Posted: 5/1/2025 2:49:05 PM EDT
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So...it's been a couple years since I've really used some of these lighters, BUT, some were expensive and never used. Anyway, I saw a member asking about a cool lighter for someone and another member said his run of the mill Ronson works...every time. I'm going from cigars to cigarillos and using my lighters again. Well, I have a lighter, I drain it, turn it to (-). toss it in the freezer, remove it, fill it with Colibri butane, level is high, turn back to (+). Nothing. Sparks, but no flame. Eventually it flamed a few times, strong flame, then nothing. Still plenty of fluid in the lense. Next, a $60 Colibri, rarely used, if at all. Same as above, only it never gets a flame. Just a spark. Another $60 Colibri, same model, same result (lighter is as new, still has stickers on it). Both of my Ronsons, click, bang! And I haven't even drained or refilled them. I bought them before, or at the same time as the Colibri lighters (years ago). Butane is the same age and I had used it over the years without issue in other lighters. Does butane go bad in it's original can? I could see maybe in a lighter, but still sealed in the can? |
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Butane is butane. Basically C4H10. It doesn't "go bad," as there's nothing additional in the can. And, it's a stable hydrocarbon. Doesn't do much until you give it some energy and an oxygen source. Can you hear the gas coming out of the jets? Lighters are pretty simple devices, not much to go wrong. Just like a car engine, you need 3 things - air, spark, fuel. You say you're getting a spark. Is the spark in the right place, near the jet(s)? I've seen electrodes bend, sending the spark to the wrong ground. Can you hear the gas hissing? If gas is coming out, then you just need to adjust how much. Adjust the knob higher or lower to get the right air-to-fuel ratio. Too much is just as bad as too little. PS - don't use anything fueled by Ronsonol. That stuff is nasty and fucks up the taste of your cigars. |
Posterity! You will never know, how much it cost the present Generation, to preserve your Freedom! I hope you will make a good Use of it. If you do not, I shall repent in Heaven, that I ever took half the Pains to preserve it.---John Adams
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Purging butane lighters is terrible for them and there's zero need to do so. When they're made, the fuel tank should be at vacuum or charged w/ an inert gas like Nitrogen. When you fill the lighter, get the supply cylinder warmer than the lighter. Putting your lighter in the freezer for a minute works well. Do not overfill it as it'll gain pressure once it warms. The reason people thing purging works is because the expanding gas will cool the lighter, and the fuel inside, when it escapes. You've just lowered the pressure. The downside is that you can be letting outside air in, depending on how low you purge. You've also unnecessarily wasted fuel. This is terrible for the butane nozzle as burning impurities can and will cause buildup and corrosion. My lighters are kept in my basement, which is usually between 55-65F. Sometimes they don't want to light, but it's only due to temp (lower pressure). When I take out a lighter, I first put it under my armpit for a minute or 2 (usually while I'm going through the humidor to grab a gar). I then transfer it to inside my waistband until I go outside and light the cigar. ETA: Another trick I use for filling is the Indian rug burn around the fuel cylinder. Fill the lighter until pressure equalizes between the lighter and tank (no hissing). Shake the cylinder and give it an Indian rug burn, repeat 2 or 3 times. This warms the fuel and increases pressure. Fill the lighter again. |
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I didn't know purging was bad, but if I recall, I've always done it and it's worked fine. That said, all three lighters have spark. The two Colibris have no hiss sound, even though they show at least half full. The Firebird lighter puffs the slightest hint of blue and I've gradually run from - to +. Eventually nothing, unless I leave it sit at - for a bit, so pressure builds I assume. I set the Calibris to -, placed them in the freezer for a few minutes, and will try to top them off |
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Colibiri's website even says to purge air from the lighter. https://colibri.com/pages/how-to-lighters I did try topping them off, but Colibri says 85% is max and they're marked accordingly. i did get one to puff a bit of flame, so I'll let them settle. I'm out of butane anyway, so I'll pick up some more Colibri. |
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Sad to say but, Colibri lighters are junk. My WWII Uncle said that US Sherman tanks were nicknamed Ronson's. Lights every time. 
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A socialist may indeed be academically superior.
And yet, they are most certainly emotionally retarded.
Public education is the opiate of the masses.
And yet, they are most certainly emotionally retarded.
Public education is the opiate of the masses.
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Buy a $15-$25 Vertigo. It has a lifetime warranty and if your local brick and mortar carries them, they can typically handle the exchange. I have two and have never needed the service. They’re awesome lighters I have been in my local shop where the shop owner steers folks away from the overpriced stuff, to Vertigo. I’ve also been in there when a busted lighter came in. They either fix it, or give them a new one no questions asked Overpriced butane torches are exactly that. |
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Originally Posted By SwiftyMorgan: Colibiri's website even says to purge air from the lighter. Originally Posted By SwiftyMorgan: Colibiri's website even says to purge air from the lighter. A lot of Mfr's state things that are contradictory or nonsensical. Like I said, purging will "work" (as in, help add more fuel to the lighter), but it's: unnecessary, a waste of fuel, and will allow impurities into your lighter. Originally Posted By Kiltakaze: Buy a $15-$25 Vertigo. My Vertigo is great. So is my 25+yo Firebird that lights every time and I've only ever used Bernzomatic in it. That'll be changing soon as I can't find anymore of the cans they sell w/o odorizers in them. |
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Originally Posted By User55645: A lot of Mfr's state things that are contradictory or nonsensical. Like I said, purging will "work" (as in, help add more fuel to the lighter), but it's: unnecessary, a waste of fuel, and will allow impurities into your lighter. My Vertigo is great. So is my 25+yo Firebird that lights every time and I've only ever used Bernzomatic in it. That'll be changing soon as I can't find anymore of the cans they sell w/o odorizers in them. I did get the Firebird working. I like that one, but the Calibris are just a tad thinner for the pocket. I'll check out Vertigo as well |
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Any specific Vertigos? The reviews aren't great, but you know how that goes. I'm just looking for a flat light to carry |
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It's the fuel lines they break down over time. They either leak or get gummed up from sitting to long filled with fuel. I wouldn't recommend trying to fix them. I stopped buying expensive lighters almost 10 years ago. Which coincides with a 2 dollar gas station torch I bought. It's still going strong almost 10 years later! I've got a drawer full of Colibri, Xikar, Lotus and other name brands that each cost $70 plus dollars. I've sent about a half dozen of them back on the so called life time warranty. I did get replacements but they cost me shipping and a service fee because they don't make that lighter anymore. You can get a cheap 2 pack of amazon 3 flame torch lighters for 6-8 bucks. They will last you very long time. |
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I have a fancy Xikar triple flame I bought off cbid years ago that was never great. My Ronson Jetlites that I've had for a decade or more have never let me down. Though recently I tried a new torch, these have been great, larger capacity for butane, and they toast my cigars way faster and more evenly than then Ronsons.  
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Yep. My Xicar took a dump years ago and I never bothered to send it in. Those TOPKAY lighters work great and are dirt cheap. |
"What is socialism? The most difficult and tortuous way to progress from capitalism to capitalism." -Stated at an intel conference, East Berlin, Oct. 1988
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"Every election is a sort of advance auction sale of stolen goods." -H.L. Mencken