When is a Mini Bic almost empty?

I buy light colored ones so I can see the fuel level inside.

I've always been able to hold them up to the light and see the fuel level. A bright flashlight works too. Tipping them sideways and looking thru the bottom gives a rough guestimate as well.

Shake it? Works for me.

More proof, if needed, that I'm an idiot. I CAN see right through these BICs with a bright backlight, as y'all pointed out. Problem solved. Thanks!

Start weighing them. You may need a jewelry scale to get the resolution needed. For the price and the trouble they can cause, swap it out if you have any doubts. I find plenty of uses at home and car camping for partially used fuel canisters and batteries too.

11 grams when full, if I recall. Of course, what you really want to know is how much when empty.

I had one that weighed in at 9 grams and ran out of fuel the next day after lighting only a few esbits. So, for what it's worth, there's about ~2 grams of fuel in there.

Some users think that a mini bic is empty when I won't light anymore. Actually, it might be the typical cold butane problem. When it is cold, the butane won't vaporize.

If I keep my lighter stored somewhere warmer, like in a warm pants pocket, I always have better luck with it. On the other hand, if the pocket is too tight, it can depress the thumb button, and that equates to a fuel leak.

–B.G.–

All my mini's have the band around the steel wheel removed, and then a card-stock cap fitted around the top inch of the lighter so the trigger may not be depressed unless the cap is off. So far it's worked well. If the paper cap were to get wet, it wouldn't. It's not the ideal solution–I'd like to find a water resistant cap that wouldn't allow depressing the trigger until removed.

I can't remember if it was Bic or Djeep that used to make little locking tabs under the fuel button, to keep them from leaking out fuel, but that was decades ago.

One of the original designs when child proofing first came out, if I remember correctly.

> I buy light colored ones so I can see the fuel level inside.

+1

Cheers

You can use a mini Bic "lighter leash" as a waterproof cover by inserting the lighter in it upside down. My survival key-ring has both a mini Bic in one of these leashes and a small Exotac flint & steel on it.

You can get the lighter leash here:
http://www.amazon.com/Original-Lighter-Leash-Retractable-Holder/dp/B003CMC2VS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1399817956&sr=8-1&keywords=mini+bic+lighter+belt

I removed the retractor from the lighter leash and threw it away.

But beware: I had to order this item 3 times to get the correct one. They kept shipping me the one for a full size Bic. But being Amazon, they ultimately made it right.

The Bic has a metal strip on top of the flint wheel to childproof it which can be removed with a small screwdriver.

A small o-ring will act as a safety to keep the fuel lever from being depressed. I took my lighter to an auto parts store that had a box with an assortment of o-rings so I could get just the right fit. The more traditional/wholesale parts stores are more likely to have the assortment vs the mass market chain stores.

A mini Bic will fit in a prescription pill bottle if you want to waterproof it as well as keep it from being emptied.