Xikar: The Complete Guide to America's Cigar Cutter & Lighter Brand

By Michel Besson, Fine Cigars Club

Few brands have shaped how modern cigar smokers cut and light their cigars quite like Xikar. Founded in a Kansas City garage in 1996, Xikar built its reputation on a single idea done better than anyone else — a cigar cutter that delivers a flawless, consistent cut every time — and then applied the same engineering to torch lighters, cases and humidification. Today its Xi-series cutters and HP torch lighters are among the most trusted, hardest-wearing accessories a cigar smoker can own, backed by one of the best warranties in the business. This guide tells the Xikar story, what they make, and why generations of aficionados swear by the brand.

The History of Xikar: An American Cigar Story, Born in a Garage

Xikar is a classic American entrepreneurial story — garage and all.

The problem that started it all

It began in 1994, when Kurt Van Keppel — a keen cigar smoker who had inherited his passion from his father — went shopping for a good cigar cutter and came home empty-handed, dissatisfied with everything on the market. Cheap cutters underperformed; expensive ones weren't much better; most needed two hands or mangled the cap. So Van Keppel teamed up with his friend Scott Almsberger, an industrial designer, and the two set out to build a better cutter — meeting once a week over breakfast to refine concepts.

One morning in 1996, driving through the mountains of New Mexico, Almsberger sketched the idea that became the brand: a teardrop-shaped, double-guillotine cutter. Working from their garages with a few thousand dollars of their own money, they built the first prototypes by hand — and the Xi cutter was born.

The name — and the blades

The name is a clever piece of design in itself. Xikar comes from sikar — said to be the first Spanish spelling of the Taíno word for cigar (the Taíno being the indigenous people of Cuba and Hispaniola, where Columbus first encountered tobacco). Van Keppel swapped the "S" for an "X" to represent the two blades of the double-guillotine cutter — the X "cutting" the i that follows, like a cutter clipping a cigar. Function, story and logo, all in one word.

From garage to market leader

The first mass-produced Xi cutters were completed in May 1998 and launched at the Retail Tobacconist Dealers Association trade show that August. By that November, 350 retailers were carrying the Xi cutter, and the patents followed. Cigar smokers embraced its ergonomic, teardrop shape and effortless, palm-catching cut, and Xikar quickly became — and remains — the market leader in cigar cutlery.

Then came the lighters, and it was Xikar's own customers who pushed for them. As Van Keppel put it, "It was our customers who got us into the lighter business; they said if we did, ours would be the only lighters they would buy." Xikar applied the same engineering discipline to torch lighters, and its HP (High Performance) series and other models earned the same devoted following as the cutters. From its base in Kansas City, Missouri, Xikar has since grown into a complete range — cutters, lighters, travel cases, humidification and more — all built on the same principle of honest, ergonomic design at a fair price.

What Xikar Makes

Xikar's genius is engineering: every product is built to work, reliably, for years. We stock a wide selection across all four of Xikar's core categories.

Cutters

The heart of the brand. Xikar's double-guillotine cutters — from the legendary Xi series to the stainless-steel XO, the Flip dual cutter, V-cut and punch cutters — set the standard for a clean, consistent cut. The teardrop shape sits comfortably in the hand, the blades close with a satisfying, decisive action, and the cap drops neatly into your palm. Whatever your preferred cut — straight, V or punch — Xikar has an engineered, hard-wearing tool for it.

Lighters

Xikar's torch lighters brought the brand's engineering to the flame. Single, double and triple-jet models — like the ELX Double Jet-Flame and the Tactical Triple Jet — deliver a powerful, wind-resistant flame for a fast, even toast in any conditions. Bold, uncomplicated and functional, they're built to the same standard as the cutters, and are among the most trusted torch lighters a cigar smoker can carry.

Cases

Xikar's cigar cases — like the crush-proof Envoy — protect your cigars in transit in the same over-engineered, built-to-last spirit as the rest of the range. Elegant, protective and practical, they're the ideal way to carry a few cigars to dinner, on the golf course or while travelling.

Humidification

Keeping cigars in perfect condition is where Xikar's humidification range comes in — crystal humidifiers, digital hygrometers, propylene glycol solution and travel humidors that hold your cigars at the ideal humidity whether at home or on the move. Reliable, well-made and sensibly priced, they're the essentials every cigar smoker needs to protect their collection.

You can browse our full range on our Xikar brand page.

Why Choose Xikar

• Performance first — Xikar built its name on cutters and lighters that simply work, every time.
• A legendary warranty — Xikar is renowned for standing behind its products with an outstanding lifetime warranty, one of the big reasons the brand is so trusted.
• Built to last — famously durable, "over-engineered" tools designed to survive years of daily use.
• The market benchmark — the Xi cutter is the cutter every other cutter is measured against.
• A complete range — cutters, lighters, cases and humidification, all engineered to the same standard, so you can equip yourself entirely from one trusted brand.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Xikar known for? Xikar is best known for the Xi cutter — the double-guillotine cigar cutter that became the industry benchmark — and its HP-series torch lighters. Founded in Kansas City in 1996, Xikar is famous for performance, durability and an outstanding lifetime warranty, and makes a complete range of cutters, lighters, cases and humidification.

When and where was Xikar founded? Xikar was founded in 1996 in Kansas City, Missouri, by Kurt Van Keppel and industrial designer Scott Almsberger. The first cutters were made by hand in their garages before mass production began in May 1998.

What does the name "Xikar" mean? It comes from sikar, the early Spanish spelling of the Taíno word for cigar. The founders swapped the "S" for an "X" to represent the two blades of their double-guillotine cutter — the X "cutting" the i, like a cutter clipping a cigar.

Does Xikar offer a warranty? Yes — Xikar is well known for its lifetime warranty on its cutters and lighters, one of the best in the business and a key reason the brand is so trusted among cigar smokers.

What Xikar products do you stock? We stock a wide range across all four of Xikar's core categories: cutters (the XO, Flip, V-cut, punch and Xi-series), lighters (single, double and triple-jet torches like the ELX and Tactical), cases (the crush-proof Envoy), and humidification (crystal humidifiers, digital hygrometers, PG solution and travel humidors). Browse them all on our Xikar brand page.

Explore our range of Xikar cigar accessories, or browse all our cigar accessories.