Presumed Lost: Point well taken. I use a butane lighter for my edc myself. Zippo when going into the woods. I'll check with my lighter repair guru to see which ones seem to come back to him less often, and are waterproof??

Not one to hesitate throwing good money after bad, I ordered a Lucienne Mountaineer yesterday, and was just informed that it has shipped. We'll see.

Hello all,


It's been a while....I've been busy. Nuff said.

Ran into a little widget in Wal-mart the other day. It was a container for a mini-Bic, touted to be water-proof. I passed it up (I'm a smoker, I carry and refuel a Zippo regularly). I'll grab one the next time I'm there, put a mini-Bic in it and toss it a bucket of water overnight. And then I'll let you know....


Take care,

Andy

Yeah, that sounds great. Let us know!

John McIntire

I received the Lucienne "Mountaineer" lighter that I ordered last night- another disappointment. Too bad, too... this one came close.

First impression, it's larger than I thought it would be (that was true with the Colibri "Seal", too- none of the manufacturers seem to include anything in the photographs for scale). I sort of thought it would be "Cricket" lighter-sized, but it's more military-matchsafe size. It's probably lighter than the Colibri Seal was, but because of it's shape, it's a little more awkward to pocket.

Very solid feeling. Unlike all the others I know about, the locking mechanism on the cap of this one really does seem to compress the gasket enough for it to be waterproof. The “locking frame” seems sturdy, as the container itself. The end with the filler aperture has a nicely gasketed cap on it. All in all, pretty nice, especially for the relatively modest (compared to the Colibri Seal) price.

Except, of course, for the compass. Initially, it didn’t work at all, just pointing wherever you turned it , just like the Colibri Seal compass. After fiddling with it and shaking it, I managed to dislodge a LARGE bubble from underneath the compass disk, so large that it then tilted the disk from above and interfered with it’s turning. Useless.

So-back to the dealer it goes. Very frustrating- that’s two high-end lighters with compasses that don’t even try to work properly- or four, if you count checking out 3 Colibri Seals. Apparently early 21st- Century technology is not capable of turning out a decent waterproof lighter with a compass that actually works, though there are plenty of expensive lighter with compasses that don't work at all.

I’m sort of surprised.

I haven't decided whether to give up on this, or to explore some of the cheap Asian imports. How much worse could they be?

I've increased the "water-resistant-ness" of my zippo by simply snapping a one inch piece of tire tube over the lighter. I simply roll it down to use it (which is not often as I don't smoke.) This also seems to reduce the evaporation factor by a small percet.

Make sure you use a small road bike style inner tube.

Hello all,

Just an update:

The local Wal-mart no longer carries the gadget I mentioned. I have contacted the supervisor of the section the item was in, and she has promised to try and contact the distributor and get the item back in. I was told it may take a while. I'll let you know something as soon as I do. Sorry for getting your hopes up.

Take care,

Andy

Still no luck locally. I have, however, managed to find (finally) a website for the !@#$%ing things.


click here

Take care,

Andy

Guess everyone has played the "lighter game". Here is my score.

I tried the Cabella (about $50) lighter and found that if I used it for more than 20 seconds it would suddenly burn my finger! Happens so fast you can't let go. Then it clogged up and has become inop. Also, can't see the liquid level so I was forever filling it (just in case). Never was sure if it was really full. Now it lives in the "disgusted" drawer.

Had a zippo for years, but found that the nickle in the case irritated my skin, even through the cloth in my pocket. Also the fuel seemed to escape a bit and made the irritation worse. I don't smoke, so it was always out of fuel (evaporation) when needed. Also packing it with other things in a kit made all items smell like fuel. I always wondered if the fuel fumes were damaging other articles in the kit. Discarded.

Bic's. Well, good at first, but they are hard to light something with. Small and weak flame. Seem to survive normal handling well, but sometimes hard to light. Not at all windproof. Discarded.

Cricket: Finally one that seems to meet my needs. It is small, light, and lives in my EDC easily, with another in my pocket. So far, lights every time and the flame is OK. Cheap, have them tucked everywhere. I like the "childproof" lock. keeps it from accidental discharge. Some of the others are very difficult to operate when hands are cold and wet (slippery). So I would break off the lock and they would then leak when packed. Also the cricket is made of a translucent material and if I hold it up to a bright light, I can see the liquid level.

Tried a storm lighter. Seems best of the bunch. I can see the level. It seems to survive being wet, but I have not tested it. Someone with more $$, that can afford destroying a $12 lighter might dunk one and let me know. That is the problem with distructive testing. I am just careful with mine and keep it in a waterproof BOB kit. Nice hot flame and it does not burn my finger.

Storm Candle: A $14 butane with an extendable flame rod. Works OK, but I think it is not up to a EDC standard. Weak flame. Have not had it very long but I am not impressed. I thought that because it was made by storm it would have the same type hot flame, but alas, just a weak easily blown out little flame. It now lives in the "Stove" box in my truck. Usefull for lighting my one burner stove.

I do not carry any of the "magnesium" fire sticks. Did for years and found that when packed they damage other things. If exposed to air they decay and turn to a powder. This powder seems to be especially nasty to electronic stuff. I did not try to isolate them from other items and perhaps coating them or some other isolation technique may work. Not worth the risk to me. Have the resolved this problem?

Matches. I have tried them all and do not want to risk my "fire" on the number I can stick in a small package. Experience has shown me that a lighter will provide more lights (obviously) in a smaller and more robust package than matches. Yes, I would bet my life on that.

Butane lighters have their risks, but carefull use and frequent routine checking have provided the best "bang for buck" in my world.

Nomad..