The Top end Torch Lighter Question?

[VictorEremita]

I mostly smoke outdoors and use a jet Dupont (although I'd prefer a soft flame, and to smoke indoors, luxuriating in the smoke). Haven't had the lighter for over three years. If it broke down within five, I don't suppose I'd buy another. But I've been satisfied so far. Lights on the first or second strike.

With the Dupont, I also have to buy their gas refills because nothing else fits. Has anybody noticed "premium" fuel actually making a difference to the smoking experience?

[PigFish]

11 hours ago, VictorEremita said:

I mostly smoke outdoors and use a jet Dupont (although I'd prefer a soft flame, and to smoke indoors, luxuriating in the smoke). Haven't had the lighter for over three years. If it broke down within five, I don't suppose I'd buy another. But I've been satisfied so far. Lights on the first or second strike.

With the Dupont, I also have to buy their gas refills because nothing else fits. Has anybody noticed "premium" fuel actually making a difference to the smoking experience?

… only when your lighter won’t light because of crappy fuel!

[NSXCIGAR]

11 hours ago, PigFish said:

… only when your lighter won’t light because of crappy fuel!

I think that's a primary cause of high-end lighter failure. Expensive lighters' internals have much tighter tolerances and are more susceptible to residue buildups that require a total overhaul and cleaning which must be carried out by a professional. Eagle Torches have looser tolerances and can take the punishment of lousy gas much longer. And when they do crap out it's $5. 

And there's little that can be done. Even top-shelf butane contains more impurities and leaves more residues than one might think. One of the worst offenders is Colibri butane which is about as bad as Walmart Ronson yet it was recommended by Colibri and consequently responsible for sending thousands of lighters to a premature death. 

 

[PigFish]

Call it silly, because it is, but the traditions of fine cigars can be enjoyable to partake in, right along side the smoking. Smoking, as defined by 'yours truly,' is not a habit, nor addiction, nor hobby; smoking is a custom. It has its ritualistic actives and for me, one is in choosing a lighter. I don't ponder over it, I think briefly of a lighter that I wish to use and go get it. I keep 5 or so on my desk as they are fun to focus on for a few moments during the day.

Having a good cigar is a rite of earning. It is a reward for serving and living, doing what is right for others and dealing with their bullshit. It is a relief from dealing with my own bullshit as well.

I can see lighters as a means to an end. I get that. But there are good tools, and crap tools. A lighter is a tool and I don't use, nor buy crap tools!

Art adds to these as tools. While a plain lighter will do, the art makes them that much better. 

 

All of these have a torch insert.

[Wookie]

Eagle Torch for me too….believe NSX turned me on to it a few years back.  Dependable, cheap.

[Bijan]

On 7/9/2023 at 4:35 AM, NSXCIGAR said:

One of the worst offenders is Colibri butane which is about as bad as Walmart Ronson yet it was recommended by Colibri and consequently responsible for sending thousands of lighters to a premature death.

Colibri butane is better than Ronson and (slightly) cheaper in bulk anyways. (You can find it as cheap as $50 USD for 12 pack of 300ml/10oz cans).

The colibri lighters that died would have died using any other fuel (I can confirm this personally).

Colibri Butane 300ml (12PCS/CS) BHO Dry Vacuum Purge 5X Refined 11X Filtered https://a.co/d/5NEwepX

vs

12 Cans Ronson Multi-Fill Ultra Butane Fuel 5.82 Oz 165 G These are The Big Cans! https://a.co/d/3danEnG

(math implies the colibri is more fuel per can too)

 

As for lighters, I'm using these now and they are solid. Have a retractable punch at the bottom, and can act as a cigar stand in a pinch:

https://a.co/d/aRRCp8p

[iahawk36]

I'm still using a cheap dual-flame torch lighter that I got in my very first "sampler pack" from Cigars International in 2009.  I was new to cigars, and couldn't believe the great deal...LOL.  It's never stopped working, and I just refill it and brush off the top every so often.  I've owned all the "big" ones too, but they've all come and gone and this little sampler pack lighter has never failed me.

[NSXCIGAR]

8 hours ago, Bijan said:

The colibri lighters that died would have died using any other fuel (I can confirm this personally).

That's my point. There's no retail butane pure enough not to cause these issues in high-tolerance lighters. You'd have to get some ultra refined commercial butane. Using the best retail butane you can postpone failure but residue buildup will ultimately compound until failure.

[Connoisseur Kim]

1 hour ago, NSXCIGAR said:

That's my point. There's no retail butane pure enough not to cause these issues in high-tolerance lighters. You'd have to get some ultra refined commercial butane. Using the best retail butane you can postpone failure but residue buildup will ultimately compound until failure.

I also agree that the quality of butane plays a huge role on torch lighters since it can hugely affect their longevity and firepower. I had refilled my torch lighters with Sun (local butane company, but doesn't state how many times its butane refined) and Newport butane (it's the only high quality refined butane I can easily source in Korean B&Ms) before; I found my lighters worked more fluidly with taller flame when I refill them with Newport butane.

[NSXCIGAR]

2 hours ago, Connoisseur Kim said:

I refill them with Newport butane.

I typically use Newport as it's the best value and easily obtainable. It's on the left side of the curve in terms of impurities. There are better butanes but price and availability can be an issue. If you're running a fair quality butane like Newport a low-tolerance lighter like an Eagle Torch will break long before failure from residue buildup. 

With a high-end lighter Newport won't be good enough to stop residue buildup. I'd be looking at the very best retail butanes like Whip It Premium or Lucienne and even then it might only buy you a couple more years before failure. The only thing that can stave it off for an extended period would be a commercial grade 99.999+% pure butane and those aren't cheap. But eventually even those will catch up to you, although it might get you 10+ years before failure. 

But commercial grade is so expensive it's probably cheaper to just pay to professionally overhaul the lighter every 3-5 years. 

I'll take a pass on all that nonsense. Give me a $5-10 lighter that lights every time until it doesn't and cheap butane. 

[MrBirdman]

I got a $60 lighter for free as a Black Friday add on. Loved it. Narrow flame, perfect for lighting smaller RG. Colibri butane killed it in a matter of months.

I was considering getting an Elie Bleu since some of their lighters are really beautiful, but if the experience here is that they’ll break after a year or two of regular use, regardless of butane, then no thanks. 

[Bijan]

21 hours ago, NSXCIGAR said:

The only thing that can stave it off for an extended period would be a commercial grade 99.999+% pure butane and those aren't cheap. But eventually even those will catch up to you, although it might get you 10+ years before failure.

The other thing is that can we really guarantee that we're only passing butane through the lighter? I am assuming some air is going to get in and out as well. Doesn't help worrying about 1 vs 0 ppm butane if there's some much less pure air in the mix.

 

11 hours ago, MrBirdman said:

I was considering getting an Elie Bleu since some of their lighters are really beautiful, but if the experience here is that they’ll break after a year or two of regular use, regardless of butane, then no thanks. 

No experience with Elie Bleu but my experience with lighters so far, tells me that more expensive lighters are less durable/reliable. And that in a lighter, plastic is a better material for the body than metal.

Most failures I've had in lighters were seemingly due to eventual misalignment between the piezo ignition and the gas jet or jets.

[NSXCIGAR]

12 hours ago, Bijan said:

The other thing is that can we really guarantee that we're only passing butane through the lighter?

Good question but I've never had what seemed be "air bubble" issues and I fully expunge the small amount of unused butane after 2 or 3 fills. I was always told this would help prevent air in the system. No idea if it does but I haven't had any issues since I've been doing that. 

[Fuzz]

I have a bunch of Zippos too with the butane inserts. Good for when you don't want to carry a bulky lighter. I'm finding I carry them more often when going out for a smoke.

[cnov]

On 7/10/2023 at 3:27 AM, Bijan said:

Colibri butane is better than Ronson and (slightly) cheaper in bulk anyways. (You can find it as cheap as $50 USD for 12 pack of 300ml/10oz cans).

The colibri lighters that died would have died using any other fuel (I can confirm this personally).

Colibri Butane 300ml (12PCS/CS) BHO Dry Vacuum Purge 5X Refined 11X Filtered https://a.co/d/5NEwepX

vs

12 Cans Ronson Multi-Fill Ultra Butane Fuel 5.82 Oz 165 G These are The Big Cans! https://a.co/d/3danEnG

(math implies the colibri is more fuel per can too)

 

As for lighters, I'm using these now and they are solid. Have a retractable punch at the bottom, and can act as a cigar stand in a pinch:

https://a.co/d/aRRCp8p

I bought these lighters off the back of this post and they've been brilliant, they've been a lifesaver at the beach! I've started using them over my Du Pont soft flame that just wont hold gas for much longer than a day.

Top recommendation at £16.99 for the pair.

[slowsmoke]

I bought a Dupont extreme several years ago, and it has been the most reliable lighter I have, hands down. The cheaper ones don’t come close. I only use the red can fuel recommended for it. 
 

Also bought a used Dupont ligne 2 from a member here a while back and it has been perfectly reliable. Again, only use the correct DuPont fuel. 

[Cigar Surgeon]

My experience as both a smoker and running cigar shops is that a lot of people buy lighters thinking they are zero maintenance.  They are not zero maintenance.  Most of the issues we saw with lighters were a result of the lighter not being purged of air between fills.  Eventually enough air is in the tank that the lighter won't allow butane to flow.

The other issue that occurs over time is either the ports become clogged, which you can resolve by injecting butane into the ports (keep your finger very clear from the trigger), or by lightly scraping off carbon build up on the wire that generates the piezoelectric spark.

[Low]

Bought a 4 pack of those eagle lighters after reading this thread a couple weeks ago, and I think I am converted. Probably never going to buy another lighter over $10 ever again 

[Nevrknow]

14 minutes ago, Low said:

Bought a 4 pack of those eagle lighters after reading this thread a couple weeks ago, and I think I am converted. Probably never going to buy another lighter over $10 ever again 

Agreed. My $2-300 lighters now rest as memories in a drawer. Wife is making a display case for them to rest in my built in humidor in the new house. Cheapos from here on out. 👍 At the time I thought I was buying the best. Must be the whole hindsight thing.  LOL

[BigGuns]

I have two of the original Dupont Xtends (before they were maxijet or minijet or whateverjet and still made in France) from the '07 - '08 range.  One is my daily beater and the other has a nicer finish so I try to keep it from getting nicked and whatnot.  Both still function as if they were new.  A couple others I had during that time frame <ahem, porsche, ahem> crapped out within a year.  Not sure what any of that means as it relates to the original question...

[agentdaffy007]

Bought my ST Dupont Xtend torch (made in France).

Been 15 years and it's going strong. Only use Triple Refined Vector gas. Now, Vector is Quintuple Refined.

The lighter did stop working when I use Colibri gas. What a terrible butane!! Purged the butane out and refilled with Vector, problem solved.

Have my ST Dupont Gatsby, but I hardly use it because it's soft flame.

[Bijan]

3 hours ago, agentdaffy007 said:

The lighter did stop working when I use Colibri gas. What a terrible butane!! Purged the butane out and refilled with Vector, problem solved.

So you emptied and purged the lighter of colibri fuel which wasn't working and refilled with vector fuel and then the lighter worked immediately?