I just performed a rather.... illuminating (sorry, bad pun, coudn't resist ) comparison between a basic Bic disposable butane lighter (Mini Bic, orange flame) versus a Z-Plus jet-flame butane insert for Zippo lighters....

First off, I don't smoke, never have, never will, but having the ability to make fire at a moment's notice is a good ability to have, you never know when it'll come in handy...

I love the Zippo lighters, the solid construction, the wind-resistant design, the ability to burn different types of liquid fuel, from naptha, to alcohol, to gasoline, the famous "klink" when opening, they do have one flaw which makes them less than optimal for a survival situation, the fuel (especially Zippo Juice) evaporates quite quickly, requiring frequent top-offs, they're the Fuel-Guzzlers of the lighter world

the humble Bic lighter is so common and mundane as to be ignorable, it's a commodity, nothing more, a simple, basic, reliable source of flame, nothing more

I also like "Blue Flame"pressurized butane lighters, they have a much hotter flame (2,500 degrees plus) and light newspaper and other mundane dry goods quicker than a yellow flame lighter, so logically, I thought putting one of those neat little Z-Plus pressurized butane inserts in a spare Zippo case would give me the best of both worlds, a reliable, high-temperature blue-flame lighter, and the classic lines and sound of a Zippo, without the problem of fuel evaporation and constant top-offs

for general usage, like lighting Morning Glory and Sparkler fireworks, lighting Citronella Tiki Torches, or just starting a fire with newspaper and kindling, the Z-Plus works brilliantly, quick, and effective, actually better than an orange flame lighter, I figured it'd be good in a survival situation as well....

I went out on our driveway, dead center, and gathered up some tinder, dried maple leaves, dried pine needles, twigs and such, classic tinder materials, I also brought a few pieces of cotton batting, and proceeded to test the Z-Plus against a humble Bic lighter (my Zippos have all run dry and I need more Zippo Juice), blue flame butane versus orange flame butane, I was expecting the Z-Plus to absolutely *stomp* the tiny Zippo....

THe reality was rather unexpected, on the tinder materials, the Z-Plus's 2,500 degree blue jet flame would cause bright yellow flames to emerge from the tinder, but as soon as the flame jet was extinguished, the tinder went back to a black smouldery nothing, the humble Bic lit the tinder with no problem, starting a happy little fire that would easily become a good sized fire with the addition of a few bits of kindling

Testing the cotton batting revealed a similar result, the Z-Plus quickly lit the cotton, which began burning rapidly, but the fire soon extinguished, leaving a small core of unburnt fibers, the cotton lit by the Bic burned a little slower, but it was completely consumed, leaving nothing behind but ash

the Z-Plus works just fine as an everyday lighter for mundane, non-survival issues, yet is less than optimal in a survival situation, completely unexpected, the cooler orange flame of a standard lighter seems to work better as a survival tool, looks like my standard Zippos will go back into use, and the Z-Plus Zippo will be used for mundane, non-critical lighter use

Now, I just need to pick up one of those Zippo keyring fuel tanks, or a Countycomm Peanut lighter for EDC, as the standard orange-flame lighter seems to work better for my purposes...

Welcome to the fire, newguy!

That was a very interesting experiment and I'm surprised by the results. I've moved away from regular and mini Bics after having trouble with them on a windy day. I now carry a butane jet Ronson lighter. seems I'd better try it out on some tinder rather than assuming it's better!

Thanks.
-Blast

You may be too close and applying too much flame. I have found that the high temperatures cause all the volatiles in the tinder to burn off very quickly. Try holding the lighter slightly farther away and keeping it to a 1-2 second burst.

And it's utterly cheap. What more could you ask for? Zippos are great if you're riding Harleys and lighting cigarettes, but I'll take a $0.99 Bic over a Zippo everyday of the week, as a common, mundane commodity, that is nothing more than a reliable source of flame

That is more or less the case. As to the science of it, I will let someone with a better education speak on that.

In practice though, I have learned to keep the flame out of contact with the tinder. I ignite the flame and then move it toward the tinder only until it lights. Works every time for me, but YMMV.