Hi Yall
Right now I am looking at <img src="images/graemlins/crazy.gif" alt="" /> giting A lighter and want to know if A brunton helios or A is windmill better .
And by the I cary 5 bics no me all the time

I have a Windmill, and I have no significant complaints - It has has always performed for me, although I have never had to use it in extreme conditions. It is a bit of overkill for e simply lighting a fire.

If you have five lighters with you, your money would probably be spent better on something else - good fire tinder, waterproof matches, a good headlamp, lightweight jacket, etc. <img src="images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

Underneath all the rubber armor of the Brunton Helios (that makes it comparatively HUGE) there's something that looks suspiciously like a Windmill. It's either a Windmill or a very close knockoff. Note that all that rubber armoring might help protect it from shock, but it doesn't make it more waterproof. Hard to see much benefit, really.

I'm one of those that doesn't much care for the Windmill- it's certainly not very waterproof, doesn't hold much fuel, and seems vastly overpriced... I've taken to carrying a Solo "Storm", which seems better than the Windmill in practically all respects, and costs $15 compared to $50 for the Windmill. So far, it's been much more reliable.

I spent considerable time and money checking out lighters with compasses, from Colibri and Lucienne at the high end to el-cheapo Asian versions on eBay at the low end. ALL the high-end ones I ended up returning (the Colibri, at more than $70, apparently has ferrous metal around the compass, and it doesn't work at all- it points in any direction. The Luceinne was delivered new with a huge air bubble in the compass- they both should be ashamed of what they charge), and the cheapos I tested a bit and threw away. All were useless as a compass, some as a lighter as well.

I note that Solo, the manufacturer of the "Storm" that I'm now carrying, now has an "adventurer" model with a compass, and I'll probably order one of those shortly.

Wow, thats a lot of flame. I carry bics exclusively and I have never had a problem even in the rain. I like them because they are cheap and they take a long time to run out of fuel. I have never had the need to carry a refillable lighter like a hurricane or whatever, and I have been on the continental divide in january.

Hope this helps.

Garrett