EAR: Hand on Heart. Premium lighters.

[HuffnPuffff]

I have a Davidoff dual flame from early 2000’s that I bought refurbed on eBay from a geezer in Italy. Made by DuPont. Lovely but not good in a breeze.

Best lighter IMHO is the FOH Cigar Traveller - sadly M-I-A.


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[targa88]

I have given up on St.Dupont....

Over the years...

Ligne that no longer has refills.. needs to be converted apparently to the new refills. Over 40 years old.

Extreme that has died (RIP) three times. Two repairs/replacement were done. Dupont finally admitted that they do not repair but will offer a "new" one at a reduced price. Igniter is dead.

Maxi Jet - which was my favourite (was still made in France at the time) finally dies this year (probably close to 20 yrs old).

In retrospect simple inexpensive torch lighters seem to be more reliable. Also the butane insert for the Zippo too.

Rather spend $$$ on cigars...

 

[Mr_Phist]

I really like the character of some Zippo lighters. There are alot that servicemembers used in Vietnam that they personalized with their unit, sayings, etc. I might buy one of those as my next lighter purchase.

[Jamie117]

I have three premium lighters, two are great and one I avoid using. I have a Siglo dual flame lighter - smaller and slimmer than a Zippo, has separate soft and jet flames which can be adjusted independently, and holds a couple minutes worth of gas. Mine cost more as it has a limited design on it, but base versions cost around US$75 in my country. The downside is if you're taking your time lighting, you will start to burn your fingers on the metal caps after say 30 seconds of flame.

I also have a Xikar Meridian soft flame lighter which I love. Big flame as it's fed by 3 separate gas outlets which merge into one big flame, adjust between around half an inch to a good 6 inch roarer. Nice big roll-action, classy colours, never burns your hand and holds tons of gas. Cost around US$150 here. The only downside is it's not usable outdoors unless there's zero breeze.

Finally, I have a Colibri Quasar tabletop triple jet. Huge lighter, huge tank, massive adjustment range. However I avoid using this lighter, because at mid to high flame levels it has a habit of venting gas out the side where you depress the ignition button, sending flame out toward your hand (!!!!). It also never lit first time even fresh out the box. I can't recommend this one. The Quasar tabletop cutter is very good though as is the punch cutter.

Note: there is a new version of the Xikar Meridian called the Xikar Hedron, this one has six separate soft flame gas outlets, with a single jet flame in the middle. I can't find any video reviews of this on YouTube, it could be great but for me it would depend entirely on whether the jet flame is a separate button or is always on with the soft flames.

[sdlaird]

On 2/20/2024 at 5:01 AM, chris12381 said:

This was one of my favorite lighters. The size and price point were just right and I really really wanted to like the two I owned. However the first one I had began to experience bending of the metal case outwards. This isn't mine but illustrates the beginning of the problem.

It quickly became apparent the plastic propane tank was deforming and was forcing the case outwards.  This was after about a two years of normal use.  The second one?  Same exact problem after about the same amount of time.  

I have seen that bending out before in one of these.  Not mine, but I have seen it.

I have had several $20-$40 "premium" lighters Xikar, Colibri etc and they all seem to fail. After the Dupont, I prefer a $15 Scorch Torch or a $8 Ronson Jetlite (these are particularly reliable and durable).

[jazzboypro]

12 hours ago, sdlaird said:

I have seen that bending out before in one of these.  Not mine, but I have seen it .

I have had several $20-$40 "premium" lighters Xikar, Colibri etc and they all seem to fail. After the Dupont, I prefer a $15 Scorch Torch or a $8 Ronson Jetlite (these are particularly reliable and durable).

I had 2 Xikar, none of them worked well. For the past years I've used Iroda Microjet Torch. I get maybe 3 years out of them but I don't do any maintenance on them.

[Cigar Surgeon]

3 hours ago, Jamie117 said:

Note there is a new version of the Xikar Meridian called the Xikar Hedron, this one has six separate soft flame gas outlets, with a single jet flame in the middle. I can't find any video reviews of this on YouTube, it could be great but for me it would depend entirely on whether the jet flame is a separate button or is always on with the soft flames.

 

 

[BigGuns]

I will echo the Dupont endorsements. I have two torches and a Ligne 2, all over ten years old. The torches (called Xtend at the time, Maxijet now, I believe) are used the most. The one is my daily driver - aluminum frame, brushed matte silver so it doesn’t show how beat up it really is. I’d say it qualifies in the 500+ club and the only discernible “flaw” is that the case is slightly askew from all the use. I have to bend it to tighten it back up from time to time. Lights every time like a charm. The other is a matte blue paint that I use a little less frequently so I don’t scratch it up, but it has a few nicks. The Ligne 2 is used the least, but has never failed me. 

The key is proper care and maintenance - when it is running low or out, be sure to bleed it before refilling. Adjust the gas to all the way low and then only use premium butane for it. Contrary to directions, I have never used Dupont fuel, and they have all worked just fine. Don’t go overboard with the premium, though - my friend bought some 7-times-filtered crap and it takes him at least that many attempts to get a clean consistent flame. Same process for the Ligne 2, but stick it in the freezer for a couple minutes before filling. 

I also had a couple Porsche Design soft flame jet halo things that were absolute trash. Both had a fraction of use as the Duponts and both crapped out on me. Porsche doesn’t have support or repair for them so I have some cool cylindrical paper weights. I will give them some kudos, though - they offered me store credit to buy something new. I haven’t. 
 

[fisherclive]

I use a xikar tactical that was gifted to me a couple years, they go for around $70ish usd. It's been flawless and holds quite a bit of fuel. If it doesn't have 500 lights, it's close. I bought one for a friend at Christmas, he loves it.

Other than that, I've used the eagle torches, I buy then 10 at a time for about $19 online, only had 1 that gave me trouble I keep one in each vehicle, 1 on the boat, and in my traveldor as a backup.