Xikar VX2 V-Cut Cutter Review
Filed under: How to Cut
Appears in: The Cutters and Lighters I'd Actually Buy
Verdict: The Xikar VX2 V-cutter is a Buy Again at $45 to $55 street... if the V-cut is your regular cut. It's solid, it's sharp, and I don't believe it's ever cracked a wrapper on me... but I've drifted back to straight cuts, and $50 is hard to justify for a once-in-a-while tool. I bought this because I wanted a proper V-cut, mostly for torpedoes. A year later I've learned I'm a straight-cut guy most days... that's a me thing, not a VX2 thing. If I V-cut everything, this would absolutely be on my Buy Again list.
- Brand
- Xikar
- Product
- VX2 V-cut cutter
- Street price
- $45 to $55
The Setup
- What it is: Xikar's VX2 V-cut... spring-loaded plunger, stainless steel blades, cuts up to a 70 ring gauge, backed by Xikar's lifetime warranty
- Street price: $54.99 list, and you'll commonly see it in the $45-55 range
- What I paid: $46.99 plus tax... $48.99 all-in with free shipping, my own money, ordered July 2025. Nobody sent it
- In service: right at a year
The Cut Is the Point
Set the cigar in the bowl, press, done. The V-cut blades are slanted, and that slant does a really good job... you get a clean V every single time. I don't believe it has ever cracked a wrapper on me. The blades are still sharp, and it's done well on every V-cut I've asked of it.
Where it really earns its keep is torpedoes... which is what sent me looking for a V-cutter in the first place. On a torpedo it works really well, and it's a noticeably better cut than the few-bucks counter-grab V-cutters.
Built Like It Costs $50
Closed, there's no wiggle at all... it's very solid. Open, if you shake it back and forth you can feel a little play in the plunger, but in normal handling... open it, move it around in your hand, make the cut... you never feel it. That's the right kind of tolerance: there if you go hunting for it, invisible when you're using it.
The Pocket Curve Is Smarter Than It Looks
One side of the body is slightly curved... I think it's designed to mirror the curve of your leg in your pocket, and it slides in easy. The bonus nobody advertises: flat side down, that curved side... the one that normally sits against your leg... makes a good cigar rest. A cutter that doubles as a rest is a legitimately useful trick.
The weight is decently substantial. In gym shorts you're going to notice it. In a jeans pocket for an afternoon, probably not. Slacks, it's definitely noticeable. It carries fine... it just never lets you forget it's metal.
Bottom Line
The VX2 does exactly what it promises: a clean, deep V-cut every single time, not one cracked wrapper that I can recall, blades still sharp a year in, lifetime warranty behind it. The only real question is the $50... and that answer depends entirely on how often you V-cut. Cut V every day and it's worth every penny over the cheap ones. V-cut once in a while, and $50 is hard to justify when cheaper V-cutters do a good job.
Would I buy it again? If I V-cut regularly, definitely yes. As it stands I've become a straight-cut guy, so I wouldn't spend the $50 again for occasional use... but this one isn't going anywhere, and when I do want a V, it's a very solid option sitting right there.
Best for: the dedicated V-cut smoker... especially anyone with a humidor full of torpedoes who's tired of fighting them with a guillotine.
Gear gets the same one-question treatment as the cigars... would I buy this again? This one's a yes-if... yes if the V is your cut, pass if it's your occasional novelty.
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