Hey there, enjoy reading the forum and came across this thread when it came out. It's been bugging me so I thought I would put my .02 cents in on the topic.
I have the original Perfecdraw and when the new lower price come out, I jumped on it (and the glue) to have a spare in the travel case. I was disappointed when the new one came in....it is NO WHERE NEAR THE QUALITY as the original and in my opinion, not worth the new lower price.
Upon opening the case, the exterior design has changed. The original has a round design with a clip on the sleeve. The new one has no clip and the portion containing the tool is now a hexagon. No big deal.
Pulling out the tools, the new one is .25" longer and is made of a different metal or at the bare minimum, has a different coating. No big deal.
Looking at the cutting of the barbs that remove the tobacco from the cigars, the original was cut in a way that when you twisted the tool, it would auger into the cigar. You can the auger cut when you turn it...like a mini drill bit with barbs. The cutting of the barbs is surgical and left plenty of material on the shaft to make it durable. The new one has four rows barbs cut but no auger action at all and the barb cutting is deeper, leaving not as much material on the shaft.
If I didn't throw out the box, I would have attempted to return the new one. I would recommend the primal in a heart beat but would pass on the new one....again just my opinion and observations.
