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decent refilllable lighter?


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  • #1294626
    Brett Peugh
    BPL Member

    @bpeugh

    Locale: Midwest

    Is there a good durable, reliable, refillable lighter for a decent price? Not a zippo. Thanks.

    #1917336
    Ken Thompson
    BPL Member

    @here

    Locale: Right there

    Zippo does do butane now FWIW

    http://www.zippo.com/lighters.aspx?id=1227

    #1917370
    Dustin Short
    BPL Member

    @upalachango

    I have one of those original zippo blus and it's a piece of junk. Very fiddly and not something I would rely on outside of civilization. Maybe they improved with the second generation, but mine seems to require the purest of pure butane and only then will it occasionally work with any modicum of consistency.

    #1917391
    Ken Thompson
    BPL Member

    @here

    Locale: Right there

    That's too bad. :(

    I gave up on finding a refillable for myself years ago. I found that the element in the windproof refillable ones burned out in relatively short order. Dunhill ones leaked. None did well when wet.

    Still have the butane fuel bottles to store/dispose of.

    A Bic could be more recycle friendly if handled properly.

    I do use a fire steel(trendy I know, but really I have been using them for a long time)to light my stove.

    A Bic, while not a perfect solution works. It works at altitude better than any refillable I have ever come across. Most won't work above 7500 feet has been my experience.

    Matches, especially wooden ones are not as good as they once were. Those UCO Storm matches are overkill for most usage.

    So I see Brett's dilemma

    Hope you find a solution you can live with. Not easy some times.

    #1917402
    Brett Peugh
    BPL Member

    @bpeugh

    Locale: Midwest

    Thanks. I use a firesteel also and mainly carry a Bic as a backup or to light alcohol stoves when I can't get the spark to hit correctly. One Bic will probably last me years and years but I tought it would be best to possibly work out a better solution.

    #1917403
    Charles P
    Spectator

    @mediauras

    Locale: Terra

    Behold, the titanium peanut lighter:

    http://www.countycomm.com/tipeanutlighter.html

    #1917447
    Roger Caffin
    BPL Member

    @rcaffin

    Locale: Wollemi & Kosciusko NPs, Europe

    > A Bic, while not a perfect solution works. It works at altitude better than any refillable
    > I have ever come across. Most won't work above 7500 feet has been my experience.
    My Bic seems to work first time and reliably anywhere up to 3,000 m. I keep it warm and dry.

    Cheers

    #1917449
    James Marco
    BPL Member

    @jamesdmarco

    Locale: Finger Lakes

    I would be carefull about storing the Bic lighters. I have found that dampness in the air can cause the spring on the flint to rust…no spark. I left a couple in my shop, in a drawer for a year and they were dead because they would NOT spark.

    #1917504
    John S.
    BPL Member

    @jshann

    Have had same problem with Bic, but most don't seem to mention it. I moved to Cricket lighters.

    #1917574
    Jonathan Rozes
    Member

    @jrozes

    Locale: Pacific Wonderland

    I've used the same Windmill for about 20 years now. It's "decent" as you say, definitely not perfect. They go for about $25 new.

    #1917721
    Nick Gatel
    BPL Member

    @ngatel

    Locale: Southern California

    Calibri makes some great refillable lighters. But for backpacking I have been using Bics for decades and never had on fail.

    #1917726
    Dale Wambaugh
    BPL Member

    @dwambaugh

    Locale: Pacific Northwest

    A Master Microtorch MT-5 is probably overkill– about 1.8oz with fuel, but the visible flame is 1.5" tall and you can lock it on. It is fully adjustable too. I use one in my shop and hike with a Bic, firesteel and matches.

    Master Microtorch MT-5

    The Windmill and similar windproof lighters have an element that stays hot and keeps them going. They are nice, but you could pack a couple Bic's and still save weight and no doubt a lot of money. Bic is making a piezoelectric model that I tried and found it took a lot of thumb pressure to keep it going. Cricket has made tall thin piezoelectric lighters that I like and was surprised they haven't been more in favor in UL circles. The longer body is much easier to grip and I think the small weight difference is negligible in a tool that is used so often.

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