Pocket lighters - what's good?

lots of interesting stuff here. I use the rei stormproof matches. They will light anything.
 
Snow said:
The Helios is what I have and it works very well. I have only heard bad things about the Zippo Blue.
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Please be more specific. Do they fail easily? Blow out in a gentle breeze? Leak gas and run out of fuel too often?

:confused:
 
Rockywolf said:
Never used any except a Zippo. Not a fan because the fuel evaporates so quickly. Looking forward to hearing what others' say...
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I havn't used my zippo for years, I used to keep one in my bag, but the few times I needed it, the fuel was evaporated.

I will take a bic over a zippo anytime.

If you want a cheap but good torch lighter, try a Ronson. It honestly is more reliable than other higher end lighters I own.

I think they keep Ronson's at Walmart.
 
Sid Post said:
Please be more specific. Do they fail easily? Blow out in a gentle breeze? Leak gas and run out of fuel too often?

:confused:
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From what I saw on Cigarpass (forums about cigars, obviously), the fuel capacity is very limited.

There's a review somewhere on youtube.
 
There's a quick review of the Zippo Blu here - another cigar site (they seem to know a thing or two about lighters!)

http://www.stogieguys.com/2008/01/01172008-stogie-tip-check-out-the-zippo-blu-cigar-lighter.html

They note that it's quirky to use, needs the flint wheel holding down to allow enough gas to be released before ignition, and the lighter needs a minute to 'recover' before it can be lit again.

The much cheaper Ronson Jetlite is better, even though I have to pay a lot more to get them in the UK.

That said, if Zippo's are someone's thing, then the quirks just give it 'character'
 
Never mind the cheap stuff, go get an ST Dupont or Dunhill :D.

Seriously, lighters are like anything else, you get what you pay for. If your looking for a torch lighter, Porche Design and Lotus are top of the line. The Brunton is an alright lighter. Just stay away from Colibri (they went out of business).

Check out these sites and if you have any questions, ask me. I have a large lighter collection with most of the brands listed.

http://www.elighters.com/lighters.html
http://www.lightersdirect.com/
http://www.lightersx.com/
 
Has anyone suggested one of these ??

http://goinggear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=10

No liquid fuel is needed and they last a long time.. You don't have to mod it like in the pic, its your call..

Better yet you can make one yourself...

All you need is a lantern lighter like one of these,

CoghlansLanternLightermod-2.jpg


Some jute twine, wax and a piece of metal tubing... After you've made it, all you'll need is lighter flints, which are about 40 cents for a pack of 5.. I think when I got all the stuff toether it cost me about 20 buck, but I'm sure you can get the wax cheaper then what I did by going to the dollar store..

HTH

Tux

Btw, would be glad to post up a how to if you're interested.. Let me know ??
 
I keep bics everywhere, and that way I am never too far from getting a good light when I need flame. I buy them in 5 packs cheap from Wally World and spread them around. There is always one in my pocket, in the truck, around the house and out at the camp on the ATV, and in the shop.

I always keep losing them, that way I know that there is a lighter nearby.
 
If you do decide Bics are the easiest way to go get Real Bic Brand. The el cheapos are not worth a damn! I've got a box full that are full of liquid fuel but the pressure has leaked off and they wont light..real Bics can be out of gas/pressure and you can rub them vigirously on your pants leg(get them hot) and get em to light a couple of more times. The cheapies flints seem to dissolve if they get wet too.
 
As usual, Brian Andrews, you nailed it.

In the winter, I wouldn't be without my Zippo. With a ranger band around the gap, fluid lasts longer than I would ever need, and besides, how big and heavy is a can of lighter fluid? If you don't have enough space for a can of lighter fluid, time to rethink things.

This is a picture of my Zippo - it used to be a desk model that my wife got from somewhere, that I modified to include a safety lanyard. Zippo has/had a model with a safety lanyard, they called the Sportsman model. I had one, but the lanyard attachment was a weak point - not so much with my Zippo :rolleyes: .

lighterx3.jpg


The K.I.S.S. principle should apply to all your outdoors gear. The more involved an item is, the greater the chance of breakdown. kgd and Brian referred to this when talking about the poor performance of GPS' under forest canopy.

In warm weather, I carry the mini Bic in the chrome case, which helps to prevent fuel loss when the button is depressed.

Tuxdad, it's nice to see somebody liked my sparker mod. :D

Doc
 
DOC-CANADA said:
In warm weather, I carry the mini Bic in the chrome case, which helps to prevent fuel loss when the button is depressed.
Doc
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That is what I carry most days, and throw the zippo's that I got from the Canadian Christmas Exchange in the bag when going away for a while. I just have never gotten used to the movement of the Zippo flame to use it full time.
 
Hey Doc,

I thought it was you who came up with that sparker but wasn't sure...:D

I love mine, but had to stay with no mods to it because of my fumble fingers.. I did solder up the weak points, and its been a tough as nails piece of kit !!:thumbup:
 
you can get alot of lights cheaply at dealextreme.com, including perm. match and firesteels.
 
i carry the brunton helios every day. it works great.
ive put it throught the washer and dryer and it was fine.
ive used it in the cold, 20 f, and at altitude 5000 feet, it didnt work great but it worked.
the fuel lasts a long time,for me months,
in the woods i allways carry a backup. a couple bicks, and a magnesium firstarter
 
Tuxdad said:
Hey Doc,

I thought it was you who came up with that sparker but wasn't sure...:D

I love mine, but had to stay with no mods to it because of my fumble fingers.. I did solder up the weak points, and its been a tough as nails piece of kit !!:thumbup:
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Glad to hear it. The mods only made it smaller - doesn't work any better.

I had one I made that the flint tube came loose from the 90 degree bracket, so I silver soldered it, other than that, no problems.

Doc
 
Bics are great but mostly i use the Tokai disposable lighters.
They are basically like Bics but have a colored transparent bodies so you can always see how much fuel is left.
And of course i carry a Peanut lighter on my key-chain and one in my backpack.
I need to get some flat-bottomed peanuts though, unfortunately countycomm doesn't ship outside the U.S.
 
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