Looking for a Cigar Lighter

I LOVE the Vector Thundra....it is a bit too big for pocket carry, but my cigar lounge uses them and they average a year of constant dropping, falling over, and use, and still soldier on wonderfully...amazing quality, superb function.

Best Regards,

STeven Garsson
 
Pretty much anything Xikar. They make cigar specific lighters. I prefer to not use a torch lighter because you can't toast the foot of the cigar as long which changes the flavor. If it's really windy where you are lighting your cigar Xikar makes torch lighters as well.
 
I have put all of the recommended lighters on an eBay search crawler and will pick one up on the cheap when I find one...In the meantime, I actually just purchased 5 boxes of strike anywhere matches. :D
 
I've got a single flame corona that I've had for years. it was $110 way back when I got it, but you'll be more than happy with it. I've had it abotu 10 years. However I quit smoking (cigs) 6 years ago, still get a monte every now & again. I placed it on the shelf in my safe & there it's stayed, with the butane from 6 years ago, & it still lights first strike every time & will until it's empty. Definitely higher priced than what you want, but I assure you, it's worth it.
 
I use Blue Rhino lighters. I've used others in the past and have always come back to the rhinos. They run at around $30-50 and are some of the most durable lighters I've used. They also look pretty classy without seeming pretentious.
 
Xikar. By far the best cigar lighters I have used for the money. Stay away from Colibri.
 
The discontinued Colibri Chairman is ihe best cigar lighter I have ever used bar none, I bought 7 of them when they were discontinued nothing touches them, I also love my Sterling S.T. Dupont lighter for indoor smoking, there is somthing special about an S.T. Dupont
 
I'd get a DuPont, it's worth the money. I worked in a cigar shop for three years and can't tell you how many lotus and xikar lighters I had to replace, I still have two broken xikars (too bad, they make the best cutters..) to send for service.. but they are not the most reliable.. My dupont cost me about 120 bucks But I have NEVER had a problem with it. I am a pipe smoker, and I find I carry my IM corona (made in seki city!!!) more these days, but then, that's a pipe lighter not a torch.. I've seens quite a few colibris fail as well, and they are defunct now anyway.. Whatever you end up with, use a refined fuel, at least 3x, preferably 5x, and don't abuse your lighter, I think you'd be happy a year from now with a dupont, they are elegant, and easy to carry (very thin, nothing to snag) and then you have a dupont! enjoy your stogies..I know I will - hayes
 
I do not recommend a blue flame (torch) butane lighter. All torch lighters fail eventually. I'm not really sure why, but they always do, and that includes the top-of-the-line offerings from Dunhill, Zippo (blue), etc. Eventually, they stop working if you use them daily for smoking. Add to that the fact that they go through fuel very fast (unnecessarily fast, if you ask me). I smoke a pipe, cigars, and cigarettes, so I've used plenty of lighters.

I recommend a good yellow flame (bic-style) butane lighter for cigars. Personally, I use a Vector Thunderbird insert in a Zippo case. I agree with all the other posters about the refined butane. Zippo blue butane, Ronson, etc. are all high quality and can be found anywhere, even at gas stations, so I wouldn't worry too much about it. Just don't buy some el cheapo no-name brand.

One note: no butane lighter (yellow flame) will ever give you the wind-resistance of a Zippo with a lighter-fluid insert. It's always a compromise for the best of both worlds. You can flip a Zippo (with lighter-fluid insert) in the air and spin it 20 times, and usually it will still be alight when you catch it. You can't do that with a butane lighter. The trade-off is the lack of the fast evaporation rate, stinging and stinking nature of lighter-fluid, etc. But a high quality insert like the Vector Thunderbird is a good compromise: it gives you the tastelessness and non-evaporating nature of butane with some of the wind-resistance of a Zippo (maybe 40%, but still much better than a Bic).

Just my 2 pesos.
 
JulianHayes said:
I'd get a DuPont, it's worth the money. I worked in a cigar shop for three years and can't tell you how many lotus and xikar lighters I had to replace, I still have two broken xikars (too bad, they make the best cutters..) to send for service.. but they are not the most reliable.. My dupont cost me about 120 bucks But I have NEVER had a problem with it. I am a pipe smoker, and I find I carry my IM corona (made in seki city!!!) more these days, but then, that's a pipe lighter not a torch.. I've seens quite a few colibris fail as well, and they are defunct now anyway.. Whatever you end up with, use a refined fuel, at least 3x, preferably 5x, and don't abuse your lighter, I think you'd be happy a year from now with a dupont, they are elegant, and easy to carry (very thin, nothing to snag) and then you have a dupont! enjoy your stogies..I know I will - hayes
Click to expand...

A year from now you might be happy with a Dupont, but in a few years maybe not so much. They aren't as reliable as IM Corona's, and while IM will service one of their broken lighters for free, ST Dupont often charges $100 or more for basic repair. Seems ridiculous when you consider that it's pretty easy to get a Corona for less than the cost of a Dupont's repair, and they're better built lighters anyway (although not as finely finished). Interesting to hear that Corona is from Seki, where did you find that?
 
Tsujigiri said:
A year from now you might be happy with a Dupont, but in a few years maybe not so much. They aren't as reliable as IM Corona's, and while IM will service one of their broken lighters for free, ST Dupont often charges $100 or more for basic repair. Seems ridiculous when you consider that it's pretty easy to get a Corona for less than the cost of a Dupont's repair, and they're better built lighters anyway (although not as finely finished). Interesting to hear that Corona is from Seki, where did you find that?
Click to expand...
Good point, I carry my IM corona 99 percent of the time, and even bought a second in brass and briar. I prefer a pipe lighter in nearly every ocassion (i.e. if I am bringing cigars and a cutter to a party, I'll choose the dupont, but that is about it). I recommend the dupont because the OP originally asked about windproof, which usually means jet/torch lighter. I have not had to send my dupont in, but I have not used it since I have had the coronas... As for seki City, The markings on both old boys say only Japan, Seki City is what my tobacconist told me (the one i bought it from, he also sells knives...now that you have me wondering)... Anyways, I am glad to know someone else knows how great they are. replace with just about any decent flint and you can always open your jacket to light a cigar. Also, jet lighters burn hotter, I prefer to toast the cigar with a match or pipe lighter from a distance of 2-4 cm... either way, glad you mentioned the dupont repair price, I doubt whether I'd have bought it knowing that... I revoke my recommendation perhaps... Go with a corona, and accept that a pipe/cigarette lighter/non-jet flame is a whole lot closer to a cedar match!!! If it must be windproof... well, I have not met one that competes yet, and I have been a pipe smoker/collector for 5 or 6 years aside from working in the trade. tsujigiri, could there be another pipe-nut among us?? Thanks.. -hayes
 
JulianHayes said:
Good point, I carry my IM corona 99 percent of the time, and even bought a second in brass and briar. I prefer a pipe lighter in nearly every ocassion (i.e. if I am bringing cigars and a cutter to a party, I'll choose the dupont, but that is about it). I recommend the dupont because the OP originally asked about windproof, which usually means jet/torch lighter. I have not had to send my dupont in, but I have not used it since I have had the coronas... As for seki City, The markings on both old boys say only Japan, Seki City is what my tobacconist told me (the one i bought it from, he also sells knives...now that you have me wondering)... Anyways, I am glad to know someone else knows how great they are. replace with just about any decent flint and you can always open your jacket to light a cigar. Also, jet lighters burn hotter, I prefer to toast the cigar with a match or pipe lighter from a distance of 2-4 cm... either way, glad you mentioned the dupont repair price, I doubt whether I'd have bought it knowing that... I revoke my recommendation perhaps... Go with a corona, and accept that a pipe/cigarette lighter/non-jet flame is a whole lot closer to a cedar match!!! If it must be windproof... well, I have not met one that competes yet, and I have been a pipe smoker/collector for 5 or 6 years aside from working in the trade. tsujigiri, could there be another pipe-nut among us?? Thanks.. -hayes
Click to expand...

Good to know! Although I say they're overpriced, I will admit that Duponts are definitely nice lighters; hopefully yours doesn't give you any trouble. Not a pipe nut yet, just a casual smoker, but maybe someday I'll get into it.
 
Magnaminous_G said:
I do not recommend a blue flame (torch) butane lighter. All torch lighters fail eventually. I'm not really sure why, but they always do, and that includes the top-of-the-line offerings from Dunhill, Zippo (blue), etc. Eventually, they stop working if you use them daily for smoking. Add to that the fact that they go through fuel very fast (unnecessarily fast, if you ask me). I smoke a pipe, cigars, and cigarettes, so I've used plenty of lighters.
Click to expand...

Everything fails eventually, of course, but the main reason why good (not cheapo) torch lighters fail is because their inner workings get clogged with soot & other impurities due to low quality butane. Second reason may be because a seal has failed.

The best way to extend the service life of your torch and other butane lighters is to use as clean a butane as possible. Personally, I use Vektor butane because it has been filtered 5-times versus most other high-end butane which has only been filtered 3-times. I have no idea what the really cheap butanes have gone thru, but you can see the difference in soot on your lighter after only a few uses if you compare 5X v 3x butane.

Just my opinion.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top