With a manual tube filler you push the tobacco into a cigarette tube yourself, with a lever, a slide or a turning knob. You do not need electricity.
The types
With a lever
You put the tobacco in the chamber, place a tube on the nozzle and pull the lever over. This is how the Top-O-Matic and the Mascotte Classic work, among others.
With a turning knob
On the OCB Mikromatic you turn the knob, clockwise, and the tobacco slides into the tube.
For two or three tubes
To fill more cigarettes at once, there are models for two or three tubes, such as the Angel and Banko Twin and Triple.
Metal or plastic
There are tube fillers in metal and in plastic. The metal ones are a bit heavier and sturdier.
How to fill a tube
- Tube on Place an empty cigarette tube on the nozzle of the tube filler.
- Tobacco in Spread the tobacco in the chamber and press it down lightly, a little more at the ends.
- Fill Move the lever, the slide or the turning knob in one go: the tobacco slides into the tube.
Which tobacco?
Use tobacco that is not too wet, not too dry and not cut too fine: that way the tube filler does not jam.
Safe use
Some tube fillers, such as the Top-O-Matic, hold a sharp blade that cuts the tobacco to length. Keep your fingers out of the lever's path and out of the tobacco chamber when you move the lever, and do not move the lever without a tube on the nozzle.
Cleaning
Over time, tobacco leaves greasy traces. Clean the plunger, the nozzle and the tobacco chamber regularly with a cotton bud, warm water and a little soap, and let everything dry well. Keep the moving parts free of dust.
See the manual tube fillers, or read how an electric cigarette maker works.
