Lighter suggestions

Sproles

Sproles

Joined
Jan 11, 1999
Messages
700
OK-- again you "gadget geeks" (hey--I am one of them too) can help me with a suggestion on a good lighter. I don't smoke, but because of that "Be Prepared" thing I grew up with (see signature) I feel the need to have a good "light the lady's cigarette on a windy day" or "save the world because you have a lighter" type lighter. I know you guys understand that mentality.

I would like one that is small, reliable, torch-type and nothing TOO fancy (ie silver or gold, etc.)

Any suggestions?

David


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David P. Sproles
Eagle Scout Class of 1988
dps2970@hotmail.com
 
Being an occasional pipe and cigar smoker I generally have a lighter in my pocket as well.

I also have a drawer full of old lighters that have died over the years.

I keep coming back to a good old fashioned Zippo, they are cheap, guaranteed to work for ever, Fuel, flints, replacement wicks are all easy to find anywhere, and they WORK. I have one that my father-in-law carried during WWII, and aside from the hinge being lose it works like new.

The disadvantages are, fairly large and heavy, not waterproof, fuel will evaporate over time whether you use it or not. Overfilling will give you a nice chemical burn if you put it in you pocket. Nothing serious, but not fun.

Even the best butane lighters (Dunhill is the best I have seen) are less reliable long term. Most butane lighters are not waterproof. The Pizzo (?) electric igniters look good but generally tend to fail fairly fast. They seem very susceptible to carbon buildup, and the more windproof they are the harder they are to clean.

Colibri makes a lighter that is waterproof, but still has all the other problems.

This is not to say that I don't buy the new fancy butane windproof lighters any more. It just means that when the latest one gives out that I go back to my old Zippo. I have had no experience with the Windmill lighters mentioned above, yet. I am tempted to try one of the Brunton lighters Patrick has at TAD, maybe by the end of the summer.
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Mike
 
I've had good results with the Windmill line of lighters. My customers seem to like them a lot. They produce a super hot flame, windproof design, etc. I haven't had any cleaning issues with the one I've been carrying for a couple of years (I don't smoke, but find a lot of uses for it anyhow). Adjustable flame, no butane evaporation that I have noticed.

Plus, if you like automatic knives, these are switch-lighters! Push the button on the side and the spring-loaded top pops open. Kinda neat actually.

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Regards,
Tim
Nor'east Knives
noreastknives@bigfoot.com

There are two rules for ultimate success in life.
Never tell everything you know.

 
Well there ya go Tim,

If your web site was up I would have known you had them!
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Mike
 
Well, D'OH! Had I known you were a piper, I'd have let ya know! ;-)


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Regards,
Tim
Nor'east Knives
noreastknives@bigfoot.com

There are two rules for ultimate success in life.
Never tell everything you know.

 
i'm not a smoker either but I carry a simple crome Zippo with my name engraved on the front. It was cheap, has an awesome warranty and are very American. In fact more foriegners associate the Zippo more with us than the American flag. that's gotta count for something. I'm having a little trouble finding wicks though.

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Just because I'm paranoid doesn't mean they're not out to get me.
 
I really like my KGM Gear lighter. It produces a high-temperature flame while using less butane than other lighters.
 
G'day
Speaking from my own experience you cannot and will not beat a zippo.My Father put me on to these lighters. He bought one from an American PX in the Phillipenes when he served in the Australian Navy. He said it was the only lighter that could not be blown out by an aircraft landing on the deck in a 60knot cross wind. Well I've never put that to the test but Ihave certainly used them in some pretty windy conditions and they are very hard to blow out.The easiest way is to just shut the lid. So as I say I don't Think you could go past a Zippo.
Regards
Steve
 
Well about two weeks ago I bought a Brunton Helios lighter. I can give you my opinions about it and hopefully that will help you out.

It's not fancy looking, more tank like. Very light (1.7 ounces, less than most Zippos) and quite tough (I dropped on a concrete floor then kicked across the length of the room to make a point to a friend of mine) and so far, very reliable.

It produces a very hot flame (2000 degrees F) which is nearly invisible and withstands 80 kmh/50 mph winds no problem (not only did I stick the lighter out the window of my car while on the highway, but I live on an island where 100 kmh winds are common). The flame is totally adjustable and if you pick a moderate setting the butane lasts a very long time (there is a port to let you actually see how much butane there is). If you choose to jack the flame up to do a little welding, you can watch the butane disappear.

The one thing that you have to learn is how far back to hold the lighter. The flame is rushing out so fast that if you hold it too close you just char rather than light. A little farther back works much better. All in all I really like mine and since I've gotten it I've had to order 4 more for buddies
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Ok now there is another "gadget" that I will have to buy even though I don't smoke. Since the consensus seems to be that the Helios and Windmill lighters are the best, does anyone have a preference between the two? Is one better than the other? Does one have features that the other doesn't?

If I am going to spend money on one then I want to get the "best" one.

Thanks for any comments,

Bucky
 
I may have mentioned this before on another post, but I don't think there is any point in spending over $30 - $40 for a lighter. I bought a Colibri Quantum two years ago ($100). Although it is a very nice lighter, it is not as good as a normal Bic in many respects, as in my opinion are many of the high tech lighters, for the following reasons:
-weight
-cost
-size
-akward to light fires with (the lid gets in the way)
-The normal flame seems to light material faster than the "flameless" flame
-High tech lighters have more parts and delicate mechanisms to break

My Quantum is currently in for warrenty work to replace the platinum catalyst coil, its been gone for about 7 months, which is when I just started carrying a Bic. I think the only big advantage in the more expensive lighters is that they are waterproof. While I don't know for sure, I am guessing that a Bic will work after submersion and maybe a bit of drying. I think if you need a fire source that is always 100% guaranteed then get a Ferrocium rod and striker. Of course, the high tech lighters are cool. I am just saying that they are not all they are cracked up to be, especially if they will be used for more than lighting a ciggarette, which is what many of them seem to be designed soley for.
 
I've gotta throw in my "me too" on the Zippo.
I love new gadgets, but plain and simple, you can't beat the "old reliable."

It also has the added advantage of a flint sparking striker.
In a survival situation, even if you're out of fuel, you still have a sparking device to get your tinder started.
Can't find good tinder?
Try ripping the wadding out of the inside of the lighter and use THAT!
Sure, it trashes the lighter, but if it's a case of lighting a fire or dying from exposure, hey...
Zippos aren't that expensive!



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Tráceme no sin la razón, envoltura mi no sin honor
 
Update on Brunton Helios lighter
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For those of you that are thinking about getting one, I just wanted to share an experience I just had with Brunton. I've had my Helios lighter for a couple of months, and about 3 wks ago, while filling it, the cap that covers the fill hole \ adjustment lever fell into a sink drain in my garage
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, I emailed their support dept to see if I can just buy a replacement cap and also asked how much it would be. Today I got an email from their warranty dept (their support dept figured that this should be handled under warranty, and forwarded my email to them), and they said that they were going to send me a replacement cap, and since this was a warranty issue, it would be at no charge
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This is a great company that stands behind their products.
 
I've used the Brunton Helios and two Windmills for a while. One of my Windmills just up and died, but the other works great.
Up here they're quite a bit more expensive than the Helios, but the Helios is lighter [ie weighs less] and I think works just as well. It has outlasted one of the Windmills so far anyway.
My vote is for the Brunton - the lighter, not the windmeter, but that's another story.
 
Note that according to Equipped To Survive, the Windmills are being upgraded with a reinforced pivot, 15-degrees extra opening room on the cap so it won't get in the way, and a greater range of flame adjustment for useability above 12000 ft.

Note also that in previous lighter threads, enough bad stories have been told about all the various "fancy" lighters -- Helios, Windmill, Quantum, etc. -- that it does make me wonder. Of course, all of us here know that we should carry several firestarters, not just one, but I worry about anyone depending on these things.

Joe
 
I totally agree with Joe. I love my Helios but I wouldn't trust just ONE thing to start a fire. I carry the Helios with me everyday, but if out on the trail or even starting a fire on the beach I have at least one sparker. Always be prepared
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