wrapper I was cutting.

The process of replacing the blade of the Guillotina de Saka is easier than I thought it would be. When the cutter is open, there’s a small tab that can be pressed down to release the blade.

I start by pulling the blade section up as far as it will go, then I push down firmly on a cut-out section to release the piece. I then pull the entire blade section entirely out of the body, being very careful to make sure the blade—which is not actually attached—does not fall anywhere. The blade is kept in place via a cutout on the handle section. To change the blade, I just pick up the old one, then place the new blade in its place. I then carefully insert the section back into the body of the cutter, making sure that the blade stays in place until I can no long hold onto it. There is a tiny “click” as the locking mechanism clicks into place, and then I know I can use the cutter like normal again.

It should also be noted that the cutters can be easily taken apart to be cleaned by removing six screws—three on each side—and pulling the two pieces of the case apart gently. Inside, you will find a spring, the blade and the top portion of the cutter, all of which can easily be put back together in very short order. Thankfully, the aforementioned magnet is attached to one of the sides of the case, so you don’t have to worry about losing it or placing it back in the proper position. 

THE GOOD

• It Gives Consistently Great Results When Cutting Cigars — Pick it up, put the cigar cap into the opening, push the blade down, get a great cut. It takes longer to read this bullet point than it does to cut most cigars with this cutter.
• Blades Are User Replaceable — Even for me, the process is simple and straightforward, which means that most people will probably have no issues with it. With that said, I’ve yet to find much need to replace or sharpen a cutter’s blade. I’ve also found that blade sharpness doesn’t seem to be as important as things like the position of the cigar in relation to the end of the blade.
• Caps Are Held In Place After Cutting — This worked virtually every time I cut with this cutter, regardless of the size of the cap or the type of wrapper I was cutting, and it is a nice function to have.
• It Is Made in America — For those of you who care.

THE BAD

• It Is Extremely Expensive — It is $395, a price tag is going to be hard to swallow for most people.
• Price Does Not Include a Case — Considering the price these are being sold at, including a case for the cutter should be a no-brainer. Alas, that is not the (ahem) case.
• Only One Color Option — OD Green is cool and all, but having more than one option would be even cooler.
• Exterior Paint Rubs Off After Extended Use — The exterior finish does seem to be rubbing off in a few different places. None of the damage is very extensive, but a few areas are noticeable, especially on the corners and edges. Having said that, I thought that the gold in the “D” logo and the “+” and “-“ symbols would start to flake off at some point, and that has not happened so far.

THE COMPETITION

Earlier this year, CigarMedics—the company that makes the Guillotina de Saka cutter for Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust—showed off a more affordable version of the Guillotina de Saka named il Maestro. The two cutters are very similar, so much so that I wasn’t sure if they’d be any different until I actually got to use the il Maestro.

For example, both cutters include the same exact blades, which can be replaced by the user with no special tools needed. Both cutters also feature different-sized openings on each side of the case as noted above. Finally, the blade is operated in exactly the same way for both cutters as well, by pushing up on the top portion of the case, which causes the section holding the blade to pop up and reveal the opening where the cap is placed to be cut.

Having said the above, there are also some differences between them: most notably, the il Maestro has an MSRP of $124.99, less than a third of the Guillotina de Saka’s $395.

Other differences include:

• Case Material — the il Maestro uses 6061-T6 aluminum vs stainless steel for the Guillotina de Saka
• Colors — the il Maestro comes in red or black, while the Guillotina de Saka only comes OD Green
• Height — The Guillotina de Saka is taller (2.95 inches) than the il Maestro (2.78 inches). The cutters are the same width but the Guillotina de Saka is thicker (.386 inches) than the il Maestro (.314 inches). This extra length gave me a bit more to hold on to when I was cutting cigars, and while it did not necessarily give me better cuts, it did make the cutting process more comfortable for me.
• Magnet vs. No Magnet — Both cutters have a spring inside the body, but the Guillotina de Saka has a magnet that performs the closing operation, whereas the il Maestro uses a detent lock. The magnet in the Guillotina de Saka creates a noticeably smoother experience. The il Maestro was slightly louder and a bit more clunky.

However, what is not different is the performance. After cutting cigars with both cutters side-by-side, I found they perform almost identically when it comes to the quality of cuts, meaning that I had excellent results across the board, with zero major problems or wrapper damage and only a small number of minor issues, like small pieces of the wrapper being left behind after the caps were cut.

Additional Competitors

• Paul Garmirian Cigar Cutter ($20) — This is a cheaper cutter with a plastic case, but the results are amazing regardless. It is smaller, lighter and way less expensive than the Guillotina de Saka. Unfortunately, it was designed in the 1990s and can only be used on cigars up to about 48-ring gauge. Both cutters are excellent, but if forced to choose, I would have to go with the Guillotina de Saka due to how that cutter feels in my hand when I am cutting cigars and the fact that I am much less likely to lose it.
• Paul Garmirian Super Sheffield Cutter & Drew Estate Cigar Bris Tool— Both of these single-guillotine cutters are long discontinued and rarely come up for sale on eBay. The Super Sheffield Cutter uses a metal body and an upgraded blade compared to the plastic cutter that you can still buy today. It’s also one of the few cutters that will likely cost you more than the Guillotina de Saka. As mentioned above, Saka named both single guillotine cutters as inspirations for the design of the Guillotina de Saka. If I had to choose between the Paul Garmirian Super Sheffield Cutter and the Guillotina de Saka, the former would make the cut—no pun intended—just because of the historical aspect of that cutter. I have not reviewed the Cigar Bris Tool, so I cannot give an opinion on that cutter.
• Davidoff Double Blade Cutter ($294)—If you are looking to spend $300 on a cutter, look no further than this all-metal double guillotine cutter from Davidoff. It can cut cigars up to 56-ring gauge and comes with a leather case, but some of the finishes are fingerprint magnets. Between the two, I would choose the Davidoff, albeit in a non-shiny finish.
• XIKAR Ultra ($74.99) — A double guillotine cutter that is about the same size of the Guillotina de Saka—albeit quite a bit thinner—and made entirely of stainless steel, can cut up to 70 ring gauge cigars and retails for just under $75. I have not reviewed this cutter, so I cannot give you a comparison between the two products yet.
• S.T. Dupont Cigar Stand Cutter ($210) — In addition to being about half the price of the Guillotina de Saka, the S.T. Dupont is also able to transform into an extremely useful cigar stand. I would take the Guillotina de Saka over this one, but the built-in cigar stand, the lower price of the S.T. Dupont and the fact that both cutters work extremely well would make it a tight race.
• S.T. Dupont Slim Cigar Cutter ($285) — This double guillotine cutter features a horizontal metal bar near the cutter’s opening that slides up and down the case. It’s designed to serve as an optional backstop for the top of the cap of the cigar, preventing someone from cutting off too much of a cigar. This cutter just started shipping and I haven’t used it yet, so I cannot tell you which one I’d prefer, but if you are in the market for a premium cigar cutter, it’s worth taking a look.

SHOULD YOU BUY IT?

No.

There is no doubt with a price point of just under $400, the Guillotina de Saka is a very expensive cutter. Saka set out to make a cutter custom-built to his specifications, and that kind of exacting process takes time and money to achieve. It is designed and built to do one thing very, very well—cut cigars cleanly—and during my month of testing, it accomplished that task over and over again with no muss, no fuss and virtually no issues. In fact, in my opinion, Saka absolutely succeeded in his goal, and buying the Guillotina de Saka will get you one of the best single guillotine cutters on the market.

In a normal situation, that would be where my review would come to an end. However, the release of the il Maestro changes the calculous dramatically, not just because it is substantially more affordable—after all, pretty much every cigar costs less than the Guillotina de Saka—but also because that (much) more affordable price will also get you basically the same exact cuts. To me, the fact that the Guillotina de Saka looks better, feels better in my hand and has a slightly smoother operation makes it a better cutter than the il Maestro, but even I would have a hard time justifying paying the extra $270 it would take to actually buy the more expensive option. In the end, you will get great cuts no matter which choice you make, and that is not a situation that happens very often.

Source: https://halfwheel.com/guillotina-de-saka/452353/