I write to condemn BIC (sometimes) Lighters.

I smoke. I love smoking. I love everything about it. I am very unpopular in some circles. I don't give a good rat's ass. I share the sentiments of the good Russian General, who upon hearing that Stalin had condemned tobacco use among his men, said 'F him, tobaccaco has been friend, food and fire to me when nothing and nobody else was." I have lit cigarettes, cigars, and pipes with everything from campfire embers to acetylene torches. (The former is more pleasurable; the latter more efficicient if your watch your eyelashes and burn up your smoke on the first drag) Hence, I think I am somewhat of an authority on starting fires -- after all, I do so some 40 times a day for sustenance, plus others for business and recreation.

I have been sitting here reading post after post on this and many other outdoor/survival forums that always seem to have in their lists "BIC lighter."

BICs suck. They have no adjustable flame. They are unreliable on the best of days. They can't take water at all, at all. They are made in France (or at least by a French company, if any of you red necks care, or anybody else is being xenophobic). The barrels are made so it is hard to tell if they are out of fluid. When they do run out (always at the most inoportune of times, as in when you are frezzing to death) if you take the little metal shield off in order to use the thing as a good old fahioned sparker a la Spark Lite, the whole damn thing falls apart (actually, just the little, bitty, tiny, INDISPENSIBLE pin that holds in the wheel falls out and drops into your left sock, or the snow, whichever is applicable). They are not childproof; if childproof, then cold hands proof. They have no chracter -- every 17 year old you see in the bar is using one.

Get a Zippo. They are worse, but by god they have character.

It is 102 degrees today. I have been without AC for 3 days. There is no end in sight. So, to put off going home and bing hot(er), I post these sentiments.

Best wishes to all, but I mean it: get something for your kit that works better than a BIC.

Thanks for listening.

I heard nicotine lowers your heat tolerance and makes you angry. Any truth to that? <img src="/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

*blinks* Folks, I think we have a fully qualified substitute for Bountyhunter's wit here.

So what brands/models of lighter do you feel are most dependable?

I'd rather not carry a Zippo.

LOL

The "best lighter" thread comes up from time to time here, on CPF and bladeforums (as well as a million other places, I'm sure). I carry a Windmill (and don't smoke).

-john

CPF: The ultimate lighter?
Equipped: Best Lighter on the Market?
Bladeforums: Another I need a lighter thread

Zippos store poorly in the ol' survival kit. <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

todd

Okay first of all one of the nicest guys on this forum is French so if youre going to be bashing the French, this is probably not the right place for it. You won't find much (if any) support from anyone else.

Now for the 'real' matter at hand... survival equipment, specifically lighters:

I EDC a mini Bic and and have another in my PSK. I was a pack-a-day smoker for 15 years before I quit a couple years ago and I still smoke the occasional cigar so I have lit my share of fires as well and (like any smoker) have used many different methods to do so.. even some really strange ones. <img src="/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

I agree completely that it is very difficult to tell how much fluid is left in a Bic and I also agree that when they do run out of fluid the only way to get a good spark off of the them is by removing the sheild and once you do this then they become extremely fragile. I will also add that if you use one to illuminate an area (as I often have with many lighters) or another purpose that requires maintaining a flame for more than a minute, then you're likely to melt critical componants and render it useless.

However, I don't like the Zippo much either. The Zippo solves the problems mentioned above but it has problems of its own as well. Primarily the fact that fuel seems to evaporate out of a Zippo faster than rubbing alcohol on the concrete in Las Vegas in August at 3pm. Also a Zippo does not make a very good spark thrower.

Metal matches are nice. I used to EDC one, but they have their problems too; primarily that they hold very little fuel and can not be operated one-handed.

What I would like to know is what is the answer? What is the perfect lighter? About a year ago I thought it might the Windmill Storm Proof lighters until I took one in the mountains and found out they don't react well to altitude changes and that when purging them to repair the problem you can end up losing a lot of fuel if you aren't careful.

I can tell you what I want in a lighter, I just cant find the lighter that meets my criteria. I want a lighter at least as durable as a zippo, that holds (without evaporation) as much fluid as a Mini Bic and is the size of a Mini Bic, if not smaller. I would also like it to be a good spark thrower on its own when it is out of fuel. This is not the first time I've brought this up. As a matter of fact I am following a similar thread of at BF right now hoping to eventually get leads which bring me closer to the perfect lighter.

Have smoked (everything), still smoke (tobacco) and always carry a lighter. Have for 25 years. Bics are far from my favorite, too.

It's bigger than a mini-Bic, but for about 5 years I've been buying the multi-packs at Walgreens of their store brand, which is stamped "Calico." Adjustable, visible fuel, generally reliable, cheap and a flame sufficient for lighting pipes.(If I do say so, i've got some lovely chunks of briar around the house.)

Hunting in the winter, I carry both a Zippo (checked for fuel, flint and wick before the hunt) and metal-bodied "torch" type of lighter that I picked up at a Gander Mountain a few years ago. It's been utterly reliable and can sit in my pheasant bag all off-season and still fire on the first try. Also has a fuel window. I'm pretty much a prairie sort of guy, so am not expecting altitude challenges.

Lately, grabbed a mini-Cricket at a gas station one day and found it had not the "push-button" ignition I expected on a Cricket but it has the "wheel" like a Bic and has an adjustable flame. Same size as a mini-Bic, but rectangular, not oval. If I see 'em again, I think I'll grab a few more for pre-deployment here and there.

The "Djeep" disposables aren't bad, either.

I wonder what I spend in a year on disposable lighters?

I have heard people on this and other forums knock on the Zippo, which is not perfect but is a very dependable way to make fire if you do your part. Most of probably know to carry an extra flint or two under the felt (OK I have 4) but continue to complain about the fuel situation. OK, change it I tried several fuels until I found one that I liked. I am sure that there are better fuels out there but the Ronsonol fuel does well by me.
Many are crying in their beer about Zippos evaporating the fuel out of them. OK! Up sides: makes them unaffected by altitude (within reason), non-pressurized so unlikely to grenade on you, tough and simple to fix should you ding it. Down Side: Fuel evaporates, no problem fill it up!! It takes about 20-30 seconds as you go to stuff it in your pocket in the morning. I find that if I fill mine once a week when I go to put them in my dress clothes to go to church it will always light for me. I know it’s a stupid memory trick but it makes me do it every week.
Everyone is always looking for the perfect lighter, let me tell you it does not exist!! Find a good lighter learn to use it learn to combat its weaknesses, experiment with different fuels and flints and then have a backup plan or three. Then you will be able to be confident you can make fire when you want to.