There
are a lot of recommendations to carry a disposable lighter such as a Bic for
lighting your fires or candles when there is a natural disaster or a power
outage emergency. As it turns out, only
having the disposable type of lighters may not be a good choice, depending on temperatures
as well as the wind.
Last
week, I was outside making up a rope handle for pulling two of my
granddaughters on a snow sled and I needed to melt the ends of the nylon rope so
they wouldn't become frayed. In the 20
degree temps I flicked my Bic lighter to melt the nylon rope ends and all I got
was a small 1/4 inch to maybe a 5/16 inch high flame that was very weak. Apparently the gas gets cold and doesn't burn
as readily. This was a new lighter that
hadn't been used over five times before this.
Given this situation, I took out my Zippo Windproof lighter, gave it one
flick and instantly it had a nice big flame to do the job. While it's important to stock up on a few disposable
lighters, you better be sure to get some reliable ones too. I recommend the $10 Zippo Windproof
lighter. As an added piece of
information, when you buy a can of Ronsonol lighter fluid, it lasts a long
time. I would dare say that it will last
longer than a 5 pack of Bic lighters would.
I've been using my can of lighter fluid to refill my Zippo Windproof for
almost a year now, and there's about 1/4 of the can of fluid still left. That's a long time for supplying me with
refills for a lighter with such a strong flame.
The
performance of the Bic lighter confirmed the value I had placed on
having another type of lighter included in my Every Day Carry (EDC), not just a
disposable one. I remember in high
school that Zippo Windproof lighters were always the good ones, even in the
cold winter, so that is what I chose as my secondary fire source in my EDC
items. A little checking showed me that
Zippo has been making lighters for over eighty years, and they were the
preferred lighter of soldiers in WWII.
If the $10 price seems a bit high, consider the quality of the lighter
as it is very well made. It is also made here in the USA in
Pennsylvania. Another high quality
American Made Product! It also carries
their warranty:
"It works, or we fix
it for free!"
Here's
a video of my Zippo Windproof lighter lighting and performing perfectly under the wind
produced by the outer edge of the blades of a 52 inch ceiling fan while running
on high speed:
You might wonder how would a disposable lighter would perform under those conditions. I tried it and couldn't even get a new one to light, let alone keep burning!
I
hope this information has been helpful to you in raising your awareness in selecting a reliable fire
source for your needs and preferences.
Thanks
for stopping by and have a wonderful prepping day!
Bob
Hotaling
