Do most of you guys use a mold?

[bonneville]

I'm wondering how important it might be to get a mold...or are most of you guys satisfied with just the hand roll finish?

Cheers, Bonneville

 

[stubshaft]

I do okay hand rolling and smoking whatever I make. I am the first to admit that I have no where near the experience of some of the masters on this site. I have only produced a little more than 200 sticks, and am not to worried about how the look. However, I do have a couple of molds and do appreciate the smoother appearance they offer.

 

[Smokin Harley]

I started without one. Then I had a perfecto mold ,not much of a perfecto fan and they are not the easiest to roll. So I sold it. Bought 2 churchill molds -One is 48 ring other is a 50 ring.Both are 7 inch lengths. I'd rather have a 54 ring mold but these work fine.
I like to use a mold for two reasons. First it makes a better looking finished cigar that is much easier to wrap than a hand rolled. The other is that it forces you to use consistent amounts of leaf to make the same size. Repetition.

 

[Ben Brand]

I`m crap without a mold. Only use molds. Living in South Africa its not easy to buy any cigar molds, so Iv`e had a few made by a not so decent wood work guy. Had to modify them a bit. I make from Churchill`s to panatellas, all mold press and then he made one mold about a ring size 62/63, call them " Fat Bastards".
I weigh all my tobacco with an electronic scale, and my cigars are pretty consistent.

 

[deluxestogie]

If you plan on giving cigars to your brother-in-law/father-in-law, then you will need a mold to impress them. Hand rolling without a mold can produce perfectly smokable cigars, and with time, beautiful cigars.

Bob

 

[metalbone]

I'll pass on the mold, go the time route, and just continue freehand until I can make and wrap a really good looking cigar regardless of ring size or shape...then at that point, why bother with a mold? If my in-law has to have a mold-pressed cigar, well he can just smoke a swisher.

 

[bonneville]

Thanks for the great answers fellas.
Bonneville

PS. I'm really enjoying this site and am trying to bone up on the blend information in the threads so that i'm at least starting out on a good footing....invaluable information for the novice.

 

[SmokesAhoy]

Bob summed up my situation exactly. I roll my own all the time, but they're not exactly impress the in laws level.