Best lighter?

D

drjones

Joined
Sep 6, 2000
Messages
913
Hi. I'm looking for a good lighter. NO, not a zippo. I want something more durable, more weatherproof.

I have NO idea what's out there...educate me!

This is going to be for EDC (I obviously don't smoke) But will also be part of my SURVIVAL kit, which is why I want it so durable.

Thanks!
drjones
 
Brunton Helios. Period.
You can find them available at tadgear.com

Jeff
 
Thanks! Do you have one? How do you like it?

Also; how big is it? It looks pretty chunky. Would it be fit for edc?

Thanks
Drjones
 
I don't own one, but I have handled them and I know numerous people that own them. It is rather large, but not to big.
If I couldn't get one of those, my second choice would be the windmill delta. Also a great lighter.

Jeff
 
They both have the exact same base "lighter" unit in them, just the housing is different.

The Windmill has a "rubberized" exterior, and the Helios has the chrome/black plastic exterior.

If you hold them side-by-side, you can see that the actual lighter portion is identical.

I prefer the Windmill (I have both) because it take hard knocks better, IMHO.

Mike
 
Hi,

I've bought some cheap torch lighters from the German Globetrotter Outdoor shop.
Our Scouts use them and my personal copy got used extensively over the past 2 months.
They cost me $5/piece and it is the best $5/piece that I invested in lighters for ages.

It's not waterproof but if you put it in a survival kit just put it in a small ziplock bag or stuff it in a condom.

zp01162-.jpg


The advantages of the lighter are:

1. its pinpoint torchflame it produces which it's really hot, I even Silver soldered with it, lighting Mayawood takes only a few seconds.

2. it has a very large fuel reservoir that is clearly visible so you know how much fuel you still have left.

3. the cheap price, if you loose one or it breaks it doesn't hurt your pocket.

I think they are a knock-off of some torch lighter that was first produced by a company that made soldering products, but I never saw the originals.

Although this lighter isn't waterproof and won't survive a 30 foot drop onto concrete it hasn't failed on me yet and even better I could get 8 for the price of one of the lighters mentioned in the posts before this post.

Best Scouting wishes from Holland,

Bagheera
 
I have a $5US Alpen Blazer that does appear to be waterproof in my tests. So far it's worked very well too. Clear plastic so you can see reservoir. I would prefer two cheap ones to any expensive one because they all fail suddenly - usually when you need them nmost.
 
i have carried one of the cabela alaskan guide lighters, it has been from -20 to 104 degrees and below sealevel to 9000 feet and has not failed me yet, it is small, comes in black and blaze orange, will not blow out in heavy wind. i carry one with me anytime i am outdoors.

have given one to an african hunting guide and he has also gotten good service out of it.

alex
 
I do not intend to be sarcastic but why not just a Bic lighter for EDC? Those state of art lighters are more expensive and much bulkier than regular lighter because they are designed for extreme conditions- high wind, heavy downpour and very high altitude. In survival kit, OK, but for EDC it seems overly expensive and unecessary unless you enjoy for the "gadget "factor. Still it is of utmost importance that you carry other fire starting devices- ferro rod, waterproof matches and tinder, similar foolproof tools.
Regards,
Martin
 
Martin: Good point, however I like ALL my things to be the best of the best of the best. Even items for "EDC." If anything, those items SHOULD be the best, because those are the items you will most likely have on you when $hit happens!

Anyway, with all the wonderful advice I've gotten here, I think I"m just going to get a couple bics and stick 'em in a ziplock bag for my "emergency" survival kit. (Along with other fire stuff...)

I got a Colibri a while ago, $20, which is a good amount for a lighter, IMO, and the thing NEVER worked well at ALL. I've never seen a non-working BIC, except for ones that had run out of fuel! :D

I agree wholeheartedly with what someone said: "have two cheap ones rather than one expensive one, b/c the one will fail when you need it most." Too many conflicting opinions on these things for them to be of much good... If only they had Strider's reputation...*sigh* :rolleyes: ;)

Thanks guys!!!

drjones
 
They cost me $5/piece and it is the best $5/piece that I invested in lighters for ages.
Click to expand...
Bagheera, where do you get these for $5? They look identical to the Blazers which cost about $40 here in the U.S., at least imported from the UK.
 
I know you said no Zippo but Sooner or later you will give up and buy a zippo. My buddy has about 5-10 differnt butane lighters ranging in price from $5-$40 that he got over the last few years and they all failed him at one time or another. If you NEED it to work all the time then get a zippo, if %100 reliability is not needed then i guess any lighter will do. Just my 2 cents.
 
Hi Matthew,

Globetrotter, a German outdoor business sells these, they are copies of the real thing and made in China I believe.

Still it has served me well for the past months and also my Scouts who are known to be able to break something very quickly even if it it good quality.

You can see them at: http://www.globetrotter.de/de/shop/...rtikel,++Feuerzeug,+Kleinkram&u_kat=Feuerzeug

The bad part is the site is on German, they only deliver inside Europe and they have a order minimum of about $54.

Yesterday the 'blazer' copy lighted a large barbeque and I cooked meat for 45 people.

Best Scouting wishes from Holland,

Bagheera
 
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