For all you gadget freaks out there here is a review of my most used lighters. From left to right we have:
-Monarch Pipe lighter
-Lotus L1040 (?) Pipe lighter
-Colibri Lift Top Single Torch
-Windmill Single Torch
-S.T. Dupont Ligne 2 Pink Gold normal flame
I bought the Monarch when I started pipe smoking about two months ago. I bought it because my BM was out of Czech pipe tools and this one had all that was needed. Having the tools is really super practical. Also the fact that they tuck away neatly and you can thus put it in your pocket without staining anything is great. The flame burns evenly but needs to be adjusted every so often because its length is very dependent on fill level. The lighter eats a ton of gas. It is a piezo electric lighter and in the beginning I was unable to fill it correctly from my Vector can. Since I have figured out how to do it (press harder) the ignition is much more reliable. With cheap gas this one will be frustrating. The flame can only be adjusted with a screwdriver. The bottom screw is too tight to use a finger nail and too small to use a key for example. This sucks.
I got the Lotus just yesterday because the lackluster reliability and adjusting issue of the Monarch were getting on my nerves. The Lotus lacks the scraping tool but its tamper can be removed from the lighter and there is a pick on the other side. So it has two of the three tools the Monarch has. Most importantly it has a really nice big screw to adjust the flame. It probably holds more gas, too, judging from the larger size. I like the marble/briar look and the finish is much better than on the Monarch. It also lights every time. Both lighters have a 90 degree angled flame which is better than the 45 or 60 degree of some pipe lighters because your hand has a more natural position and is totally out of the rising heat when lighting a bowl. The Lotus fits very nicely into my hand and the piezo’s click sound is less annoying than the Monarchs. As is, the Lotus for ten bucks more wins hands down. If they put the flame adjuster and bigger tank of the Lotus on the Monarch with a better ignition and a fuel window, the Monarch would be the best pipe lighter in the world. For $50 that should be doable. Now the Monarch costs $30.
The third lighter is a Colibri Lift Top. The silver flap hydraulically lifts up very smoothly when you pull the trigger half way down. Under the flap is a single torch. You cannot see that in the photo but the lighter has an interesting wing profile and great heft. It is very agreeable to hold and use. I know what they say about Colibri lighters but I have had this one for at least three or four years and it works everytime, anytime with any gas I use. It can hold a lot of gas and there is an easily visible fuel window on the back, The flame height rarely needs adjusting which is nice. If you have sturdy finger nails you might be able to turn the screw but a key will do the trick nicely; a screwdriver is not needed. It also came with a little leather pouch. The craftsmanship on the pouch could be better as the seams were glued and started to come apart after two years or so of medium to heavy use.
Windmill is a Japanese brand, I believe. I bought this lighter at Harrod’s London in 97. You can tell it is well worn. It got clogged but some Vector gas took care of it. It still sputters a little but over time that should cease. This lighter is very windproof and it is also waterproof because it has o-rings around the main lid and on the valve screw lid. You can also put your keys onto it. It is smaller than a Zippo and very nicely rounded. The flame is very strong, stronger than the Colibri but not as precise. The flame valve can be adjusted with your finger nail if need be. The sound when opening and closing is really nice thanks to the spring-loaded mechanism of the flap and the o-ring. I am glad I got this working again. I should add that it can get quite warm and can serve as a hand warmer. The ideal outdoor lighter.
The Dupont is quite the opposite. Bling factor is huge and outdoor capability is zero. The flame seems more fragile in wind than the flame of a BIC. This model has the normal flame but it can be altered for the pipe flame at a 45 degree angle or the double-wide cigar flame by a Dupont service center. This is the new pink gold version. It actually has more gold layers than the yellow gold version and looks even richer. The ignition is by wheel and flint stone. A spare flint stone is hidden in the mechanism; smart! Ignition never fails. The shape even of the flame is gorgeous but it is a bit unstable. This might be because I am starting to run low on gas. Running low on gas shouldn’t happen too often. It takes a full five or seven milliliters. Refill cartridges are available on the internet and at BMs worldwide, however they are crazy expensive and only triple refined. Vector is like 30x cheaper and quintuple refined. I bought a refill adapter from Christoph Schwarz over ebay for fistful of dollars. I haven’t tried refilling it directly from the Vector can but I hear this is possible. Flame adjustment is done with a wonderful mechanism on the bottom. One half of one of the circles flips open and serves as a lever to turn the adjustment screw. The other circle half flips open, too. It serves as a lever/handle to unscrew the valve cap. So in this lighter valve and flame adjustment are separated.
Did I say bling? What about the ping? Well, the ping is there to call in the more venal ladies in a bar to admire your bling. J Only the Ligne 2 and the Gatsby have the ping sound. The lacquer models have a much better ping sound than the guilloche models because the guilloche cuts down on the resonance of the brass. Still, once you get the hang of how to flip it open, the ping is quite audible and sounds nice. I like it even though it was a manufacture defect in the beginning. Is the Dupont worth its price? Is a Rolls-Royce worth its price? Well, this one was present for my 35th birthday so I cherish it doubly.
Till
-Monarch Pipe lighter
-Lotus L1040 (?) Pipe lighter
-Colibri Lift Top Single Torch
-Windmill Single Torch
-S.T. Dupont Ligne 2 Pink Gold normal flame
I bought the Monarch when I started pipe smoking about two months ago. I bought it because my BM was out of Czech pipe tools and this one had all that was needed. Having the tools is really super practical. Also the fact that they tuck away neatly and you can thus put it in your pocket without staining anything is great. The flame burns evenly but needs to be adjusted every so often because its length is very dependent on fill level. The lighter eats a ton of gas. It is a piezo electric lighter and in the beginning I was unable to fill it correctly from my Vector can. Since I have figured out how to do it (press harder) the ignition is much more reliable. With cheap gas this one will be frustrating. The flame can only be adjusted with a screwdriver. The bottom screw is too tight to use a finger nail and too small to use a key for example. This sucks.
I got the Lotus just yesterday because the lackluster reliability and adjusting issue of the Monarch were getting on my nerves. The Lotus lacks the scraping tool but its tamper can be removed from the lighter and there is a pick on the other side. So it has two of the three tools the Monarch has. Most importantly it has a really nice big screw to adjust the flame. It probably holds more gas, too, judging from the larger size. I like the marble/briar look and the finish is much better than on the Monarch. It also lights every time. Both lighters have a 90 degree angled flame which is better than the 45 or 60 degree of some pipe lighters because your hand has a more natural position and is totally out of the rising heat when lighting a bowl. The Lotus fits very nicely into my hand and the piezo’s click sound is less annoying than the Monarchs. As is, the Lotus for ten bucks more wins hands down. If they put the flame adjuster and bigger tank of the Lotus on the Monarch with a better ignition and a fuel window, the Monarch would be the best pipe lighter in the world. For $50 that should be doable. Now the Monarch costs $30.
The third lighter is a Colibri Lift Top. The silver flap hydraulically lifts up very smoothly when you pull the trigger half way down. Under the flap is a single torch. You cannot see that in the photo but the lighter has an interesting wing profile and great heft. It is very agreeable to hold and use. I know what they say about Colibri lighters but I have had this one for at least three or four years and it works everytime, anytime with any gas I use. It can hold a lot of gas and there is an easily visible fuel window on the back, The flame height rarely needs adjusting which is nice. If you have sturdy finger nails you might be able to turn the screw but a key will do the trick nicely; a screwdriver is not needed. It also came with a little leather pouch. The craftsmanship on the pouch could be better as the seams were glued and started to come apart after two years or so of medium to heavy use.
Windmill is a Japanese brand, I believe. I bought this lighter at Harrod’s London in 97. You can tell it is well worn. It got clogged but some Vector gas took care of it. It still sputters a little but over time that should cease. This lighter is very windproof and it is also waterproof because it has o-rings around the main lid and on the valve screw lid. You can also put your keys onto it. It is smaller than a Zippo and very nicely rounded. The flame is very strong, stronger than the Colibri but not as precise. The flame valve can be adjusted with your finger nail if need be. The sound when opening and closing is really nice thanks to the spring-loaded mechanism of the flap and the o-ring. I am glad I got this working again. I should add that it can get quite warm and can serve as a hand warmer. The ideal outdoor lighter.
The Dupont is quite the opposite. Bling factor is huge and outdoor capability is zero. The flame seems more fragile in wind than the flame of a BIC. This model has the normal flame but it can be altered for the pipe flame at a 45 degree angle or the double-wide cigar flame by a Dupont service center. This is the new pink gold version. It actually has more gold layers than the yellow gold version and looks even richer. The ignition is by wheel and flint stone. A spare flint stone is hidden in the mechanism; smart! Ignition never fails. The shape even of the flame is gorgeous but it is a bit unstable. This might be because I am starting to run low on gas. Running low on gas shouldn’t happen too often. It takes a full five or seven milliliters. Refill cartridges are available on the internet and at BMs worldwide, however they are crazy expensive and only triple refined. Vector is like 30x cheaper and quintuple refined. I bought a refill adapter from Christoph Schwarz over ebay for fistful of dollars. I haven’t tried refilling it directly from the Vector can but I hear this is possible. Flame adjustment is done with a wonderful mechanism on the bottom. One half of one of the circles flips open and serves as a lever to turn the adjustment screw. The other circle half flips open, too. It serves as a lever/handle to unscrew the valve cap. So in this lighter valve and flame adjustment are separated.
Did I say bling? What about the ping? Well, the ping is there to call in the more venal ladies in a bar to admire your bling. J Only the Ligne 2 and the Gatsby have the ping sound. The lacquer models have a much better ping sound than the guilloche models because the guilloche cuts down on the resonance of the brass. Still, once you get the hang of how to flip it open, the ping is quite audible and sounds nice. I like it even though it was a manufacture defect in the beginning. Is the Dupont worth its price? Is a Rolls-Royce worth its price? Well, this one was present for my 35th birthday so I cherish it doubly.
Till