Lighter ?

Myakka

Myakka

Joined
Feb 9, 2004
Messages
1,447
I am looking for a lighter. What do you think about "The windmill lighter" I want something better than "Bic", and I hate refilling Zippo's all the time.
 
What's not to love about a Bic?

Cheap, disposable, reliable, ubiquitous.

I have heard good things about Brunton's butane lighter though.
 
http://www.elighters.com/lighters.html

Some of the ST Dupont lighters make high end custom knives look like bargain bin finds.

This Visol seems like a decent ligher at a fair price. http://www.elighters.com/vmagic61gm.html

a-zlighters_1887_842701


HTH,
Rupe
 
Colibri Andromeda, picked up in august... Had to refill in Febuary, and I've got it set at about a 1/2" of visible blue cone.

I've got both a zippo and trench lighter on my desk, niether one has been touched since august(after just about 3yrs on the zippo).
The rate my zippo went through fuel and flint, I would have spent close to what I paid for the Andromeda over the last year alone, never mind the 3yrs I ran it.

As with everything, getting higher quality also means more care. My fill in febuary was a complete cleaning and refill. Compressed air(flushed the tank clean), refill and adjust flame level.. Burning better than the first tank did. The most my zippo got was a wick adjustment and new flint. Probably 3/4 of the flints that went into it were salvaged from Bics.
 
I've got a couple Windmills, and a Helios.

They both use the exact same core lighter, only the outer shell is different, rubberized on the Windmill, and plasticized on the Helios.

I've not had what I would call a reliability problem, only that they can be finicky about butane levels and their flame size adjustments. When full, I have to tweak down to a lower level, and when it gets below about 1/4 have to turn it up.

Until I found this relationship, I was cussing the lighter. Now, I can burn through an entire tank refill with only a couple adjustments.

Honestly, I haven't put maybe 2 tanks thru the Helios. The plasticized exterior concerns me for durability versus the rubber exterior of the Windmill.

FWIW, I'll most likely get a couple more Windmills.

Hope this helps.

Mike
I can live with it.
 
My blazer micro torch (PB-207) has been reliable since '97. I've filled it at least a dozen times so far. I just got a Z-plus insert that seems to be just as good. Only time will tell.

I bought a Brunton Firelight last year. It's been holding up well also, but the flame just doesn't compare to a Blazer.

Guy
 
I'm probably just weird, but, I like reliability over fanciness and "gee whiz" factor. I'm stuck on Zippos and Bics.

I've never adjusted a Zippo's wick height, so all of that wick that comes with them never gets used. I'll never need to buy another flint again, because, when a Bic dies, there's usually enough flint remaining to be "recycled" by breaking it in two, and then it fits into my Zippo perfectly, twice.

I had a Colibri for a couple of years, that came from Winston, during one of those cigarette catalog giveaways, but, it eventually gave out. I tried everything that I could, to get it started again, but, after I looked closely, I found that the fine wires that heated up, and kept the lighter burning, had broken.

Generally, at least to me, the more fancy the lighter, the ones that have the largest "gee whiz/wow" factor, the more delicate and fussy that they can be.

If I drop a Zippo or a Bic from four feet, onto concrete, there's a good chance that I can just pick it up and it'll light, as if I hadn't dropped it. Sure, there might be some dents, dings or scratches, but the functionality hasn't changed. I wouldn't recommend dropping some of those fancy lighters, even on accident...but, who can prevent all accidents...?

Zippos and Bics have the reliability that sold me on them...and I don't mind handing either of them over to someone else to use.

GeoThorn
 
Colibri is the most overated lighter in existence. I will never buy another!!!!! I should have listened to everyone on this forum. Mine lasted about 2 weeks before I had reliability problems. I have a couple Z Plus inserts now. I have had them for over a year and have not had a single problem!
Mike
 
I bought a Colibri lighter for my dad for Christmas. Unfortunately, I decided to do a search here in the Gadgets & Gear forum for "Colibri" right after I put in the order. :o LOL!

The lighter had an extremely cool appearance and was awesome when it lit, but I just couldn't get it to work reliably. I tried refilling it with Colibri premium butane and adjusting the flame level, but no dice. :thumbdn:

Luckily, I received the lighter several weeks before Christmas and had enough time to buy my dad something else. I ended up simply getting him another Zippo – one with silver plating and a little engraving. It looks great and is completely reliable!
 
I've never had any problem with my colibri cx gear. It lights all the time. I mostly use it to light cigars though if you're going for durability nothing beats a zippo. Covered in mud, sand, you can still get it to work. I always pack extra fluid, which can be fun all on it's own ;) In all honesty if you're going with butane you might as well buy a torch and then you can solder and do light welding too....
 
Can't see how everyone complains about colibri. I've used mine enough to start wearing away the finish on the lid, still lights first time, every time.

Fill, adjust flame till I have about a 1/2" of visible flame. When it comes time to top off the tank(depending on play time), you just have to remember to depresurize it. Stick a small screwdriver on the nozzle and press down for a few seconds.... Had to get a few of my father's lighters working when he couldn't get em to fill or light.
 
Brunton Helios. I bought one when they first came out. 5 years maybe.
I just sent it back for a repair. They sent a brand new one. Terrific lighter.
 
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