I want to find a small lighter I can add to a key ring for emergencies. Any suggestions?<br><br>"Audaces Fortuna Iuvat"

Kodiak,<br><br>I found a small refillable butane lighter/swiss army type knife combo on a keyring at a truckstop. Granted, the tiny knife and scissors are pretty cheap, but the compact size of the whole thing is great (approx 2 3/16 in long by 1/2 in wide by 10/16 in deep).<br><br>It is stainless steel and the only logo or markings on it are Kowell.<br><br>I typically don't check out the el-cheapo knives, Zippo knock-offs, etc. at gas stations, but I just happened to glance one day and find it. It is a permanent fixture on my already crowded with goodies/survival items keychain.<br><br>HT<br><br>

>>I want to find a small lighter I can add to a key ring for emergencies. Any suggestions?<<<br><br>Eddie Baur briefly used to carry a little gem of a Japanese refillable butane lighter in a screw-open, o-ring sealed black plastic capsule, the shape of a cold capsule, and just two inches long. Unfortunately, I haven't seen them for sale in many years- I'd buy a couple more.<br><br>Some people, myself included, like the little rectangular, waterproof "permanent match" lighters for this purpose. Some don't. It's come up in discussion a few times recently.<br><br>That having been said, a google search on "key ring lighter" gets a lot of hits to peruse through, from cheap novelty items to expensive gentlemen's accessories like:<br><br>http://www.stanleylondon.com/dalveyminilighter.htm<br><br>

Why on your keychain? Check out the cigarette lighter watch.<br>http://www.gizmos-uk.com/LighterWatch.htm<br><br>Just a joke. These were real popular in France in the late 70s when I lived there. It seemed that alot of Frenchmen smoked an awful lot. <br><br>I carry a little half size Bic disposable. It has plenty of flame, is inobtrusive, gets no second looks when I empty my pockets, and is so cheap I don't care if I lose it. Also if it runs out of fuel you can still shoot out sparks.<br><br>

Lighter watch: neat gadget. The description says:<br><br>>Refilling the watch is easy and just like a standard disposable lighter. <<br><br>What do you suppose that means? When a disposable lighter is empty, you throw it away.<br><br>Hmm.....<br><br>

I second the suggestion of the half-sized disposable lighter. The amount of instant, convenient flame you get for the size, weight and cost is un-'matched.' <br><br>I prefer the Bic pocket electronic version because it works after being submerged, it has a child safety lock that prevents the butane from accidentally being released in your pocket, and it has a very smooth, pocket-friendly shape. No shower of sparks, though.<br><br>It's not intended for carry on a keychain, but you would be hard pressed to find anything much smaller. <br><br>

CastAway,<br> I bought one of those child proof electronic lighters. When I push down on the button I can here a hissing noise. Dose the button have to go all the way down for the butane escapes? Just wandering if mine is messed up or is it just hissing at me! Ha! I have had a lot of trouble with the regular bics going dry too soon. <br><br><br>

Sorry, in the above post where I wrote:<br><br> >I prefer the Bic pocket electronic version<<br><br>I meant:<br><br> "I prefer the *Cricket* pocket electronic version"<br><br>I guess Bic has such a strong brand name, it stuck in my head.<br><br>

If your lighter is hissing, that's a sure sign that you are losing the butane. I think you have a bad lighter. <br><br>I wrote in the above post that I prefer the Bic electronic, but I really meant to write that I like the Cricket Pocket Electronic model. I don't know if you have a Cricket, but mine doesn't seem to leak like that. Maybe yours is a little broken or imperfect, or maybe you have a different brand. <br><br>I have seen the Bic electronic, but it is pretty large and has an inconvenient safety release. I didn't notice it leaking, but I didn't look for that specifically.<br><br>The child safety feature on modern disposable lighters is intended to prevent children from being able to start fires with the lighters. In other words, the various designs may not all be intended to prevent butane leaking, but may just be intended to prevent sparking. The Cricket lock seems to do both in my experience. It is an excellent design in that it is effective and also very convenient to use.<br><br>If you put a tremendous amount of force on the locked button, I'm sure the lock could be damaged to the point that it would allow leaking, but I don't think that would happen in typical use or typical wear-and-tear.<br><br>

Where do you find the cricket lighter? I also tried the scripto lighter. It also hisses. Ok lighter but not what I'm looking for. I hear the crickets chirping but I can't find one...<br><br>

Just out of curiosity, has anyone here ever tried to start a fire with an empty Bic lighter? Has anyone succeeded? (This question does not apply to male children under 12, who could probably start a fire with a bar of soap and a swizzle stick. ;-)<br><br>

Cricket lighters (particularly the small electronic ones) are really hard to find, which is a shame because they are such a great product. Bic really has the market sewn up in my area. <br><br>I have found them at the major discount store Wal-Mart on an intermittent basis. If you have more than one Wal-Mart in your area, try them all. Otherwise I would advise you to just keep your eyes open wherever you see disposable lighters for sale: grocery stores, drug stores, convenience stores, gas stations, etc. Chances are you will run across them eventually.<br><br>If you can, try to get the "pocket" sized one which is only 2-3/8" long: a very convenient size for pocket carry or a survival kit.<br><br>