Bare Storm-proof Lighters Review

I am about to marry a man that smokes cigars. Saying that Steve just smokes
them doesn’t even begin to cover the way he is about these pricey tobacco rolls.
He faithfully buys the latest cigar magazines and pours over the various
descriptions of Dominicans, Hondurans and offerings from other countries that
have the native soil needed to produce a tasty smoke. Steve maintains two
perfectly regulated humidors in which he keeps his collection. He talks about
ratings, flavor, and robustness. He also likes to collect the gadgets associated
with his hobby: the special cutters, travel humidors, lighters, etc. As you can
imagine, some of these gizmos can be quite expensive – which doesn’t always make
them practical for use in certain situations, like when we are spending the
weekend at the ranch or even in the backyard hanging out in the hot tub. Earlier
this summer I bought Steve a very nice lighter with a built in plug-cutter. I
have to admit that I sometimes get a little nervous that something might happen
to it, so when Julie sent me two inexpensive "storm-proof" lighters to review, I
hoped that they might be suitable replacements for the pricier lighter in
certain situations.

Both of these lighters have clear plastic bodies and metallic trim. They each
come with a lanyard so that you can wear them around your neck if you are
outdoors, and each has a clear plastic flip-lid that when fastened makes the
lighter water-resistant. According to the packaging blurbs, they are both
"windproof and waterproof." They have a "machine sealed gas container,
adjustable flame screw, durable Lexan casing" and a "hi-metal finish."

Each lighter produces what I call a "jet" flame, and for the money they
appear to be quite well made. They both completely appeal to my inner
pyromaniac. ;0)

Each lighter is 2.73" (6.9cm) long x 1.7" (4.4cm) wide, and weighs about 1.7
ounces (50g) which makes them very pocketable.

How did they do in my "real-world" testing? Let’s take a look…

The Navigator

If you are ever out enjoying a smoke in the woods (I am saying this totally
tongue-in-cheek, considering all of the recent forest-fires across the United
States) you could possibly become lost. But not if you are carrying your
Navigator lighter with it’s built-in compass! Actually I think that this lighter
is pretty cool. I mean, aren’t there always times when you are wondering which
direction you are going? Well if you happen to smoke, you can carry your compass
right there in your pocket. Convergence at its finest.

This lighter has the Matt Silver (MS) finish. It is available in the following finishes: Chrome King (CK) Gun Metal (GM) Metallic Black (MB) Metallic Red (MR)

This lighter seems pretty reliable, as I only had a few false-flicks which I was
able to correct by adjusting the flame screw on the bottom. The compass actually
appears to work very well. I shook the lighter, flipped it, and accidentally
dropped it (they don’t call me klutzy for no reason). But through it all, the
compass continued to point due North. That’s better than I can say for the
compass that was built into one of the flash-lights I bought for my daughter to
take to camp this summer!

I also dropped the lighter in the hot-tub (with the flip-lid closed, of
course), and it worked perfectly when I fished it back out again. Since there is
no rubber gasket around the inside of the flip-lid, I don’t know how long it
would be able to keep out water, but for a couple seconds it is effective. I
sprayed water on the flame as the lighter was lit, and the flame did not
disappear. The flame also wasn’t affected by backyard wind, so I will agree that
this lighter is most likely wind and water proof, at least to a point.

Of the two lighters that I was given, this one is actually my favorite

Price: $6.95 (+ $3.50 shipping cost in US Funds.
Lighters ground shipped without butane gas for safety.)
Available in clear plastic with the following finishes: Matt Silver (MS), Chrome
King (CK), Gun Metal (GM), Metallic Black (MB), and Metallic Red (MR)

Pros:

Inexpensive and reliable lighter with a built in compass
Adjustable flame
Water and wind resistant
Pocketable size

Cons:

None
 

The Guide

Because they look virtually identical, I thought that the Guide lighter was
simply a Navigator minus the compass…boy was I wrong. Instead, it is a chi-chi
light bonanza with red and green lights flashing like a warning signal every
time the lighter is flicked – and for a couple seconds afterwards.

This lighter has the Chrome King (CK) finish. It is available in the following finishes: Matt Silver (MS) Gun Metal (GM) Metallic Black (MB) Metallic Red (MR) As you can see, I left the lanyard attached to this lighter.

I suppose that the Guide could be used as some sort of signal light, but the
first thing I thought of when trying to decide who this lighter might appeal to
would have to be someone headed to a rave. Heck, in my former days when I spent
way too much time and money clubbing, I might have liked it for its "flash
appeal". I bet it even lights clove cigarettes easier than the BIC I used to
use. ;0)

However tempting, I am not going to pull out my soapbox and preach about how
this lighter might appeal to underage smokers in particular. The mom in me
sometimes rears her head…but I am not going to "go there."

The Guide also passed the same water and wind tests that I subjected the
Navigator to. Since they are virtually the same lighter (except for the compass
in one and the light show in the other), this was not a surprise.

Price: $6.95 (+ $3.50 shipping cost in US Funds.
Lighters ground shipped without butane gas for safety.)
Available in clear plastic with the following finishes: Matt Silver (MS), Chrome
King (CK), Gun Metal (GM), Metallic Black (MB), and Metallic Red (MR)

Pros:

Inexpensive and reliable lighter with a built in light show
Adjustable flame
Water and wind resistant
Pocketable size

Cons:

None

Both of these lighters accomplish that for which they were intended very
well. They are inexpensive enough that should something happen to them, I won’t
be bummed for days.