Snus Accessories 101. Icetools and Prismasters and snus boxes, oh my!

Greetings Snustopians!

Today I thought we would do something a little different. Rather than do a review on a particular snus, I thought we would go over some of the things you can use to enhance your enjoyment of snus. Some of them are essential to that enjoyment and some are just plain cool to have! So, with that information in hand, let’s begin our lesson in Snus Accessories.

You may be asking why I would do a review on snus accessories. One of the reasons is the amount of questions I’ve been getting about the differences between the Prismaster and the Icetool! While I was doing research on these two portioning tools, I came across a few other accessories that looked really cool! I figured that if I’m going to do a review on tools, let’s do a review on all the things available!

Let’s start with the portioning tools. There are basically two types of portioning tools, the Prismaster and the Icetool. Although they do the same basic thing, portion out lös (loose) snus, there are a lot of differences between them. One thing is the look!

We’ll begin with the Prismaster. Why the Prismaster, you ask? Easy, it’s the least expensive first off. Almost every Snustopian that’s new to lös (loose) snus and has tried to hand bake a pris, to no success, has bought a Prismaster. Even I have one because, as you all know, I’m hand bake challenged! The Prismaster is great for beginners because it’s easy to use as well. All you have to do is push the open part of the Prismaster into the snus a few times, pack it lightly on the lid of the can, put the Prismaster under your top lip and slide the lever. You’ll get a perfect sized and shaped pris each time. It’s that easy!

It’s also a great tool for beginners to decide if you like the lössnus variety. Since its cost is under $2, you really haven’t lost anything if you decide that loose snus is not for you! I recommend the Prismaster for new Snustopians that want to try lössnus. You really can’t go wrong with the price! If you do decide that loose snus is for you, you’ll find that there are drawbacks to the Prismaster.

For one, they’re made of plastic and can be broken easily with a lot of use. That’s not the biggest drawback though. The biggest drawback to the Prismaster is that there is no way to control the size of the pris without doing a modification to it. Each pris will come out the same size but, the pris the Prismaster makes can be a bit wide and long for some Snustopians. “So Snus Guy, what options do we have outside the Prismaster?” Well, you can learn how to hand bake a pris or, get an Icetool!

The Icetool is a portion tool that is more flexible than the Prismaster in the fact that you can control the size of the pris. To the right is a picture of an Icetool. As you can see, it’s much different than the Prismaster in a couple of ways.

The first difference is that the Icetool is made of metal instead of plastic which means that the Icetool will last virtually a lifetime! The Icetool is made in either Aluminum or Stainless Steel and comes in 5 ml or 3 ml sizes. The Aluminum Icetools come in an array of different colors while the Stainless Steel ones come in a high buffed finish or black. “What? Snus Guy, what do you mean 5 ml and 3 ml! We don’t get it!” In the beginning, I didn’t either but what I found out is that 3 ml and 5 ml basically tell you the diameter of the Icetool’s barrel.

Take a look at the picture again. The Icetool looks like a syringe without the needle, right? In actuality, the diameter of the barrels is an exact replica of one, only in metal. The 3 ml Icetool will yield a thinner diameter pris while the 5 ml will give you a wider one. The other difference between the Icetool and the Prismaster is the fact that you can control the length of the pris.

Unlike the Prismaster, the Icetool has an adjustable plunger that will let you choose how long you want the pris! Only have time for a small pris? Move the plunger to the first notch and load the Icetool the same way you load a Prismaster! Feel daring? Move the barrel out to its last notch! Once you’re ready, put the end of the tool in your upper lip, push the plunger in and you’re done! It’s as simple as that! The Icetool also allows you to control the feel of the pris by letting you control the compaction in the tool.

The only drawback to the Icetool is the price. Prices range from around $42 USD for the 3 ml, in either metal, $ 47 for the Aluminum 5 ml and $ 51 for the Stainless Steel 5 ml. I personally prefer the 3 ml over the 5 ml but, if you like a fatter pris, go with the 5 ml. I recommend that all Snustopians, that have lössnus in their regular rotation, should have an Icetool. They are easy to use, last a lifetime and are pretty cool as well!

The last snus accessory we will review is the ultimate in snus “Bling”, Stainless Steel snus boxes! These snus boxes are made of high grade Stainless Steel and come in two variations, one for loose snus and one for portion snus. The portion snus model comes with a hinged compartment on the lid for used portions and a lift off lid to place the snus in. The loose snus model has a lift off lid for placing your favorite lössnus in!

Two companies make snus boxes and, depending on which snus shop you buy them from, are made by either Icetool, the same company that makes the portion tools we just reviewed, or Slimcase.se, which are pictured to the left. I purchased my snus boxes from swedishsnus.com for one reason. They offer free Diamond engraving on the bottom of the can so; to see what the quality of the engraving would be, I had one engraved with my name. The quality of the engraving is excellent and matched the font on the top. The top of the boxes have the swedishsnus.com logo Diamond engraved on them as well.

Other online stores (like The Northerner) carry the Icetool brand of snus boxes. These are pretty much identical to the Slimcase brand of snus boxes with both being made of Stainless Steel and both portion boxes have the hinged lid. They don’t, however, offer the free engraving. The thing that makes the Icetool boxes special is that their boxes are Laser engraved with the unique Icetool logo on the lids!

Prices for the snus boxes range quite a bit! The ones at The Northerner are are Icetool boxes and are priced at $36 USD for the loose snus version and $40 USD for the portion version.

I know your saying “Snus Guy! Why would we pay that for a box when the snus comes is a pretty sturdy can already?” Good question! A good reason for getting the loose box is that most lössnus comes in a cardboard can with a plastic lid. If you’re a Snustopian that uses loose snus while you’re out and about, the snus box will keep the can from getting destroyed in your pocket!

While the snus boxes don’t really do anything to enhance the actual snus, they do add a certain kind of elegance when you use them! I keep my boxes in the fridge at night and, keep them on my desk throughout the day. When I take out a portion or, offer one to tourists visiting Snustopia, it becomes a conversation piece, giving me another opportunity to talk about the land I love, Snustopia!

My recommendation for the snus boxes is this; if you enjoy snus enough to tell everyone at the pub or the office, these snus boxes will create that opportunity. Even though they are a bit pricy, they would be a great thing to suggest to people if you’re the kind of person that’s hard to buy for!

Well Snustopians, I hope you found this lesson in snus accessories helpful and informative. I also hope I cleared up some of the mysteries regarding the Prismaster and the Icetools as well! As always, I welcome your questions and comments and look forward to answering them!

Until our next review,

Happy Snussing!

That Snus Guy