Who here is into lighters and can recommend some of the best tactical/survival type lighters available? I want the best of the best. I like Zippos but I also like the torch lighters as well. I recently saw an ad for a Zippo lighter “vault” that was pretty cool, available from TAD Gear which basically keeps your Zippo in a waterproof “vault” which was pretty cool. I know there are probably much better torch lighters available however, and wanted to ask what you guys suggest?

I like Zippos… ..they make really nice torch inserts for them too…

Zippo if you don't mind refueling often.

Bic with exotac case.

Clipper original.  If you're not familiar with a clipper its similar to a Bic but has re-loadable flint and can be recharged with butane.

https://firesteel.com/

Came in to read the "quit smoking" reply. Was disappointed it wasn't here. Was also happy it wasn't here.

Pocket knife, pistol, lighter. Stuff a guy can use.

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Always.

Zippo has a dual jet Zippo butane insert.

I smoke cigars everyday, so I use my lighter quite often.

JetLine New York triples have served me well.

Chris

I gave up cigarettes 23 years ago and cigars 16 years ago.  But I still carry a lighter when I'm out and about for more than just a quick trip into town.  Zippo has been my lighter of choice for 50 years but with not using it on a regular basis, i.e. not smoking anymore, it would go dry.  I've fixed that by buying their torch inserts.  I have both the single jet and double jet and by far prefer the single.

Plasma arc lighter insert for your favorite zippo case.  Charge it anywhere.  

Zippo arc lighter insert.

If you want a torch lighter, anything Xikar will be good to go.

Oil/Zippo style lighter, I prefer the old IMCO lighters, though genuine ones are getting hard to find for a reasonable price.

Disposable gas lighters, I like the Scripto Electronics.

Just bought some Clipper lighters, along with spare flints and striker wheel assemblies.  Awaiting delivery.  Thanks for mentioning them!

Heretofore, always used BIC lighters, as that particular brand was most reliable/durable IMHO.  Am very familiar with Zippo liquid fueled lighters.

Re-fillable (Clipper) butane lighters seem to make some sense in that plastic is not wasted and thrown into landfills, nor is there any evaporation/waste of liquid fuel.

Some water resistant/proof covers for Bic and Zippo lighters, since they protect the flint and striker wheel from getting wet and which makes the lighter useless, seem to make sense for a "last-ditch" emergency-use lighter.  Some liquid-fuel zippo covers also claim to reduce wick fuel evap, always welcome.  How easy either type of cover might be to use, especially with gloved hands, remains to be seen.

Just for pure fun, and NOT "Exactly" what OP was looking-for, this lighter might be "Interesting", in a "fun" sort of way.  Looks like it's one-handed use, which I find much more pleasant to use than other two-handed "Trench Lighters".   Windshield can be slid upwards to shield the flame, something often needed, and essential under certain circumstances.  Cap over the wick "should" greatly retard wick-caused lighter fluid evaporation, vice typical liquid-fueled lighters.


A different style is this one: Two-Handed Trench Lighter
Again, the cap mostly seals evap from the wick, there are no obvious complaints about the mechanical components in the user reviews, and windshield automatically slides up.

Again, just proposed for "fun" use.   Something a little different

Disclaimer: no financial interest.

We use Bic lighters, and keep some storm matches for backup, when we go camping.  I'd personally steer clear of any cigar or gentleman's lighters, even the nice ones from my smoking days were not very durable, I've found 10 year old Bics in the truck that lit up fine though.

That's my experience, but I'm in for a best of best answer.

What I have noticed with all sorts of lighters that use flint-and-striker wheel for ignition is that in deep storage, the "struck" flint, over years, welds itself to the striker wheel. Almost guaranteed to happen with a "struck" flint.  Flints that have their original protective coating fully intact do not become "welded" to the striker wheel.

I always make sure deep stored lighters that use flint-and-striker-wheel are stored without flints installed.  Flints come from the factory with a coating that protects them.  Striking the flint once removes the protective coating from the flint and allows corrosion with the striker wheel. I suspect this corrosion is due to "dis-similar" nature of the flint and striker wheel, and so will proceed even if oxygen is not present, if the bare surface of the flint is exposed to striker wheel.  Moisture seems to accelerate corrosion.

It's easy enough to store some spare flints in the bottom of the Zippo lighter.

Having sent back some Zippo "guts" with striker wheels welded to the flint, I think I've had enough experience with this issue.  The other day I dug up a Zippo lighter from my lawn, guts completely corroded and useless. Sent it back to Zippo for eval.  Zippo sent me the original Stainless steel case, with newly-attached cap and entirely new "guts". Zippo "Lifetime" warranty is still GTG, and strongly suggest sending back failed Zippo lighters to them before such "Lifetime" warranty goes away.

IDK if any new-bought BIC has been tested for "striking" the flint by the factory, and without knowing such, I can't make any very long-term prediction on whether or not their flint and striker wheel will eventually become welded to each other during long-term storage.

No way to tell, from external examination.

Just some thoughts.  YMMV.

"Best of Best" might be original ILCO or Douglass liquid-fueled lighters.  Originals are pricey, but there appear to be fairly decent copies of both available, according to reviews.

www.exotac.com  Their TitanLight is the best lighter I have ever used going back 4 plus decades.  Unlike Zippo's, doesn't leak or evaporate the fuel.  They have a 20% off sale going on right now.

There are negative reviews saying the wick area floods. How well does yours work?

I like that one but damn $70!

Mine works perfectly.  I bought one when they first came out.  It was in the $40 range.  Fill it up exactly like the directions say and you will never have a problem with it.  Most people tend to ignore the directions and overfill it.


$50 on amazon.com

For a survival/backpacking type butane lighter: UST Trekker Stormproof lighter.

I've got one that's 15-20 years old. Has been dropped on pavement, rocks, in water (it's rubber armored) and still works fine.

I use Vector 5X filtered butane and it STILL lights first time, EVERY time. Shrugs off wind easily (it's a jet lighter), and has been used to start many fires or melt the tips of paracord/nylon rope cuts.

Here's the other factor. I've never smoked. The lighter ONLY gets used for firestarting/camping etc. In all the time I've had it, there have been years that I didn't make it out, so the lighter sat in my gear bag for over a year. Stayed mostly full despite not being used or filled for ~2 years, and still lit up on the first try (simple trick is to press the button just a little slower, so I hear the butane hiss before the spark).

The rubber armor is grungy and not bright orange anymore, but is still strong, and hasn't cracked or fallen apart.

Clipper offers a much more expensive "Full Metal" lighter with various color finishes, and which has an adjustable flame.  Same ability to be re-flinted and to change-out the striker wheel assy: Clipper "Full Metal" Lighter

I chose silver color because I presume the silver coating is less likely to show scratches down to base metal over time, assuming the base metal is silver-colored.  Magnet attracts to some parts of the lighter, such as the head of the lighter, but the outer metal case appears to be non-magnetic; probably aluminum since some of these outer cases are anodized.

On Clipper web site, they say that each lighter is tested before shipping, and after taking apart one of my new Clipper lighters, I can confirm that the flint's protective coating was removed by striking/testing at the factory.

If you're buying one of these lighters, BEWARE of the uncoated flint welding itself to the striker wheel in very long-term storage.  Given enough time (years) it WILL happen.  I regret being over-bearing about this, but if you stash your lighter (any lighter that uses a flint-and-striker) very long-term and with an uncoated flint, such corrosion will likely happen; presence of moisture seems to accelerate corrosion. Even if the fuel has not leaked out over years, you may not even be able to use the lighter to generate sparks.

I will echo this because I have had this happen to several semi used bics that have ridden in my hunting pack for years, or stashed in my hunting gear box etc.  

I have seen bulk flints stored in a ziplock start to oxidize.  The zippo flints stored in those little rotating dispensers seem to keep better.

Same thing can happen to ferro rods when stored longer term.  For my longer term ferro rod storage I keep them in a sealed ziplock type bag, and then in another storage bag such as a heavy duty "bank bag."

The "welding" of the ferro striker to the striker wheel is because of chemical reaction between two differing substances.   It is almost guaranteed to happen over a long time.  Savvy Zippo collectors know to NOT store their lighters with flint installed: Take The Flint Out

Likely that moisture accelerates the corrosion as regards direct contact with struck (uncoated) flint and striker wheel.  I have had flints stored within the bottoms of some air-tight lighters deteriorate into grey dust over a very long time (10 years?), and which were not in contact with the striker wheel.

If storing ferrocerium rods very long-term, then simply store them in an air-tight baggie, keep the ferro rod from direct contact with the steel striker, and give the ferrocerium part of the rod a light coat of spray paint.

I've used Bics that were used and then forgotten for a decade and didn't have a problem with this.

OP: I smoke pipes a couple times a week and use a lighter a bit when camping or doing yard work. I sometimes bring out the Zippo for novelty, but I have Bics stashed everywhere. Cheap enough that I don't care if I lose one, and effective enough. All the fancy torch lighters I've had eventually crapped out.

Just received this liquid-fuel lighter today: Brass Liquid Fuel Lighter

Initial impressions:

Flawless appearance.  Tested with a magnet, and none of the parts of the lighter attracted the magnet, except near the "head" of the lighter where some obviously steel (magnetic) parts were present.  Ad text says "Zinc" construction and "Gold" finish, so certain to lose some its' initial good looks after some use.
Roughly the size of a standard Bic lighter, but heavier.   Lightly brushed brass finish: no idea if the lighter is coated in a clear finish.

Pre-installed flint sparked first time, and easy to rotate the striker wheel while automatically opening the sealing cap and igniting the lighter.  No fumbling around; as easy, and natural as a Bic lighter.  Less back-and-forth than with a Zippo, and useable in gloved hands.

Wick was about 3/16" elevated above the wick opening, which seems reasonable.

"Accessory kit" NOT specifically mentioned in product description, included TWO "O-rings", a steel key to access flint screw and fuel compartment, FOUR flints, and a spare wick, which is rather thinner than typical Zippo wicks.  IDK if Zippo wicks will work in this lighter, possibly so, but no guarantees.

With lighter not yet being lit (awaiting some other lighters), some observations:

Screw for flint chamber needs a fine screwdriver to unscrew; included thin steel "Key" will do, but a dime will not serve.  Spare flints must be stored within the fuel chamber, underneath the fuel cap.

Screw for fuel chamber is sized to accept a common dime coin, and the included steel "key".

No vent holes made in flame "chamber", so how well this lighter works in windy conditions in undetermined.  This lighter might be worth the effort properly drill  such holes (if it needs such), given its' exquisite construction.  YMMV, and future lighters becoming available, possibly not needing to be modified.

Again, awaiting arrival of other liquid and butane fueled lighters to make a fair comparison between them.  I'll fuel them at that point and give my impressions.

So far, this lighter seems like a very well made, extremely well finished lighter.

I'll post further updates as other lighters come in, after comparing them.

FWIW, I've become persuaded, by expert advice, that a simple pint can of NAPTHA is at least as good as Zippo fuel, and far cheaper at one's local hardware store.

Disclaimer: no financial interest.




 

@raf

Thanks Raf! I have a much "less robust" steel version (I think they were French-designed lighters). I love the design, but it didn't have an o-ring for the base/fuel refill cap and it would dry out much faster than regular Zippos.  This looks like a much better design!

ROCK6

Trench LighterYou're welcome!   Revised my post above to note that the lighter is primarily of Zinc metal and "gold' finished.  From careful visual examination, I believe the included "O" rings are to seal the wick cap.  IDK, but maybe adding an appropriate diameter/material "O" ring onto  your current steel lighter might work.  Just let the cap force the "O" ring down to appropriate "sealing point" on the "neck" of the wick-holder.  Fuel compartment cap is sealed by a much wider diameter "O" ring.

I have some other liquid/butane lighters/inserts incoming.  Once all are here, I'll sit down and evaluate them.  I'll try to include their weights, if my scale permits (LOL!)  So far, the standard plastic-construction Clipper (re-fillable and re-flintable) lighters are by far the lightest, and the cheapest.  IDK how long the butane fuel will be retained during storage.

This is a fun education for me; so far only an "expert" on Zippos and Bics.  I can say, from personal experience, that the commonly available competitors to the Bic butane lighter have fallen far short of the Bic's utter reliability.  FWIW, the unexpended flint from the Bic lighter can be extracted and used in most other flint-struck lighters.

My personal take-away from this thread is that I found and re-habilitated my old, solid brass repro Trench Lighter before the flint welded to the striker wheel.  The flint I had stored in the fuel compartment dissolved into grey matter.  Looks a lot like this, except mine's all brass and almost certainly a repro: https://www.ebay.com/itm/255310895597?chn=ps&norover=1&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-213727-13078-0&mkcid=2&itemid=255310895597&targetid=4581183927179143&device=c&mktype=&googleloc=&poi=&campaignid=418233787&mkgroupid=1241348861725295&rlsatarget=pla-4581183927179143&abcId=9300542&merchantid=51291&msclkid=9c8c620941f118ca314503fa608116da

Not something I would choose to take into the woods, but an old friend, and I enjoyed re-habbing it.  I like fixing stuff.

Most of the new lighters have arrived, except for the "Rope Lighters", and more about them when they arrive.

I'll be adding to this thread as I eval the separate lighters, one-by-one.

This will NOT be a long-term test, done under scientific, controlled conditions.  This will be a personal eval, done by a person who uses Bic lighters daily, under various conditions, and also very familiar with similar lighters and Zippo lighters.  My eval will NOT include run-times, nor will it include any sort of fuel retention period.

Initial impressions: the Clipper all-plastic lighters are by far the lightest of the units I've bought.  They are re-fillable, re-flinted, and can have the striker wheel assy replaced by a new unit which also encloses the flint--Far easier to replace the striker wheel assy (with included new flint) than to replace the flint alone.  The microscopically fine threads on the plastic parts used to retain the flint and spring assy are tough to manipulate on a warm kitchen table in good light.  With cold hands, in the field, will be a serious problem replacing the (Zippo-style) flint.   Relacing the whole striker wheel assy (with included flint) is the way to go. Suspect the fuel available within the Clipper might be somewhat less than within the similar size Bic.

OEM Clippers come with a "segmented" striker wheel.  Replacement striker wheels come with a "notched" striker wheel that is more akin to the striker wheel seen on Zippo lighters.  Either can be struck with a gloved hand, but I prefer the "notched" style, for uncertain reasons.

Not aware of any sort of "protective" case for the Clipper lighter that will protect it against liquid water.  Any lighter using a striker wheel and flint will suffer from being exposed to liquid water.

As always, such butane lighters are temp-sensitive, so keep them stored within warm garments/next to warm body for best reliability in cold temps.

I plan to make the "mostly" plastic Clipper lighters my daily lighter, once I have fully tested them long-term, and thus replacing my current Bic lighters.

More on other lighters later.

 

Thunderbird  Single Jet "Torch" Lighter Insert for Zippo "Solid Brass" Case.

"Solid Brass" case (wish it didn't state have that lightly engraved, looks gauche); needed to have each hinge element lightly compressed with thin needle-nose pliers to greatly reduce case hinge wobble.  After that, cap worked OK.  Case did not attract a magnet.

Bought this re-fillable, re-flintable TB item for a "Solid Brass" Zippo case.  The TB insert would NOT fit into brand new SB Zippo case.  There are 4 (four) small, raised tabs on the sides of the plastic case of the TB insert.  Reading reviews, I trimmed TWO of them (on same side of the TB insert) down to flush with an Xacto blade razor knife.

The insert then fit perfectly, and stayed in place, in proper position, during manipulation.  Can be withdrawn from the metal case without undue effort.

TB insert seems to be a little more wind-resistant than convention flame Zippo, but it's certainly possible to "puff" it out with a directed puff of air.
The TB insert has an adjustable flame and was set in midpoint on arrival; a higher level of flame might improve wind-resistance, but so far, it's satisfactory in mild to middlin' winds.   Increased flame output = increased fuel use.
 
Does not aways light on first try, but always on second click. After opening case top, THEN slightly depressing "gas" button for a second, THEN depressing button fully to activate ignitor makes first-time ignition much more likely. Since the insert uses a piezo-electric ignition source, the life of the insert is entirely dependent on the life of the piezo ignitor.   Piezo-electric ignitors do NOT like water, perhaps less so than flint-and-steel.  Keep it DRY, as well as warm.  Not at all sure that any Piezo ignitor, mounted within a lighter, as this one is, will serve to ignite other material as will flint-and-striker types such as Clipper or Zippo types.

So far, so good.
 
ETA: One small quirk of the TB "Jet" lighter is that the flame is almost invisible in bright outdoor light, maybe adding a little fuss to lighting a cigarette or cigar.

One way to get a "Metal" Clipper Lighter is to pay extra for the .50 BMG case:  .50 BMG Case Plus Metal Clipper Lighter

"Metal" Clipper lighter On Amazon alone is about $20; the .50 BMG case PLUS the Metal Clipper lighter is about $30, so $10 for the case.

This particular "Metal" Clipper Lighter is in Brass finish, and includes the usual Clipper re-filling, re-flinting and ability to change the striker wheel assembly features.  The body of the "Metal" Clipper is of zinc, and the top (head) of the lighter is presumably steel.  The "Metal" Clipper adds the ability to adjust the flame height.

Comments on the "Metal" Clipper are mostly identical to standard Clipper, although overall weight is increased by the added .50 BMG shell casing.  One can of course use the Clipper "Metal" lighter by itself.

The case was cleaned inside, and so far, does not seem to be scratching the thin plated finish on the lighter, although some scratching of the lighter's plated finish is likely inevitable, but invisible once shell casing is in place.  The shell case fits the lighter insert nicely, and there are no sharp or rough edges.

From the headstamp, my .50 BMG shell casing apparently was made in Bosnia.  I rather like that, since it's presumably unusual.  Other shell casing origins may vary.

Disclaimer: no financial interest

I picked one up, kind of cool. Did you notice the flint storage compartment in the cap you remove to fill with fluid? It was a nice touch. I got some o-rings to play with for a better seal.

ROCK6

Yes, I did; it's seen in the pix I linked.  Awaiting some packs of Ronson flints, which I know to be coated due to their red color. Not so sure about other flints being coated or not.  I'll use the coated Ronson flints for on-lighter backup units.  Have had flints turn into grey dust when stored on-board some lighters, but it took a long time.  Presumably the coated flints will be more durable.

Good luck with the O-rings! IDK whether or not they are Metric or SAE, but Harbor Freight had all sorts of them, even fuel-resistant types.  HF Metric and SAE O Rings

For this application, suggest Viton>HNBR>Nitrile.   Selecting O Ring Material   Most likely any of them will serve in this application.

Not a lighter, but a useful accessory: the Zippo Fuel Cannister

If there's a better, more secure way to carry lighter fluid, I'd like to hear about it.

Comes with all sorts of detachable split rings, clasp, flint holder, and a small metal "key" for unscrewing stuck Zippo flint holder screws, and perhaps slotted fuel-fill caps.

Pretty much indestructible, and adds negligent weight, being made of aluminum.  Shop around for best price.

Disclaimer: no financial interest.

I bought this Visol Storm High Altitude Wind Resistant Butane Lighter off of Amazon in 2014 and promptly bought a second one because I liked it so much.  I have personally used this at 8000+ feet and in stiff winds and it works every time.  Neither lighter has developed any leaks and I keep them filled as specified by the manufacturer.
YMMV
TheMULE

That looks interesting; not sure what makes it particularly suitable for high-altitude.  Perhaps the adjustable flame feature.

Unfortunately, currently "Unavailable".

Yes, as I recall, I did need to adjust the flame.

They are imported so availability is spotty.  The link was old, and I didn't do a search so you should be able to find them without too much trouble.

NEW LINK


TheMULE

Mine seems to dry out really fast for some reason.

I want to try one, but I'm not sure I want to try one $40 worth. I'm not sure what makes this a "high elevation " lighter other than fuel delivery adjustability.

I recently replaced my Zippo dual flame butane insert (over leakage) with a Yusud soft/jet insert and other than it being slightly loose in the Zippo armor case (shimmed with a single piece of scotch tape) I really like it. The fact that it will run on soft flame without button pressure is really nice. When you release the jet flame button it returns to soft flame. I'll be staying at 9800' in Colorado in a few months so I'll get to check its high elevation capabilities then.

@45ProCarry

I bought one of these from this recommendation.  I like it, mostly, but sometimes I open it and it has leaked fuel into the cap and then I have it all over my hand.  I have to get my hand dried off so I don't set myself on fire.

Do you ever have that issue?  Am I doing something wrong?

I know it sounds stupid, but you have to fill it exactly like the directions state.  I bought mine when they first came out, it has never leaked.

What directions?

Thunderbird Zippo insert.

I am out of town at the moment.  I will have to check when I get back.

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Just a personal bias, but I have come to somewhat dislike lighters that have a screw-off cap, particularly for frequent use.  Not only is such a cap hard to unscrew with gloves worn, but the cap can easily be lost.  Sure, some lighters and caps have a way to tether one to the other, but adding a tether also introduces some amount of fuss; the longer it is, the less problem with unscrewing the cap, but the more "unhandy" the whole ensemble becomes.  Screwing the cap back on, with cold, unsteady hands, and with the cap's fine threads, might pose a problem in some circumstances.  Also, difficult to use one-handed.

Not a knock against the ExoTac lighter above; I'm sure it's well-made, and its' price in not entirely out of line for high-end lighters.

Having just bought and tested some lighters that were designed to be re-fillable (either Butane or suitable fluids), re-flintable, and which have some sort of decent cap over the wick (not zippos) to retard liquid fuel evaporation, I don't find the personal need to buy the ExoTac unit, but YMMV.

FWIW, I have a couple of CountyComm  "screw-top" "Peanut lighters", the Peanut and the Peanut XL, both in titanium.  I consider them as emergency flame sources, and not suitable for frequent use.  I'd also suggest all the "peanut" lighters, having no sort of wind-shielding capacity whatsoever, that users of such "unshielded" lighters reckon that they will have to construct some sort of "wind shield" when using such "unshielded" lighters in high winds and outdoors.   Given my biases, and personal experiences, I'd place the ExoTac lighter in the "Emergency Use" category.  YMMV, of course.

What's that light?

Saw that metallic clipper, went to show my daughter.  She had it. She loves it.

15 years ago. I bought 2 cases (1k each) of cheap disposable lighters.  They were packed in display boxes of 50. About 12 cents per at the time.

Used them. Gave many boxes away to friends, bartenders etc.

These were cheap. About 5% defective.  I expected to lose 50%+ of the butane in the first year, as per arf survival fourm.

These sat for over 2.5 years in my garage in Texas heat and cold. The last box I opened after 3 years still had about 75% of the butane left and worked fine.

Each had a protective coating on the flint, as you needed to flick 2 or 3 times before sparks.

A box of unused bics, a new Zippo with flints and a couple cabs of fluid would be enough, imo.