Big fan of Bics,and that metal thing over flint wheel allows you to use it with wet hands.

If you consider a Bic includes tinder, it's not much room at all. A size comparison to a tiny ferro rod by itself is not an accurate comparison because the ferro rod still needs a scraper and tinder to get a flame going. Once you add the extra stuff, you're well over the size of a mini Bic. A size comparison to matches is fair, but one match is good for one flame, while a mini Bic is good for 100+ flames. A mini Bic is about the volume of 10 good matches.

Classic understatement! In many situations, fire is literally the difference between life and death.

Are you saying the ability to produce a flame for several seconds without burning your hand negates the need for tinder? I guess in some situations that would be true.

The Bic usually can ignite fuel at the kindling level. So tinder is not really needed. It still is adviseable to use tinder as the supply in the Bic is limited.

Bumped, tossed, smacked around in pockets and otherwise. Never had one leak or explode. Unless you dunk it and the components rust they are worry free. I found a BIC on the ground while snowshoeing last week which had been there a long time. After thawing it out it actually still worked. I was a little shocked.

Recently Zippo has purchased Ronson lighter company and still let them manufacture and sell their own Products. In my Survival kit I have a ronson Jetlite from before they were puchased.

Comparing it to the post zippo product the newer version seems more sturdy and well made for the same price.



Imma replace all my jetlites with the newer version. Comparison pictures to come.

A question is which to put in my newer kit? jetlite or Minibic? They both have their pros and cons.

The Grey is the new the Dark Silver is the old.







The new one has a better screw design being in the center and the shell seems to be made of a better material with a much better tho different coating. Very similar but the new grey has better feeling/looking materials including the white plastic. it also has what looks to be less cheapo disposable parts such as the small piece of foam under the fuel hinge using a metal spring instead.

I'm saying compare apples to apples. A while ago, I would compare the size of a Bic directly to the size of a ferro rod, but that's an apples to oranges comparison. Tinder is the the critical material that readily ignites from a spark to make a flame. The Bic already has tinder in there (fuel) to make a flame. In contrast, with a ferro rod, you need to add a scraper and tinder (e.g., cotton). So, the overall size of that package is bigger, and if your plan is to make 20 fires or so, then that ferro rod package is that much bigger.

Now, I still carry extra tinder with a Bic so I don't quickly burn up the fuel, but in a worst case scenario there is a reliable shot at starting a full fledged fire without the extra tinder.

Great info Frisket, thank you. Does this Jet Lite on Amazon look like it's the new one?

Also, how tough is it to dry out a piezo lighter that got wet? I know with the old-school Bics they wouldn't light if wet but they dried pretty easily then worked fine. Will the piezos recover like this as well after getting dunked?