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Next Question: Favorite Lighter

Brickhouse said:
Hadn't heard this before, but I by no means think I know everything about it, so I did some amateur research on it. It seems the community is 50/50 split on shake or no shake. No big deal, I can easily not shake. I'm just curious why there are reputable sources that instruct to shake and those that also forbid it. You think there'd be a clear and concise decision on this.

All I do know is, shake it more than twice and you're playing with it.
Click to expand...

I got this right from Xikar, but just looking at a few of the butane vendors (ex: Zippo), they all say not to shake the can so not to mix the propellant with the butane. You want 100% butane in your lighter and not any propellant.

edit: Here's the link to the Xikar info: http://www.xikar.com/about/how.asp#instructions

The way I figure the engineer who designed the lighter should know best.
 
MichaelD said:
I got this right from Xikar, but just looking at a few of the butane vendors (ex: Zippo), they all say not to shake the can so not to mix the propellant with the butane. You want 100% butane in your lighter and not any propellant.

edit: Here's the link to the Xikar info: http://www.xikar.com/about/how.asp#instructions

The way I figure the engineer who designed the lighter should know best.
Click to expand...

Ok, but here's Vector's site....to my knowledge the finest butane you can buy, and what I exclusively use.

http://vectorkgm.com/official/vector-product-maintenance/

Step 4. Shake refill can.
 
"4: Shake butane refill can to check for butane gas"

Its odd that they want you to do that but clearly the reasoning they provide is simply to see if your refill can has any gas left. But why would one not know if one has gas in the refill can? I can see if it's nearly empty perhaps, but I don't ever try squeeze the last bit of butane out simply because I don't want to put propellant into my lighters.
 
The cans shouldn't be filled with anything but butane which is the propellant itself. So I'm guessing they don't want you to inject butane gas bubbles into your lighter which just takes up more space than liquid butane. The bubbles should dissipate quickly either way.

My stepwise process:

1. Turn lighter upside down
2. Press down on fill port with un-attached filling adapter (bleeding remaining butane)
3. Shake lighter a little bit and repeat step 2 a couple of times
4. Place filling adapter onto butane can (Xikar)
5. Press down on fill port with attached adapter on can (~5 seconds)
 
OK, so all of the above is what I would typically do...I feel though that I used to shake the can and that may have caused the issues. Some don't seem to fill and others just don't hold fuel for long. So the question is now, is there a simple fix to what damage I may have done or are new lighters on the horizon?
 
http://www.xikar.com/products/butane/butane-101/ - that covers whats in the can pretty well btw.

Your lighters shouldn't be running dry on their own. Zippos do that, but not decent butane lighters.

As an aside, I just reread the Xikar science of butane info again and noticed that the talk about not filling the can or a lighter beyond 85% full. Fun story - I usually pack my lighter in my toiletry bag when I fly so to get it past TSA. On my most recent trip I filled the lighter to max capacity. Apparently that wasn't a real good idea. The first time I used the lighter once I landed, the thing shot out a massive 4-5 inch flame for a few seconds when I tried to toast my cigar. Scared the shit out of me. But it makes sense that the significant pressure change during travel may have messed with the pressure with in the lighter causing it to much more violently expel butane. Next time I fly I won't be so aggressive with my filling.
 
I used a red hot piece of oak charcoal the other night. That's the fastest I've ever has a cigar light. :)
 
Setharsis said:
The cans shouldn't be filled with anything but butane which is the propellant itself. So I'm guessing they don't want you to inject butane gas bubbles into your lighter which just takes up more space than liquid butane. The bubbles should dissipate quickly either way.

My stepwise process:

1. Turn lighter upside down
2. Press down on fill port with un-attached filling adapter (bleeding remaining butane)
3. Shake lighter a little bit and repeat step 2 a couple of times
4. Place filling adapter onto butane can (Xikar)
5. Press down on fill port with attached adapter on can (~5 seconds)
Click to expand...

Do what you will, but butane lighters die, no matter what you do. I've got a whole drawer full of dead,
expensive lighters that I've accumulated over the years. Wooden matches, unless wet, always work. Eventually even a noob figures it out. Status symbols are nice, but you can't count on them.

Doc
 
I'd love to have this lighter. Sure wouldn't throw it in the lake, because if I did I'd have to throw a random five year old in after it. Sacrifices. fe8e963cfbb69efb01d472c06031ed89.jpg
 
Devil Doc said:
Do what you will, but butane lighters die, no matter what you do. I've got a whole drawer full of dead,
expensive lighters that I've accumulated over the years. Wooden matches, unless wet, always work. Eventually even a noob figures it out. Status symbols are nice, but you can't count on them.

Doc
Click to expand...

So, note to self, do not loan my expensive lighter to DD. Noted.

Lol
 
@Devil Doc

Query: Do corpsman float? Would save me the embarrassment with explaining how the five year old got wet. Priorites.
 
Ya damn skippy! Best damn answer I've ever heard, Sir.
 
Picked this up in a thrift store yesterday while checking out a Ronson vintage lighter. It's mass produced crap, but I liked it. It's suppose to be a dragon, but the more I look at it, it favors a lion. It's from Singapore.20160330_171959.jpg
 
Yep. The fins on the bottom give it away. Looks just like the logo for Merlion cigar.
 
Hey @Setharsis thanks. I hesitated asking what brand it was, because I felt it was randomly mass produced crap from perhaps a world away that no one would glance at twice. I've googled "merilion" because of you and can educate myself on this oddity.

Again, much appreciated.
 
I have a couple of dual flame Zikars but rarely use them. I just use a BIC. Seems to work fine.
 
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