Cheap lighters

S

sgoselin

Bull Goose Gorilla
So last year I picked up a Dupont Xtend torch lighter that works about 50% of the time. At around the same time I picked up 2 non-descript torch lighters in a liquor store for $3.95 each. The cheap lighters get tossed around, dropped, forgotten and found and they light perfectly every single time with no sign of quitting. Go figure.
 
The most reliable lighter I have ever had is the prince pocket torch given out at SoCal II last year. I think it is the only torch I have ever had that lasted more than 3 months. This just confirms matt's idea that the best things in life are free ;-D
M
 
Well, that answers that question. I've had rotten luck with every cheap lighter I've used so far so. It seems that while they still have fuel, they loose pressure. I've cleaned the chamber with canned air but that doesn't seem to help. I was thinking about an Xtend. Guess I'll cross that one off the list. Thanks for the warning Steve. I'd have hated to waste $90 bucks on one just to have it work like the $3.95 jobs.
 
my experience with cheap lighters is the same. i purchased an assortment of cheapos - like $5 ea - from phatash. i thought when they stop working i'd just chuck them. i went thru them quickly... and when they worked, they didn't work very well. they were more like blowtorches- the flame was too hot and unmanageable.

b]
 
I myself went through all the brands from the first Quantum piece of sh!t, to the cheapest $1 specials. I have never had a problem with a well-maintained Colibri SST torch lighter. I have had the same one for 3+ years now. It has been dropped many a time. The thing you must remember is they do need some care, just some q-tips with alcohol to clean the heads once every month or so and you will do fine. What gets screwed most the time on those is the ignition, due to gunk in the tips. All of you spend hours on end with the goings on of your cigars (me included), but five minutes to clean your lighter? Just a little maint. Another important thing is you will do better using the Colibri fluid, this I would strongly recommend. I recently got the new triple-flame SST and it works like a champ. For those who mentioned the pressure problems, if you hold your lighter upside down and take a small screwdriver and relieve the excess fluid and gas from the tank before you refill it, you will not have the loss of pressure. The lighter needs the proper fuel/air mixture to work, and that is what’s in the can. When you use the lighter and then fill it repeatedly, it loses that perfect mixture and you end up with all fluid and little air. In my experience these steps work well.
Just my thoughts on the matter, Jack

 
Hi Guys, I think this is my first post here even though I have lurked for a long time and learned a bunch from you guys.

I just wanted to add to cigartexan's tips that after I bleed off my lighters I put them in the fridge for at least a couple of hours to cool the fluid tank down. This makes more of the butane return to the liquid state and allows you to get a little more fuel in the lighter.

cigartexan, Where in Texas? I live in Austin now and Texas my whole life.:)
 
13 miles Northwest of San Antonio in Fair Oaks Ranch. I am a Native San Antonian.:D Ha!

:D <---this face looks like he's stressing big don't you think? Looks more like a
eeeghhh ha! to me. :D Ha!
 
Thanks for the tips, cigartexan. I didn't realise that the device on the bottom of the tank was an adjustment valve. I gave each of my malfunctioning cheapie torch lighters a ¼ turn and they work like champs now!
 
Same here, I knew that you should bleed the fluid and air out before refilling, but not about the adjustment. My cheapos are working great now. Thanks:)
 
Glad I could help. I did forget to tell you that it's a good idea to turn the valve down before filling, then let the lighter rest before lighting. When lighting turn up 1/4 turn and let the lighter prime, the flame will build, then set to desired hight. The last most important thing is, if you paid more than $100 for the lighter, you must never light anything but good Havana's with it ;) Jack
 
Just throwing in my belated $0.02. One thing that I didn't see mentioned here is cleaning the burner nozzle using compressed air. This has never failed yet on my El Cheapos and my Colibri. I find that the Colibri needs more frequent cleaning. I assume this is due to what appear to be smaller orifi (is that a word?) on the Colibri.
 
I have bought an assortment of El Cheapo torches and they seem to work only when don't need them, but when the time comes for the "flame to meet the foot", they crap out. Its my experience that they last a very short while. A friend of mine went out and bought a DuPont, and he can never get the damn thing to light more than twice in one sitting. Nothing beats the old cedar sticks or matches.

-Justin
 
I have a Dupont Extend as well, and personally have no problems with it. The original Extend had lighting problems initially from what I heard. All in all, a good lighter for me. I prefer my Prometheus torch though due to the fact it has a larger fuel tank. Nothing much worse than going to a herf out of town & your lighter runs out of fluid.

For a non-torch style lighter, the Dupont line (Gatsby, Ligne 2, etc) are bulletproof but very expensive.
 
I guess I'm lucky in that I've always had luck with cheap lighters. I just don't want to spend 20-100 on something that can get lost, stolen, or worse have to be sent back for repair a million times.

I'll take my $5 cheap lights anytime.

Tim
 
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