Putting a Mains Tubing Machine Through It's Paces Electric Cigarette Tubing Machine.1) Description And First Impressions. On opening the packaging I was immediately impressed by the quality of construction of the electric tubing machine. The equipment appeared robust, well finished and simple to operate. A metal tube protrudes from the front of the housing onto which a cigarette tube is slipped. This is supported by a plastic arm, which holds the tube in place during filling. Inside the metal tube a 'corkscrew' can be seen which is the method of filling the cigarette tube. A push button on the top of the machine switches on the motor, and a further control on the left hand side controls the firmness of packing. A hopper is moulded into the top of the machine to hold tobacco, and a detachable sliding tray is fitted to catch any tobacco spillage as the finished cigarette is propelled from the tube. I decided to make a cigarette before reading the manual in order to test 'ease of use.' A cigarette tube was fitted to the metal filler on the front of the machine, a pinch of tobacco added to the chamber, and the operating button pressed. A moment later a perfectly filled cigarette was produced and smoked whilst I read the manual. 2) Operating Manual. The manual, a four page document, contains two pages of illustrated operating instructions, which give some useful tips on the finer points of getting the most from the machine. On reading the document my initial impression that the machine is easy to use was confirmed. The rear page gives a brief problem solving guide. 3) Tobacco. The following tobaccos were used to test the machines operation. a) Brookfield b) Golden Virginia c) Amber Leaf d) Clan Pipe tobacco e) Dunhill 965 Pipe tobacco f) Earth Impact Herbal Mix g) Farmers Honey Blend Herbal Mix With the exception of Golden Virginia and Amber Leaf tobacco, all the above worked well in the tubing machine. My impression is that the cut of the two mentioned tobaccos is just too fine for the machines capabilities regardless of the setting of the 'packing control.' Cigarettes from these tobaccos were over tightly packed and were impossible to smoke. As the Golden Virginia and Amber Leaf tobaccos are quite moist when purchased, both were allowed to dry out. No difference in the tightness of the finished cigarette was noticed after drying. I experimented with mixing both of these tobaccos with the others mentioned above. The resulting blend produced a cigarette which had 'hard spots, ' and again these proved impossible to smoke. The broader cut tobaccos proved a much better prospect. The Dunhill 965 pipe tobacco produced a cigarette similar in style to 'Sobrani' and had that typical Turkish taste. Clan pipe tobacco obviously has a taste all of its own. The tubing machine coped well with the pipe tobacco and produced a surprisingly decent cigarette. Both the herbal mixtures made a good cigarette for those who prefer that style of smoke. The Brookfield produced a quality cigarette which was difficult to distinguish from a commercial brand. Friends who also tried these were impressed. Results were consistent over time, and no difference was noted between the first or last in any one batch. 4) Tubes. a) OCB b) Zig Zag c) Sharrow d) Gizeh Silver Tip e) Gizeh Charbon f) Gizeh Mentho Tip g) Premiere 100mm h) Premiere Light 100mm All of the above mentioned tubes worked well with the machine, including the 100mm 'extra long' types. No difference in filling quality was noticed, and I would be happy to recommend any of the tubes. 5) Operating. As previously mentioned, the machine is very easy to use. During use I found that it was necessary to pull the tobacco apart slightly, separating the strands before loading into the tobacco chamber. It was also best not to over fill the chamber, about half way seemed optimum. Both of these points are covered in the manual. If these actions were observed, very little 'jamming' occurred. On the odd occasion that the machine did stall, it proved easy to clear by unplugging from the mains, removing the filling screw, and brushing the tobacco out, or indeed 'pulsing' the motor often had the desired effect. Re-assembly is straight forward, however, as the solid end of the filling screw has a notch in it, it needs to be twisted to locate with the corresponding key inside the machine. During cigarette making I found it better to slide the plastic tray to its forward position to catch any spillage from the tube as the completed cigarette was expelled from the machine. The tobacco from this tray was then periodically emptied back into the hopper, ensuring less tobacco wastage occurred. With the high cost of tobacco, this is a valid point to make. A 200g tub of Brookfield tobacco produced 170 cigarettes. (Consistent result). A batch of 20 cigarettes could be made in about 8 to 10 minutes, working at a normal pace. One other point worth mentioning, which is also covered in the manual, was occasionally while smoking, the glowing end of the cigarette would come adrift. Drivers who smoke whilst driving should be aware. Unlike a commercial cigarette, the glow is quite fragile, and an over firm flick can send the whole glowing end flying, so a more gentle touch is needed. In practise I found the 'packing control' redundant with all of the tobaccos under test. Any setting other than the minimum produced a cigarette which was too tight to smoke. The moisture content of the tobacco made little difference to the packing. At no time did the tobacco fall out of the cigarette tube after making, which has been a problem with other machines of this type. The Electric Cigarette Tubing Machine is a massive improvement over traditional hand operated tubing machines. 6) Summary. Build quality - excellent. Easy of use - excellent Function - excellent (with the right tobacco) Value for money - most definitely | 
