Cigar Lighters – WTF?!
One advantage to not being terribly popular, or having sponsors, is I can speak my true opinions without fear offending the wrong people. On that note…
Today’s rant is on cigar lighters, and the absolute lack of quality being sold at premium prices. I can only hope a manufacturer reads this post and tries to contact me. It would be therapeutic for me to be able to tell them their products are a joke…
My first was a Xikar butane dual torch. Six months after owning it, one day I went to refill it, and the bottom literally blew out. Luckily they have a lifetime warranty and I was able to get it replaced at Ed’s shop instantly. I still use the lighter to this day, but I’m still frustrated of how it broke after minimal use. I simply don’t trust it anymore. Xikar – I love the cutting products, but I’m on the fence with your lighters.
Update 11/21/2009)
My faith has been renewed in Xikar lighters. Not from personal experience. I’ve been using my old PB207 blazer for awhile now. I’ve heard multiple people rave about Xikar lighters, and of course, mine is working fine. And like I mentioned before, you can’t argue with the no hassle warranty. Xikar – You win!
My second lighter was a Blue Rhino triple flame. It seemed to be a solid lighter. Within one month, the pole that held the lid close kept falling out. Then shortly afterwards, whenever I’d refill it, the butane would immediately leak out of the bottom. I sent it back under warranty for replacement. That was two months ago, and I have yet to hear back from them. Blue Rhino – An inferior product with shitty customer service. Really… I can’t express my hatred toward you in a blog.
UPDATE 6/21/08
Looks like they got around to sending me a new lighter. It seems to work well. As always, time will tell. I’m not trusting it either way…
My third lighter was a Colibri. It features a dial that allows you to switch between a soft flame, a single torch, and wind proof. It’s a great concept. I had to have it. Within a couple months of ownership, the latch that holds the lid closed literally split in half. It was made of cheap plastic so I wasn’t surprised. This confirms the dozens of Colibri horror stories. Colibri has stated they are improving quality of their cheap, badly designed, made in China, mass produced garbage. I’m calling BS, and won’t be spending my money on their products indefinitely. Colibri – seriously, go screw yourself.
Update – 2-19-2009
Well, it looks like Colibri did indeed go screw themselves. They have closed their doors and are no more. I do feel badly for the jobs lost though. Bummer.
Another update – 11-21-2009
Colibri was bought out by another company, and reopened their doors. They claim better quality control. I’ve heard this before from them, right before they went out of business. I will NEVER buy a Colibri product again. You guys still suck.
My fourth lighter was a Zippo Blu. I figured with Zippo’s reputation of quality and durability, I couldn’t go wrong when they decided to make a torch lighter. The lighter is still making a solid single torch flame, but it won’t stay lit for very long. I should also mention, I only use quality butane, and clean per the company’s instructions. I will be sending it back to Zippo for repair. Zippo – Stick with what you know. Your venture into torch lighters is crap.
My fifth, and latest lighter, is a Blazer PB-207. It’s intended purpose is for soldering, jewelry work, sweating pipes, electronic repair, etc. It can be left on (via a stay on switch) until it runs dry with no damage. I paid $30.00 for it. So far I love it, but time will tell if it can handle excessive use. So far, other people have nothing but good things to say about it. We shall see…
And there you have it, my horrible experiences with cigar lighters. I hope this helps someone out there avoid purchasing the garbage that I have in the past.
Update – 10-22-2009
The blazer is still going strong. I have noticed it doesn’t like cold weather, and it doesn’t perform well in wind. Otherwise, all is well.
Another update – 11-21-2009
Today was a sad say. The blazer finally died. Cleaning and purging didn’t help at all. It just doesn’t flame up consistently anymore. Oh well, we had good times since June 2008. RIP Blazer PB207
This entry was posted on Saturday, June 14th, 2008 at 6:45 am and is filed under Misc, rants, Tips and Info. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
herhumidor June 14th, 2008 at 3:45 pm
I’ve also had my share of dud lighters. My first one was some no-name butane lighter I bought off Amazon when I first started smoking. It fell apart. Then I decided to splurge on a Xikar triple flame lighter and that one could not stay lit to save it’s life. Finally, I bought a nice French made Dupont X-tend and so far it seems to be performing well.
I like not having sponsors also, because then you can really tell them how you feel.