Best Lighter??

R

rgkeller

Joined
Nov 11, 1999
Messages
66
If I wanted something more substantial than a Bic or a Zippo, what would be the best lighter I could purchase for survival type situations.

Fluid retention, number of lights, robustness of flame, breakability, and shelf life are, obviously, all factors.

Assume that money is not a consideration.
 
As long as it isn't too too cold out, Windmill's, which use butane, would be good. I believe that they do not use a flint. Zippo's have an advantage in that you can use alcohol or camp fuel and other similar things if you run out of lighter fluid. I would never let my life depend on just one of these items so a flint rod or other similar spark maker would be a definite must as a companion.
 
Yeah, I agree about not betting your life on something that can break, or simply not work. I thought about getting one of the somewhat expensive stormproof lighters and after talking to a couple of people who owned them, decided that an adjustable, disposable butane lighter would be just as good and I still carry a sparker of some kind along with some tinder.
 
Being a pipe smoker I always have a Zippo handy. In my BOB I carry a Bic, Lifeboat matches & a Doan magnesium fire starter with tinder tabs. In my "bad habit pack" in my truck I carry a spare pipe, tobacco, a Zippo, a can of lighter fluid & extra flints. Can't beat a Zippo!
Gene :D
 
Another great thing about Zippos is that you can take spare flints and store them in the cotton piece in the bottom by making a small hole with an awl. I have 3 spare flints in my EDC Zippo. Even if I run out of fluid or wick, I've still have plenty of sparks to throw. Some day I'll pack and extra wick in there somehow.
 
IIRC, the cotton was layered, so all ya gotta do is lift up the last and set your flints in. That is how my grandfather did it, and where I learned it. Maybe they changed.

I have a couple Windmills, and like them. Also have some adjustable Bics/Crickets.

Gotta keep them warm in the cold so the fuel remains volatile (sp). Most people know their tire pressure drops in cold weather, but don't think about butane acting the same way.

Quit carrying Zippos cause of the fuel leaks and the he(( those raised with my leg/groin skin... :eek:
 
OUCH!!!! :rolleyes: Thanks for the reminder, I was going to resurrect my Dads old lighter. Think I'll leave it in mothballs and stick with the cheap butane jobs.

FYI, I read on another post where someone that was using the gold flints got a surprise when they turned into a black sludge in his lighter. The red flint that he was using at the time was still in perfect condition. Well, except for the black stuff all over it.
 
thatmguy said:
IIRC, the cotton was layered, so all ya gotta do is lift up the last and set your flints in. That is how my grandfather did it, and where I learned it. Maybe they changed.
QUOTE]
No, you're right :) . I meant the felt pad on the bottom of all the cotton layers :footinmou . I just see it easier to use that as a place to store the flints that is easier to get to and see how many you have.
Click to expand...
 
I could not get mine to lite above 7000 ft. no matter how I adjusted the fuel control. Might be nice to have at sea level, but I will never pack it again on a mountian trip!<><
 
Zippos are great most of the time but don't work worth a damn at -40 unless you keep them close to your skin. Coleman stoves don't either unless you preheat them. Well, heck, nothing works too well at that temperature. :p
 
I think people with leaky zippos just overfill them or dont hold them upside down and "burn off" the excess after filling. In 10 years of daily zippo carry/use i have yet to have one leak on me.
 
the problem with my zippo was since i never used it, it would go dry very quickly from evaporation i assume so now i just rely on a mag. firestarter.
 
I like Zippos.

When I started smoking a pipe several years ago, my wife got me Zippo pipe lighter. Looked very cool. But, in spite of itself, the taste of the fluid came thru in the draw. Do you find this Gene??

Yeh, maybe I overloaded the pup like C mentioned. Don't know.

I went back to butane and Zippo went to the lighter drawer with all of my grandfatehrs and dads Zippos.

I use my Windmill Deltas most all the time. Use our grill lighters to light my cigars at the house...
 
thatmguy said:
I like Zippos.

When I started smoking a pipe several years ago, my wife got me Zippo pipe lighter. Looked very cool. But, in spite of itself, the taste of the fluid came thru in the draw. Do you find this Gene??

Yeh, maybe I overloaded the pup like C mentioned. Don't know.

I went back to butane and Zippo went to the lighter drawer with all of my grandfatehrs and dads Zippos.

I use my Windmill Deltas most all the time. Use our grill lighters to light my cigars at the house...
Click to expand...

I never noticed any fluid taste coming thru in the draw on my pipes, of course my pipe tobacco could probably mask the taste of almost anything! BTW the only skin "burn" I ever got from leaking fuel was from a Zippo I had in my pocket when I got dumped out of a canoe. Don't know if the water flushed fuel out of it or what.
Gene
:D
 
thatmguy said:
When I started smoking a pipe several years ago, my wife got me Zippo pipe lighter. Looked very cool. But, in spite of itself, the taste of the fluid came thru in the draw. Do you find this Gene??
Click to expand...

I smoke cigars, although cheap ones. ;)

I stopped using a Zippo for this very same reason you state. Bought a Bic instead, and it works great.
-Kevin
 
The trick to not tasting the zippo fluid in a pipe is to let it burn for 2-3 seconds before lighting your pipe. Same thing works with matches as it burns off the sulphur taste that you can get if you light it too quickly.

Most pipesmokers on the smoking forums I frequent regard the Corona Old Boy as the best pipelighter. I have no idea how it would perform in a survival situation, but I thought I'd throw that on the table to see if anyone is familiar with the lighter. Here's a photo...they come in a variety of finishes and can be pretty pricy(US$70-100).

oldboyblueweave.jpg


I carry an IMCO pipe lighter. They're cheap(US$10), refillible with Ronson fluid, and use Zippo flints. The lighter has a holder inside for an extra flint and the flame adjusts from 1/2" to 1 1/4". The ronson fluid doesn't impart a flavor to the tobacco as far as I can tell. Here's a photo of the lighter:

3086_l.jpg
 
Amator said:
The trick to not tasting the zippo fluid in a pipe is to let it burn for 2-3 seconds before lighting your pipe. Same thing works with matches as it burns off the sulphur taste that you can get if you light it too quickly.

Most pipesmokers on the smoking forums I frequent regard the Corona Old Boy as the best pipelighter. I have no idea how it would perform in a survival situation, but I thought I'd throw that on the table to see if anyone is familiar with the lighter. Here's a photo...they come in a variety of finishes and can be pretty pricy(US$70-100).

oldboyblueweave.jpg


I carry an IMCO pipe lighter. They're cheap(US$10), refillible with Ronson fluid, and use Zippo flints. The lighter has a holder inside for an extra flint and the flame adjusts from 1/2" to 1 1/4". The ronson fluid doesn't impart a flavor to the tobacco as far as I can tell. Here's a photo of the lighter:

3086_l.jpg
Click to expand...

Good info, thanks!
-Kevin
 
Alberta Ed said:
Zippos are great most of the time but don't work worth a damn at -40 unless you keep them close to your skin. Coleman stoves don't either unless you preheat them. Well, heck, nothing works too well at that temperature. :p
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Come-on Alberta..Coleman's work great. In Nunavut that's all the locals would use. Take 1 square of toilet paper put it on the main burner...remove the pump..gas container and pump it up..open and spray the toilet paper with fuel..Shut it off. light the toilet paper...use it to pre-heat the generator stick it back in the stove when the toilet paper runs down and turn it on. Repeat as neccessary... Well maybe you are right...nothing works that well at -40!!!!!
 
I have a Colibri with a twin burner design and a cap that locks down on a gasket to make it waterproof. It is a little bulky, but has always worked. I have not tried it at any significant altitude, however.
 
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