Conventional flame lighters are generally cheap and easily disposable (well, except Zippos).
If you’ve ever gone out for a puff on a windy day though, or tried to start a barbecue fire at East Coast Park, you’ll know how delicate flame lighters can be. And yes, you do look like a noob trying unsuccessfully to strike your lighter for one whole minute.
The good news is that flameless lighters have become both popular and affordable in recent months – and they have a whole host of advantages. These lighters are typically battery-powered and charged via USB. That means no more lighter fluid refills to deal with, and more eco-friendliness with less plastic lighters being thrown away. It also typically comes with more sheltered or covered activation switches, and that could mean more safety.
Click on the images below to check out the products!
Plasma arcs
These bad-ass tiny thunderbolts are anything but frightening… although the high-pitched buzz may get annoying for some. Instead of igniting fuel with a spark, plasma lighters work by producing a small but very hot arc of electricity between two electrodes. These are especially good for stove flames and candles, as they often come in a long-barreled form factor, and can start flames a lot faster than another flame can. Zippo-sized arc lighters are also available, as a handy alternative for smokers. Strong breeze? Thunderstorm? Cat 5 typhoon? No problem. You literally cannot blow these lighters out.
Electric coils
One inconvenience about plasma arcs are that they often aren’t optimal for lighting cigarettes. Even with double arc lighters, it can take quite a bit of practice to get the cigarette burning evenly, and not extinguishing halfway. Electric coil lighters, often wound in a circular pattern, make this easier, while still staying virtually unaffected by strong winds.
However, do your research on the materials surrounding the coil. Because cigarettes start burning very closely to the lighter, it is very easy for surrounding plastic to melt. At best, that makes for an ugly, deformed lighter. At its worst case, you could be smoking melted plastic fumes.
Also, why you’d want to have this heating coil concealed under your wrist watch, we’ll never quite understand. But hey, different smokes for different folks.
The one for Mr. Kiasu
The daddy. The mothership. Why suffer from the pros and cons of one flameless technology or the other, when you can have both in one lighter? For all of you who feel the need to constantly achieve new levels of extra, his particular lighter offers you the best of both worlds.
We know you exist. Go ahead and click the picture. You’re welcome.
