Brunton Helios lighter

Every Helios I ever had was a POS.. Most of the "hard use" lighters on the market are a joke.. I got a refillable bic type lighter with a bright LED for a dollar in Idaho I was more impressed with.. If some company came out with the be all end all would light on the moon type lighter, I'd be all over it.. Even on the high end the stuff is pretty crappy over the long haul. We need some pointed headed Germans to come up with something bulletproof.. Hell I'd rather pay $500 and hand it down to my son, than get $50'erd to death time and time again..;)
 
DaleW said:
Ditto on the fuel, but I don't see any advantage on the Zippo insert vs a garden variety butane lighter. It's piezoelectric and prone to the same problems as the Bruton, less the windproof feature.
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It is indeed piezoelectric-- it's just that it seems to have a good long-term working reputation. If you do a search, you'll find lots of problems with most of these blowtorch type lighters. The Blazer Torch and the Z-Plus (made by Blazer) just seem to keep on working. (I still wouldn't trust it as my only fire starting method, though.)

THIS Blazer: http://www.blazerproducts.com/lighters/torch.html
 
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I had one once. It was used a couple of times and sat in my pack unused for about four-six months. I was packing and checked it and it had sprung a leak and was bone dry and would not hold a refill. Never again for me.
 
angle iron said:
I had one once. It was used a couple of times and sat in my pack unused for about four-six months. I was packing and checked it and it had sprung a leak and was bone dry and would not hold a refill. Never again for me.
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Angle iron- being that your post appears immediately following my comments on the Z-Plus, it's not clear which lighter you're referring to-- the Helios or the Z-Plus?
 
I smoke a pipe and drive a jeep with no top..... So I've tried my share of windproof lighters. Right now I use a windmill. I've had it nearly 2 years and never had a malfunction.
 
Fieldtestornothing said:
I smoke a pipe and drive a jeep with no top..... So I've tried my share of windproof lighters. Right now I use a windmill. I've had it nearly 2 years and never had a malfunction.
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Hmm...those are sure nice looking! Two years and no malfunctions is definitely a good track record, too.
 
:thumbup:Ive used one of the Z-Pluz inserts for several years with good results but I do blow it out with compressed air fairly often. This seems to help with the piezo failure problems--
KV
 
These little Ronson lighters at Walmart are less than $5. I had one taken by TSA, so replaced it. They've both been great lighters and REAL cheap.
 
Matches, firesteel, bics and a Zippo, I use a white spirts stove so fuel for the zippo is no problem, then the liftime guarentee is wicked - a friend of mine "lost" his zippo then found it when mowing the lawn, he picked up the pieces, posted to them and they posted him a new Zippo, don't get much better than that!
 
About ten years ago, I bought a sturdy, metal-bodied butane/piezo ignition lighter on clearance for about $20. It has a tiny coil under the flame that gets superheated and keeps the flame lit in wind and rain. It's conventional size and shape - just about identical in form to a Zippo. It has a rubber gasket and a little self-locking latch on the lid.

It was so much cheaper than other lighters of the same type, I didn't expect much from it. After ten years, I now wish I had bought three or four of them!

Stay sharp,
desmobob
 
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