Rolling Machines: An Introduction

There are three predominate types of cigarette rolling machines. I’ve used two of the three and as typical for me on these theme weeks, have just now ordered one that will be delivered after the week is through.

The first are rollers, simple tubes covered in plastic sheets that work moderately well once you get the motion down, not dissimilar to the dollar bill trick. These are most commonly used by marijuana smokers, as they are unwieldy to haul around and unable to produce a cigarette with a filter.

That’s why many folks use “injectors,” machines that are capable of filling pre-made “slugs” or “tubes.” These empty paper tubes come with filters already glued in. After tamping down a little bit of tobacco inside—these basic injectors open like a stapler—you cock the injector like a pistol, forcing the tobacco inside.

Getting just the right amount of tobacco inside can be a challenge: too little and the tobacco will just fall out of the tube; too much and the tube will rip or be clogged by compacted tobacco. It’s not rocket science, though, and with just a little practice you can knock out a dozen coffin nails in five to ten minutes. Even better, it gives you an excuse to purchase a swanky cigarette case.

An elite class of injector machines that don’t use the cocking motion to load tubes, but instead use a hand-crank system to slowly and surely pack each slug. The Supermatic and Supermatic II are the top-end products from Premier, who also offers a line of cocking injectors—even a double-barreled one!

A crank-powered Supermatic can be had for about $45. Tubes cost about $2-$3 per 200-count box (that’s a carton’s worth, math champs). Tobacco varies from $10 a pound for low-end to nearly five times the price for more exclusive brands.

Depending on how much your preferred brand of cigarettes cost and whether you choose to go with something like a Supermatic or with a cheaper plastic hand-cocked injector, making your own cigarettes can be cheaper than buying a carton even with your initial outlay for a machine. When I was dirt poor not that many years ago, I could only afford to smoke hand-made cigarettes. By the time I could afford buying manufactured a couple of years later I could make a fairly decent simulacrum of a pre-rolled cigarette. And now that I can afford from-the-factory tobacco, I am going to try my hand at rolling my own again so that I can start experimenting with different tobaccos—the cost savings are just a happy bonus. (I’ll put the money away with my old Camel Cash for a down payment on a future lung transplant.)

Images courtesy RYOCigarette.com.