EDIT: How do you solve the problem of accidentally pressing the button on a Mini Bic? Do you just go with another type of lighter altogether?

Has anybody tried out a case for a mini Bic?
http://www.amazon.com/Bic-Chrome-Mini-Li...9600&sr=8-1
http://www.amazon.com/Universal-Chrome-M...9600&sr=8-3

Why?

Well, a case may provide some protection to the head unit. Mini Bics don't really need the protection, but I would prefer a lighter to be over-engineered if it's not too much trouble.

IMHO,The Mini-Bic is Over-Engineered as It is.It's light as a feather,So If you dropped it off a cliff,Chances are,It would Survive the Fall,Drop it into a Stream,It will Float,Wrap some Rubberbands/Innertube around it,& You'll have Grip/Tinder & Won't be as likely to drop it Either! Now...Put it into a Metal Case,The weight increases enough,to Actually do it some harm as It Will hit that much harder, when dropped,Drop it in a Stream,You can Kiss it Goodby,It likely won't Float,It probably won't fit into a Small PSK with a case on it,& Other than Looking Cool,Retro 50's/60's for lighting up a Smoke,that Fad,has fallen by the Wayside,These days!You could probably carry,2-3 more mini's in Lieu of the weight of The added case.If the case is 99.9% Magnesium,Then You might be onto Something,Otherwise,I would go with KISS,on this one!

A case? For a lighter that costs less than a buck? I don't see the logic -- or the value.

Unless you want to dress it up and pretend it's a Zippo. Zippos are cool and I love the way they look; but for me it's the Bic in the pocket that gets the job done.

For durability/storage, you could wrap it in thin packing foam and wrap it with duct tape or electrical tape. Not sexy, but effective.

But the standard solution for ensuring that you have a working Bic is to pack a spare or two in every pack and jacket you own. Why wouldn't you?

Not necessary, adds weight, and a significant cost - a perfect trifecta

I had a light plastic and rubber one that holds a mini bic. Makes the bic a bit bigger, so easier to hold with cold hands, but the reason I got it is because it will attach to a key ring. It's bulky and adds more weight, so it's now living in the bottom of my 20 year old's school backpack, with a few other survival goodies attached to a keyring for good measure (LED, small folding knife, FOB with vaseline-soaked cotton balls inside, Fox 40 and a quarter.)

She's been away for a week with friends, and last night I found her PSK/first aid kit on her dresser. The keychain is all but forgotten in the bottom of the bag, so at least it made the trip.

I have had a couple (actually still have one in my truck console). I usually carry a small lighter in my watch pocket and reasoned the case would ensure the button didn't get accidentally depressed, draining the gas. For that, it worked well.

Unfortunately I found it made the whole package much easier to loose. While the Mini Bic itself will generally stay in the little pocket without issue, in the heavier (and slicker?) case it had a tendency to work its way out. After loosing a couple I decided just to carry the Mini Bic itself.

While I have had one case of finding an empty lighter in my pocket since going back to just the Bic, I check it fairly regularly to ensure its okay (that's how I found it empty, fortunately not when I actually needed it).

I have revised the original post to include the following questions:

How do you solve the problem of accidentally pressing the button on a Bic and releasing all the gas? Do you just go with another type of lighter altogether?



Thanks, that's exactly the type of info I wanted and exactly the problem I've been trying to solve (accidentally pressed button). Thank you to everybody who is answering the questions asked.

Regarding cost, the combination is around $10. That's negligible to me if the combination is superior to a naked Bic. Plus, the case is a one time cost. I imagine most people would rather carry a leaking Zippo that's more expensive, to each his own.

Regarding the idea of the case being heavier and hitting the ground harder, that's debatable. A naked Bic is going to drop at the same speed, unless the terminal velocity becomes a factor to make a difference. If we assume that the naked Bic falls at the same speed, it's possible that the case would provide some protection by spreading the force of impact on the Bic. I don't know for sure without experimenting. I have performed this type of experiment extensively with other objects, and so I have a feel for it. Anyway, this is a minor issue because I would have extra fire starters while I'm "out there".

small piece of wooden matchstick or toothpick held in place by duck or electrical tape. parts already in stock, less than one minute to deploy, no appreciable additional weight or expense.

As of right now, this isn't something I've solved. I tried a few variations using elastics and paper clips but none really made it so the button couldn't be depressed (the match stick & duck tape sounds like it has potential though).

I've been keeping an eye open for a better design in a small lighter, but for now I just try to test the one I'm carrying a couple times a week.

My solution:




Still too early to say if it will work as good as I hope, though... But I am optimistic.


It is plain and simple a piece of PET plastic (cut-out from a bottle of Heinz' tomato ketchup, they have these nice corners that forms the sharpest bend) and a bit of gorilla (duct) tape.

If you leave the PET piece just a little too short to go all the way around the BIC you have a permanent storage solution. If you make it a bit longer you've made yourself a low bulk BIC case. If you like to tie it to other things then you just insert a piece of line when you wrap it with tape.