Cigar Torch Lighter

What makes a cigar torch lighter different

Every torch lighter does the same basic trick. Butane leaves the tank under pressure, gets mixed with air and burns as a tight, hot jet instead of a lazy yellow flame. One maker's explainer says the gas passes through a tiny hole called an orifice that works like an air pump, and that speed keeps the flame straight in any position. The torch lighters page covers the whole group; this page is about the cigar branch of the family.

Here's what the cigar version adds:

• More than one jet: two, three or four side by side, so the flame covers a wide circle
• A cigar punch: a small round cutter built into the body
• A shape that sits: flat bottoms, heavier bodies and table models that live on a shelf
• A cigar-friendly fuel: butane only, no wick fluid

The selection rule for this page is simple. A lighter makes the table when the maker or the Amazon listing states a built-in cigar punch or two or more jets. A single-jet torch with no punch belongs on the main torch page.

Real talk: this page sits a little outside deer camp. I know that. But cigar lighters come up at our table every November, mostly because somebody wants a torch for the fire kit and the cigar ones have the most jets. So let's go through it like any other tool.

What to look at when you pick a cigar torch lighter

The table under this page shows each lighter's jets, punch, flame type, fuel, whether it's refillable, whether its maker says it's windproof, body material, and length and weight where the maker lists them. Other values come from the maker or, where it's silent, the Amazon listing (marked as listing values; weight is the maker's alone). A dash means neither states it. Here's how I'd read those columns, in order.

Jet count sets how wide the flame is

The Jets column is the reason this sub-type exists. Cigar Aficionado's lighting how-to recommends a lighter with a flame, "or multiple flames", wide enough to light a cigar easily. A single jet is a pencil. Three or four jets are a paintbrush.

The trade is fuel. One maker's own spec sheet makes it plain: its single-torch insert lists up to 100 five-second ignitions per fill, and its double-torch insert lists up to 60 from the same tank size. Same butane, more holes, fewer lights. Exhibit A for why I keep a can of butane in the truck.

So pick jets by what you're lighting. Thick cigars and fast lights favor more jets. If you light thin cigars or mostly want a fire-kit torch, one or two jets go further per fill.

Here's my one opinion on this page: buy the jet count your cigars need, not the most jets you can find. The checkable reason is that spec sheet above. The double-torch insert lists 60 lights per fill against 100 for the single, so extra jets you don't need are just a faster way back to the butane can.

A built-in punch saves a pocket, not a step

The Cigar punch column marks lighters with a cutter in the body. Cigar Aficionado's glossary defines a punch cutter as a cutter that makes a hole in the closed head of a cigar. You twist and press gently, and it lifts out a small plug of cap. One cutter maker's how-to says the same: hold it square, push while you slowly twist, then check the hole for loose tobacco.

What the punch changes is how many things you carry. A punch in the lighter means one object in the pocket instead of two. What it doesn't change: Cigar Aficionado says punches work best on straight-sided cigars. A pointed or tapered head still wants scissors, a V-cutter or a guillotine.

Punch size matters too. One cutter maker sells punches at 7, 9 and 12 mm in a single tool. A lighter's built-in punch is usually one fixed size, and makers don't always list it. If you smoke one size of cigar, that's fine. If you smoke everything, a separate cutter still has a job.

Torch flame or soft flame

The Flame column says torch/jet or soft flame. Most cigar lighters are torches, because a jet holds up outdoors. TSA's description of torch lighters puts it this way: a thin, needle-like flame that is hotter and more intense than a common lighter's.

That heat cuts both ways. Cigar Aficionado's butane how-to says to hold the cigar about a quarter inch over the flame, not in it, and to rotate it slowly. Their cutting-and-lighting piece adds that burning a cigar directly in the flame makes it too hot. A torch is easy to overdo. A soft-flame lighter is gentler but blows out in a breeze. Indoors or on a porch, soft flame is fine. At a fire ring in the wind, torch.

Fuel and ignition: butane, sometimes with a battery

The Fuel / ignition column will mostly say butane. Cigar Aficionado's how-to notes that many cigar smokers use butane because lighter-fluid taste gets into the tobacco. That's why you won't find wick lighters on this page.

A few lighters say butane + electric. That usually means a battery-powered spark or a built-in charging port instead of a piezo click. Check the Rechargeable (USB) column if you want to know which. Real talk: anything with a battery is one more thing to remember to charge, and I already have a headlamp drawer that judges me.

Refillable is the normal case here

The Refillable column will say yes on most cigar torches; a no means the lighter is a throwaway. The fill routine is the same as for any butane lighter, and the refillable butane lighter page walks through it, purge and all. The cigar-specific part is the pace: a multi-jet head burns through a tank faster, so the refill comes around more often.

One maker warns that escaping butane is extremely flammable and feels very cold. So purge and refill away from any flame, pilot light or lit cigar in the ashtray, in a ventilated spot.

Windproof, body and weight

The Windproof column marks lighters whose maker says so in plain words. Treat it as the maker's claim. The Body column tells you the material: metal bodies run heavier and take more abuse, plastic runs lighter. Length and Weight round it out where the maker lists them. A table lighter will be the heaviest thing in the table, and that's the point of it.

Pocket, table or punch: which cigar lighter fits

Pocket cigar torch lighters

The common shape: several jets side by side, a fold-down or press button, a flat bottom so it stands up on its own, and often a punch. These are the ones that end up in a jacket at deer camp. Pick by jet count and whether you want the punch built in.

Table cigar lighters

A table cigar lighter is built to stay put: on a desk, a humidor shelf or the cabin's one flat surface that isn't covered in maps. It's bigger and heavier, so it doesn't tip, and it usually holds more fuel. It works the same way inside. The catch is obvious: you don't pocket one. At Hemlock Run, the table already has a coffee can of pens, a deck of cards and Walt's logbook. Anything else that wants space there has to apply in writing.

Cigar lighter with punch, or lighter plus a cutter

If you smoke straight-sided cigars and hate carrying two things, a cigar lighter with punch is the tidy answer. If you smoke torpedoes or a mix of shapes, buy the lighter for its flame and keep a separate cutter. Cigar Aficionado's cutting guide says most cigars want the cut about one-sixteenth of an inch from the end. A punch can't give you that kind of straight cut at all; it's a hole, not a slice.

Single-jet torches and mini torches

If what you really want is a torch for the fire kit and the cigar part is a side note, look at the mini torch lighter page or the refillable butane lighter page. Same fuel, smaller flame, more lights per fill.

Refill, cold weather and care

Butane has to turn to gas before it burns, and cold slows that down. One lighter maker's FAQ puts it in plain terms: butane vaporizes less in cold, thin air. For a cigar lighter the practical part is where it rides. An inside pocket works; the truck's cup holder on a November night doesn't. A cold multi-jet head sputters on every jet at once, which is a sad little show at a fire ring.

Heat is the other end. The same FAQ says to store lighters at room temperature, away from sun and heat, and not to leave one in a hot vehicle. The dashboard in August is not storage. (Renee would like this on a plaque in the truck. She's not wrong.)

Other habits worth keeping:

• Use the butane the maker names: one maker warns other fuels can damage the fill valve and clog the jets
• Let it cool before you refill: wait until the lighter is at room temperature
• Clear the punch: tap out tobacco bits so the blade seats cleanly
• Check the jets: a weak or lopsided flame usually means a clog, low fuel or a vapor lock

Flying with a cigar lighter

Short version: you don't. TSA's What Can I Bring page lists torch lighters as not allowed in carry-on bags and not allowed in checked bags, and it names cigars and pipes as their usual job. Butane refills are banned in both too. TSA also notes the officer at the checkpoint has the final word, so check the page before you pack.

Cigar torch lighter safety

A torch flame is narrow and hotter than a common lighter flame, so aim it away from your face, hands and clothing, and keep it lit only as long as the job takes.

Child locks are not a given on this type, and the reason is in federal rules. CPSC's child-resistance standard for cigarette lighters covers disposable and novelty lighters, and its multi-purpose lighter rule excludes devices meant mainly for cigars, cigarettes and pipes. A refillable cigar lighter can fall outside both. Utah's State Fire Marshal says to keep lighters up high, preferably in a cabinet with a child lock, and reminds you that child-resistant does not mean child-proof.

Who should skip the cigar torch lighter

If you don't smoke cigars, you can skip this whole page. A plain torch lighter does the fire-kit work for less fuel per light, and a fire starter does more of it than any lighter. If you light a cigar once a year at a wedding, a soft-flame lighter or long wooden matches will do; Cigar Aficionado's cutting guide even recommends extra-long, sulfurless wooden matches.

Two plain facts, since this page is about a cigar tool. Federal law sets 21 as the minimum age to buy tobacco products, cigars included. And the FDA says cigars are not a safe alternative to cigarettes.

If you do smoke them, pick the jets for the cigars you smoke, decide if the punch earns its spot, and keep the butane can somewhere cool, not on the dashboard. The lighter's the easy part. Remembering where you put it is the hard part.