Vacation has been great. The Sierra Nevadas have been fun as always. Did a couple day hikes and had a great time. Also realized that I need to be in a lot better shape to hike at this altitude. I have had it easy hiking in TX where the air is nice and thick. <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />. Anyway I did the altitude test with my Windmill lighter as promised in a previous and mostly unrelated thread.

I filled it up with fluid at around 500' then travelled to a peak around 8000' then back down the other side of the mountain to where I have been staying all week which is at exactly 6200'. After unpacking and getting settled I tested the lighter at 6200' and it would not light. Zero out of about thirty attemps yeilded not a single ignition. So I purged some air (and lost a lot of fuel in process) and gave it about thirty more tries. This time it lit twice. So I purged some more air (and this time just about the rest of the fuel with it) and it lit just fine every time. I got a bout thrity more quick lights out of the remaining fuel before running out completely. Out of those final thrity it lit every time. Then I refilled it at this same altitude (6200') and it lit and is still ighting with no problems 100% of the time.

In conclusion the lighter appears to work just fine when purged then refilled at the altitude in which it will be used, however, it does not respond well to drastically changing altitudes without purging and refilling before use.

Its a great little lighter and fine for most uses as long as you understand its limitations which seem to only be related to changing altitudes drastically with a full un-purged tank of fuel. Just the same I dont think it's for me. My ferrocerium rod was completely uneffected by altitude <img src="/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" /> so I'm sticking with it and selling the Windmill to try to get back some of what I paid for it ($50).

I'll probably start the Ebay auction at $25 (w/o the tin that it came in since it's my current PSK tin <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />) on Monday morning so if any ETS folks want it just let me know before then and you can have it for $25. Please PM me if interested though because I do not want this thread to be a "for sale" thread and therefore will not reply to any such inquiries in the thread itself. PM me and I'll reply right away. First PM gets it. <img src="/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" /> It's the smokey/black color (as shown in the pic) that is still see-through enough to see how much fuel it has without having to use the tiny (and IMO irritating) fuel window.

Hey, it's the one I received as a Xmas present 2 days ago.

I tried to light without success ....

As you now seem to be THE expert on this device, do you think that filling it with some fuel would give better results ???? <img src="/images/graemlins/confused.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/images/graemlins/confused.gif" alt="" />

(yes ! I tried it several times before realising it was empty .... <img src="/images/graemlins/blush.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/images/graemlins/blush.gif" alt="" />)

<img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

How "fuelish", of you, frenchy!

In my expert opinion they do function noticably better when fueled. YMMV. <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

Did yours come in a tin? I found my tin to be the perfect size for a PSK. A little bigger than an altoids tin but not too big for a pocket by any means.

Brian, great info. Much as I suspected.. (I help out in a pipe and cigar shop which sells and sometimes repairs lighters... I've logged my opinions and experience here on ETS several times)

A warning to all butane lighter users: IMHO you should steer clear of Ronson brand fuel. We see so many lighters fueled with Ronson become gunked up and gradually failing that we recommend many other brands of fuel (which reportedly are better filtered for impurities..e.g. Colibri brand). For a survival situation, why get too frugal.

Another warning about "bleeding" the air out of the lighter:
Valve pointing DOWN, not up. Bleed EVERYTHING.. until no more fuel/air excapes. Then Fill - Valve UP, Can pointed DOWN. We suggest that you completely bleed and refill your lighter when you first receive it (even if it appears to be fueled). Factories fuel from bulk tanks, and we find the pressure variances to be a problem. Fully clear your lighter, then fuel from your own can. And you will STILL have to bleed the lighter occasionally.

Finally: With a piezoelectric sparker.. your best friend is a can of compressed air (Radio Shack, computer store, etc.). Frequently blow out the lint and dust from the burner/sparker area. That's the most frequent "repair" we need to do.

Then, get a zippo and aux. fuel tank.

Mine was in a plastic blister. No brand name, no logo on the lighter itself. Maybe it's just a cheap copy ?!?

Mine has no logo either except for the tiniest little sticker on the botton that says "Windmill Japan" on it.

I never got a chance to thank NAro for this advice. He is dead on. The first thing I did when I got my Windmill lighter was head down to the local Walgreens, buy the can of Ronson fuel, and fill up the lighter. Ronson's label says its the best!

Anyway, I made a point not to use the lighter until I could hunt down a bottle of higher quality butane (Lucienne), which I found at my local tobacco shop.

Since then I aquired a Storm ligher and its instructions specifically states:

"You just need to be sure that you purchase premium butane which is butane blended with propane, sometimes characterized as "triple" or "double refined”. Suitable brands include: Lava, Lucienne, King, Prometheus or Vector, and usually come in a large can (10-13oz.) with a metal fill nozzle or tip as opposed to a plastic one. Check with a high quality tobacco shop in your area to find these. Do not use Clipper, Ronson, Scripto, Zippo or Sun butane, as they will clog the butane feeding system and affect the performance of the lighter.

BUTANE FILLING
Be sure to use premium butane, as this modern firing device requires the cleanest butane available and pressure of 45 psi.. Do not use Clipper, Ronson or Sun butane, as they will clog the butane feeding system and affect the performance of the lighter. Premium butane, also known as double-or triple refined butane, is butane blended with propane. Premium butane comes in a 9 or 13 ounce can with a metal fill nozzle."

I blead out the Ronson fuel (valve down) using my plastic PDA stylus, filled it up with Lucienne (valve up), and then repeated this twice - just to be sure. The lighter was expensive - the Lucienne fuel is cheap ($4 for a big bottle).

Thanks again,

Ken

You're welcome!