UPDATE: I had my mini peanut lighter sitting for about 2.5 years with the o-ring I described above. I opened it up, and it lit up like I just put the fuel in there.

Thanks for the update, ireckon. I've started to see peanut lighters around here over the past year. I've wondered about their utility for a non-smoker like me. Refueling seems like more trouble than it's worth when my trusty BICs have been so dependable.



^^This. I love my mini BICs but most of my campfires happen once old man winter arrives. When it gets really cold and my fingers lose their dexterity, it can be a challenge to work the little things. My old reliables are a regular BIC, my Ronson Jetlite and, if it's really bad weather, storm-proof matches.



I picked up a few cheapo lighters with built-in LEDs a couple of years ago and really liked them. They seemed to work as well as a regular BIC and the LEDs outlasted the fuel even with frequent use. On the downside, they were more fragile than BICs and the fuel seemed to disappear quicker than in a regular BIC. On the flip side though, they were cheaper than BICs and the ones I bought had a clear body so I could see the fuel level and adjust accordingly. The fuel level was also higly adjustable. All that said, when it was time to buy new ones I went back to BICs and Ronson Jetlites.

And BTW - get thread to resurrect. I've been reading this thread and the links contained within for over an hour now! LOL! I've also stopped reading and checked all the lighters in all my kits to make sure they are still fueled. Thanks gang!!

Mini Bic is still my favorite lighter. But the mini Peanut is better for EDC on my keychain. I feel confident to put it there and forget about it.

Has anybody played with metal matches / permanent matches?

Haha! I've had one of those for years, Mark, but never knew how to use it until today! I got it in a package of tinder I bought but there were no directions included, so I just put it on a shelf. After reading your message, I Googled and found this:



I'm going to dig mine out and give it a try. Not so crazy abut needing to add fuel but we'll see.

THANKS!!

They work fairly good but they are not permanent. As long as the wick is moist it does not burn off much. A dry wick burns away. That limits the time you can use the flame. Most of them evaporate the lighter fluid quickly. Neither the ferro rod nor the wick are replaced easily (not designed for replacing).
I would prefer the peanut lighter where the wick and flint can be replaced and refilling id fairly easy.

Here is a visual comparison of the mini Bic and the mini Peanut. Again, I like the mini Bic better, but the mini Peanut stays on my keychain.

If anyone here is asking themselves what are "peanut" lighters and where can I get one -- CountyComm's Fire page has three different size Peanut lighters in stainless steel, titanium, anodized aluminum, brass and copper -- not necessarily all metals in all sizes. Brass and copper look great and are very traditional, anodized aluminum are great for EDC because they're relatively light, titanium is light & tough, stainless is simply durable. "Better" is a relative term.

As for size, I prefer the standard size Peanut lighter. The smaller "split" pea is too small to hold if you are cold and in need of fire "right now". With the XL you might consider a Zippo (except for that Zippo leakage issue discussed above). The XL kinda conflicts with the peanut term. But that's just my opinion.

Extra O-rings and flints are available in the service pack.

No affiliation other than as a customer.

I just tested some cheap peanut lighters that I got off of Ebay for a few dollars. They were also sitting around for about 2.5 years. They lit up just as good as the mini peanut lighter I bought from County Comm, and they have low quality O-rings on them. So, go figure. The peanut lighter design, in general, is just a winner I guess.

The only difference, as far as I can see, is the cheap shell of the lighters from Ebay. They look like some sort of cheap alloy that will bend if you step on it really hard. In contrast, the stainless steel shell from County Comm can allegedly handle a fire truck driven over it. I have not tested that, but the County Comm stainless steel shells are obviously higher quality. To me, the twelve dollars extra is worth the better shell. After all, the main reason I have this lighter is to have a bomb proof fire starter on my key chain.