broken lighters

March 29, 2005 1:08 PM

Why do my disposable lighters somewhat frequently break?

I used to always lose lighters before using them up. Now they tend to break before becoming half-empty. Sometimes it's the plastic gas-release button that loses its springiness and effectivity (a piece breaking off, I think), but more often than not it's that the metal roller that makes the spark simply stops spinning; first it will become hard to spin, and pushing it forward before rolling back will do the trick; then eventually (right now) it will refuse to spin at all. The spring mechanism that suspends the roller seems as springy as ever. Am I doing something wrong? I prefer the translucent lighters for some reason. Should I switch?

posted by nobody to technology (14 comments total)

Well, there's always the zippo...those things last quite a while. My experience with disposables have always been a crapshoot. The Bic ones seem the heartiest, IMO. I've learned to carry matches too, in case of the inevitable sticky roller, which I've encountered one too many times.
posted by zombiebunny at 1:25 PM on March 29, 2005

I have exactly the same problem with those translucent lighters, I just think they are particularly crappy unless I'm doing something wrong too (and my housemate). The best disposables I've found are the cricket ones
posted by floanna at 1:36 PM on March 29, 2005

I constantly have to refill zippo lighters. Am I doing something wrong? I can definitely understand why you'd choose the plastic butane lighters over a zippo for this reason, but maybe I'm not filling it correctly or something.

Is it just a cheap lighter that's corroding? Try a squirt of WD-40 on the roller and see if that fixes it. That, or you might be out of flint, and I don't know if the cheap lighters have provisions for replacement flints.
posted by odinsdream at 1:37 PM on March 29, 2005

Stay away from the cheap one's being sold side by side the crack pipes, glass tube with a paper rose in it. They’re usual a no name brand and seem very cheaply made after several uses.

I constantly have to refill zippo lighters.
The fluid may be leaking out while in your pocket.
posted by thomcatspike at 1:58 PM on March 29, 2005

If you do use WD-40 like odinsdream said, be careful not to ignite it (or any lingering fumes in the air). A relative stupidly, but accidentally, burnt his arm when lighting up after using WD-40 and setting off the fumes.
posted by thebabelfish at 1:58 PM on March 29, 2005

For the manufacturer of an impulse purchase, this is good design:

1. The parts are obviously very inexpensive.

2. It doesn't last as long as the consumer expects, necessitating quick replacement.

3. It doesn't have a strong brand identity, so chances are good that you'll buy it again in a different color the next time you're at the convenience store and think "Oh, shit! I need a lighter and I'm already in line." If you were in the market for a good product, you wouldn't buy it from next to the checkout.
posted by Mayor Curley at 2:17 PM on March 29, 2005

I haven't bought them for a few years, but you used to be able to get 50 of those cheap lighters for $6 at Costco. At 12 cents each, not including shipping from Asia and profit, you can see why they break.

They do have one redeeming quality, though. You can pull the metal top off and adjust the flame height. You can get a 3-4 inch flame by doing that.
posted by bh at 3:01 PM on March 29, 2005

the translucent 50cent ones are garbage--i stick with tiny bics now.

(and that wheel that always gets stuck is too rough on my delicate fingers) : >
posted by amberglow at 4:25 PM on March 29, 2005

you've answered your own question - you clearly keep buying the things, even though they fail. why should someone make something that works when you'll continue spending money on something cheaper that doesn't? if they can get below the price at which you don't care if they break, and they continue to work til you've at least left the store, then they're home free.
posted by andrew cooke at 5:02 PM on March 29, 2005

The reason they fail, other than generally shoddiness, is that the mechanisms break after a certain number of uses. This happens with Zippos, too, but much less frequently. Also, Zippo offers a lifetime warantee on the mechanism (the inner 'cartridge' of the lighter, not the case) for this very reason.

The first scenario, where the trigger stops functioning, is probably due to the spring underneath the plastic button slipping out of alignment, kinking or just generally wearing out.

The second bit about the roller becoming difficult to spin is because the flint is wearing down. Consider that the flint is wearing in to a wedge, in the shape of the roller. If you accidentally knock the roller in the opposite direction, the tip of the wedge can get stuck against the grinding surface, which explains the difficult in turning the wheel. If you give it a good hard swipe against a hard surface (like a brick wall), you should be able to knock it back into place.

If the roller stops working entirely it's because the flint has completely worn down or become so thin that it fell out of the lighter. At that point, you're striking the wheel against the spring which normally supplies the pressure against the flint. Obviously, you won't get any sparks from this, and usually the tip of the spring will catch the wheel making it impossible to strike the lighter as usual.

My advice would be to buy a Zippo. For twenty bucks you can get a plain jane black or silver Zippo, flints and a can of lighter fluid. If you treat it right (don't play with the lid too much, the hinges on the case can break) it'll last forever.
posted by mmcg at 9:28 PM on March 29, 2005

Moisture kills flints. This stops the rollers.

I don't buy these types of lighters anymore. I get the electronic BICs.

In Germany, I got a free lighter every time I bought a carton of cigarettes. When I moved to South Africa, the movers wouldn't take my collection of lighters (a big bag full). I had to give them away.
posted by Goofyy at 1:40 AM on March 30, 2005

Yes, switch. Those translucent lighters are garbage. I have had bic lighters that lasted me over a year! Unless you are using the lighter for purposes other than cigarettes / cigars you will lose a bic before it goes empty.
posted by sophist at 1:54 AM on March 30, 2005

"Zippo offers a lifetime warantee on the mechanism (the inner 'cartridge' of the lighter, not the case)"

I apologize for wandering afield, here, but in the interest of accuracy I should mention that Zippo does indeed guarantee the case as well as the mechanism. They will repair broken hinges as well as the most common Zippo failure: loss of adhesion of enamel or metal case decorations. They won't repair wear and tear on the finish, but they will repair any failure of the cosmetics or case itself.

I would point to the page on the site that mentions this, but unfortunately they have converted the entire site to a strangely-shaped Flash object.
posted by majick at 7:36 AM on March 30, 2005

I personally prefer to go the Zippo route (although I tend to lose/misplace them). One off-topic suggestion: Always use the Zippo brand fluid; it doesn't reek to high heaven like Ronsonol or the generic lighter fluid brands.

I've always avoided the cheapo lighters because they tend to be unreliable. Before I started using Zippos, I preferred Bic brand lighters. They're only a little bit more expensive than the no-name ones, but are much more reliable (and if you de-childproof them by removing the metal strip on top, much easier to use).
posted by neckro23 at 12:39 PM on March 30, 2005