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by richardwy
on Thu Jul 26, 2007 10:39 am |
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Hello All,
Richard from Wyoming here.
Glad I found this site. I was just talking with someone to whom I was selling cigarettes the other day, telling them I was going to look into rolling my own and would report back the costs and what I had learned.
Eons ago, I piddled with the little rolling machine with the plastic conveyor belt and did not have the patience for it.
I've spent the last 45 mins reading over posts and found the Roll Your Own Magazine links.
Seems one or two folks very much liked the Top-O-Matic machine and a few had problems with the Supermatic machine.
I also saw the advertisement of the Magnum machine for $150 which I gather is not available yet. Am I right about that?
A very quick search found the Supermatic selling for $35'ish, and I'm guessing the Top-O-Matic will go for the same.
I took a peek at the tobacco links and descriptions at Roll Your Own Magazine. Golly! Lots of selections. For the last several years, I've been smoking American Spirit Ultra Lights. Any suggestions will be most appreciated. Oh, I did find that American Spirit is marketing their tobacco for folk who like to roll their own.
A very cursory search yielded a cost of $8 to $11 per carton when we roll our own. Is that what you've found. $10 per carton + or - a smidge?
I've still a carton+ of American Spirits, so I won't be buying gadgets and goodies quite yet. I plan to soon of course.
If y'all would be kind enough to toss your "how to's," and "here's what I wished I knew when I began" my way, I'd much appreciate it.
Thanks,
Richard |
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richardwy
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Joined: Jul 26, 2007
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by gilster
on Thu Jul 26, 2007 11:35 am |
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Hi Richard - Welcome to the board
I use the Premier Supermatic II - [Gold colored machine]
If you've read through the posts - you've probably seen that I went through the other two premier machines [broke/jammed them]
I've been using the Supermatic II for months [knock on wood] still going strong.
I was a 'generic' ultra light smoker - Changed over to RYO American Spirit with a 'light' Premier Tube [works best for me]
I started RYO because I didn't want to smoke all the additives - just the tobacco - and AS pre-mades were real expensive @ $6-7 pack.
I think I bought my machine - retail - for $50
American Spirits loose tobacco around my area goes for around $12 - $12.50 a tin [6 ounces]
Tubes run around $3.00 for 200 [Carton]
So I'm spending roughly $15.50 a carton
If the Federal Tobacco Tax goes through - it will be $18.50
[They are tacking on $8 more per pound on loose tobacco in the proposal.]
Check out all the videos on ryomagazine - very helpful.
I too am awaiting the Magnum Machine - the video looked promising.
You said you were selling someone cigarettes....are you a store owner? Would be great to have a section of your store devoted to RYO products - In-Store demonstrations will go far.
"Here's what I wish I knew when I began"
Buy an assortment of tubes to see what is out there and what you like better than others
Wish I never tried cheaper -loose tobacco.
Never force a machine - Don't over-pack the slot
With tapping cigs after injecting - [I'm lousy at it] wish I figured out sooner to gather 10 or so cigs together and tap all at once.
Don't even use shake [Small pieces]
Use collander to shake the 'shake' out of the last bunch of tobacco in the pile. Less jamming of machine
Scatter the 'shake' tobacco over the lawn - grub control [who knew?]
Buy plastic cig packs sooner - used old pre-made packs just work so long - and get beat up.
Buy a Cigar Humidor to store the cigs you make in quantity
Put the machine on a non-skid surface:
I use a piece of that no-slip stuff for carpets and aluminum foil over that. Some people use trays and wood slabs with a hole for the machine to secure it.
Roll once for the whole week - Sit in front of a movie or something. |
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gilster
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by Lynda F
on Thu Jul 26, 2007 12:33 pm |
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All I can do is ditto what Gilster said.
I use the Premier Supermatic machine (blue), and have been using it since February with NO problems at all. My friend in Utah has been using hers since last fall, and has not had any problems with it either.
I also use the royal blue American Spirit tobacco with Premier light 100s tubes.
I get my AS tobacco for $11.99/can and my tubes run me 2.50/box of 200. A carton ends up costing me $16.60 versus the $40+ a carton of ready-mades would be costing me.
I sit in front of TV on Sundays and roll out a weeks worth of smokes in under 3 hours. It's not has hard as I thought, nor as big a pain in the butt as I thought.
Is it worth it? Yep, sure is............and tastes better also.
I'll only be buying tobacco for a little over another year or so, as I will be growing my own come early spring. I absolutely refuse to continually pay extortion for programs no one else wants to fund. |
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Lynda F
Enthusiastic Smoker
Joined: May 02, 2007
Posts: 328
Location: Phoenix, AZ
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by richardwy
on Thu Jul 26, 2007 12:42 pm |
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Lynda F wrote: I'll only be buying tobacco for a little over another year or so, as I will be growing my own come early spring.
Glister and Linda, thanks for your replies. I'll keep y'all posted.
WTG Linda! I'm sure you will learn lots!!
Glister, you asked if I own a shop. I do not. I ought to consider it though. There's a market for sure. Thanks for planting the seed. I'm a humble grocery store manager -- low dog on the totem pole.
I tossed an email to D & R Tobacco asking a general question, and I was happy to recieve a prompt reply.
Also, Glister, thanks for making the suggestion of trying various tubes. Good suggestion!
Regards,
Richard |
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richardwy
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by gilster
on Thu Jul 26, 2007 1:46 pm |
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Grocery Store Manager?- you aren't humble at all....but when the phone rings at 2am - you got one of the keys! That's a bummer...
If you have any smoke shops in your area - see if they will bring in RYO - if they already aren't = Also, check out their distributor order book, there's a lot out there that many stores don't bring in.
And the cig distributor can add items not already in stock for their customers.
Typing this for others - you're a Groc Manager - you know 
Best to buy locally - in cash - that's a taxing story for later |
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gilster
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by Lynda F
on Thu Jul 26, 2007 3:21 pm |
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richardwy wrote: Glister and Linda, thanks for your replies. I'll keep y'all posted.
Richard
You're welcome Richard. I'm no gardener. I don't have a green thumb (I'm able to even kill cactus - and I don't mean to), so I'm hoping this works. Living in Phoenix I wasn't sure the climate was good, but they suggested I plant very early spring. So I'm going to try and pray that for once I can have a green thumb.....hehehe 
I actually see growing your own as the only option we will legally have left in the very near future, unless they ban growing tobacco plants.
I have read you don't need a garden to grow it either, they can also grow in pots.
There's a little more food for thought for you.
By the way, my son prefers the Zen filters...........I haven't tried them so I can't personally say. |
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Lynda F
Enthusiastic Smoker
Joined: May 02, 2007
Posts: 328
Location: Phoenix, AZ
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by richardwy
on Tue Aug 14, 2007 9:41 am |
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I want to thank Glister and Linda, again, for your helpfulness.
Yesterday I started making my own. I got set up by D & R Tobacco. Told them I'd been smoking American Spirit ultra lights. They sent me quite an assortment of tobacco to try. Also sent me 3 boxes of different tubes. For a machine, the gal suggested the old hand slider that cost $9.
It's unlike me not to buy the more expensive whatever it is. So, I was happy to take her suggestion. And, if for some reason, I deem the low-buck machine unsuitable, it will serve well when I travel someplace on vacation.
Here's what arrived in the mail:
3 small containers (good for 1 pack ea approx) of tobaccos: Ramback, Two Times, and Three Sails.
4 eight and one-half ounce cups: 2 Windsails (light and platinum), Two Timer Gold, and Pen Hooker light.
3 boxes of tubes: Ramback Elite, El Rey lights, and Premier lights.
Lastly, a Premier plastic cigarette box and a metal D & R Tobacco hinged flat tin. Don't know for what I can use the tin yet (cigs I guess).
I did ask about a humidor. The lady helping me, Patsy, talked me into using the little button in a baggie. Again, less money spent rather than more. Not an all together bad arrangment. |
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richardwy
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by Lynda F
on Tue Aug 14, 2007 10:12 am |
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Richard,
Glad to see you got a nice selection to try out and choose from. I found another tobacco I like as much as my AS, Rave light. Apparently it is quite popular too as the site is sold out of it more often than they have it.
But then, I'll be growing my own come spring, so that won't matter much at all.
By the way, Richard, I know this is nit-picky of me, but it IS my name and I tend to get peculiar about that...........my name IS spelled Lynda (there is NO 'i' there - blame my mother it was her idea hehehe).
Gilster,
Do you think the gold premier supermatic II is a better machine? I'm noticing mine is starting to get cranky (been using it 7 months now) and will be looking for replacement parts, but also want to invest in a second machine (this way I've always got one working well). |
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Lynda F
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Joined: May 02, 2007
Posts: 328
Location: Phoenix, AZ
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by richardwy
on Tue Aug 14, 2007 9:41 pm |
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Lynda, thanks for correcting me. I am happy when someone takes the time to say, "hey, it's with a Y not an I. 
Regarding your machine, let me know what you decide. The lady at the D & R said something about a "stem" maybe going south on larger machines. That's one reason she said I might try the slider model.
I asked her if the bigger machines make cigarettes more rapidly. She said no. Don't know if its so, but there you have it. |
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richardwy
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by gilster
on Thu Aug 16, 2007 6:47 am |
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Lynda F wrote:
Do you think the gold premier supermatic II is a better machine? I'm noticing mine is starting to get cranky (been using it 7 months now) and will be looking for replacement parts, but also want to invest in a second machine (this way I've always got one working well).
Lynda, I don't know... everyone else seems to have luck with the blue machines [whether the plastic or metal one] I jammed those up within months - the gold machine has been very good for me.
The underside is open and the parts seem more user-friendly and less complicated. And I don't pack the tubes tight - anymore.
I still have my old blues- but haven't gotten around to ordering the parts to fix them.
On ordering tobacco on-line, does anyone know if the states tax loose tobacco differently? I am just so paranoid of ordering any tobacco product on-line - creating a paper trail and most strongly, getting on a list to pay back taxes.....
On the injectors - those hand-helds are useless for me too, I have a couple but I smoke so much [and I make my husband's sticks too] I'd be there all day to make a pack.
American Spirits loose tobacco is spot-on the best substitute for pre-made AS cigs - they taste the same. I pay $12.50 for a can and $3 for the tubes - so $1.55 a pack is fine by me. AS pre-mades in my neck of the woods are over $6 a pack. Even with the impending Fed Tax - they will only get to $1.85 a pack.
Oh, and knitpicky on spelling - even though my name is a nickname here it's Gilster....[It's a family nickname]
Many people on these boards write Glister - I have no affiliation with the toothpaste firm LOL  |
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gilster
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