“That thing’s great! I’m going to have to get one of those!” Is something that I’ve heard more than once when using my CigarMinder® clip. The CigarMinder® is a basic plastic clip that’s used to, you guessed it, hold a cigar. To be perfectly honest, if you’re a cigar smoker who likes to take their smoke on the go or in semi-remote locations, you wouldn’t have known you needed one of these until you actually get one.
It was out of necessity
I was first moved to get a cigar minder when I was out with some buddies. We were engaged in some sporting clays shooting, and having a cigar is something that I’d like to do while on the course. When it was my turn to shoot at the first station where I had my cigar lit, I asked my buddy, “Hey, could you hold this for me?” To which he said, “No.”
Now, I get it. It is someone else’s cigar and therefore can be fairly nasty. But, it was over six inches long, a Churchill or comparable, and freshly lit. This was not a Lieutenant Dan special that’s been chewed on all day long, soggier than soggy can be. I internalized the refusal to help a brother out and just dealt with finding a safe and acceptable place to place the cigar anytime it was my turn in the booth.
I found the CigarMinder®
I did some searches and stumbled upon two different cigar holding apparati. One, that I don’t use and have no clue where it ended up, and the other, a CigarMinder®.
The CigarMinder® is designed to accommodate cigars up to a 60 gauge ring. This is not some sort of a wimpy roach clip for your stogie, but a fairly aggressive wide mouth clip that will anchor itself in a stable state. The clip on the clip is a throwback to spring action hair clips that were en vogue in the 90’s – and still are today I believe.
In the many years that I’ve owned my cigar minder, there have been only a couple of challenges with it. For one, there are certain areas/places where there’s nothing to clip it onto – that does happen from time to time. The other issue is when the cigar that you’re smoking gets closer to the bitter end, it does become more difficult to clip it. And the biggest issue I’ve had is just not having enough of them. I should have several of these.
When I’m out doing guy stuff and having a cigar or two, if my buddies are lighting up too, they get a little envious that I have a cool clip to put my cigar into, while they do not. If I had a little bag of a few of these, it’d solve that problem, or I could always get them as gifts for such friends. Either way, the CigarMinder® seems to always make a positive impression on my friends.
Having a few extra would actually make my life easier by keeping them in multiple locations. I don’t have to sit and wonder “Where did I put my CigarMinder®?” But rather know that I keep one in different sets of gear or an extra in my car.
Good for an on the go lifestyle
The CigarMinder® is a no-brainer for the golf course, shooting range, sporting clays course, campsite, hiking trail, boat – pretty much anywhere that you’d have a cigar and no ashtray available to put it down on. The perfect answer to environments that are unfriendly to the cigar smoking lifestyle – your own hands free cigar solution!
Available in five different color configurations: all black, black and green, black and yellow, black and orange, and red, white and blue.
The quick and dirty
Pluses: Affordable, running from $8.00 to $10.00 per unit. Keeps your cigar secure and safe when you need to put it down. Primary clip strong and plastic design is robust.
Minuses: Real titan cigars over 60 gauge won’t fit.
Would I buy this? Absolutely I’d buy the CigarMinder® again! This simple device is a leisure-time game-changer and a must for any cigar smoker. This would make a great gift and be marketable for sale in pro shops, cigar stores, shooting supply shops, etc. I recommend this product to friends all the time.
Be sure to check out our interview with Harold Heydt, the inventor of the CigarMinder!
From the CigarMinder® press department:
How many times have you set your cigar down on the ground or on a hand rail, or placed it in your pocket only to have it destroyed? The solution is CigarMinder™, the all-purpose cigar clip for people on the move.”Whether you are on the golf course, on your boat, or simply sitting in your backyard, this clever clip will keep your cigar out of harm’s way,” says Harold Heydt, president of CigarMinder, Inc. “With the current upsurge in cigar smoking, some people are unprepared for the somewhat unique demands of enjoying a fine cigar. Among them is an appreciation for the fact that cigar smoking is not like rushing a cigarette in a hallway outside a smoke-free building. CigarMinder™ gives you the wherewithal to take your cigar with you, without worrying about the hostilities of the environment.”CigarMinder™ is made of quality plastic, has a ribbed handle for easy gripping, a clamp that holds it in place just about anywhere, and a light pressure spring that keeps your cigar in place without damage to the wrapper.
