Ronson Jet Light

[Grant Lamontagne]

Some time ago I asked for recommendations for a good jet flame lighter and the Ronson JetLite was suggested more than any other, so I decided to give it a shot.  I ordered one on eBay and ended up paying more than I would have if I got one locally- annoying, but not the end of the world, as I saved gas by not having to run around and look for one.



I've been carrying it on and off since I got it, and I do like it.  I always carried a Zippo in the watch pocket of my jeans and suffered as the evaporating fluid really agitated my skin, even through my pants,  I can carry this one there without any issues, which I'm very happy about.  Also, I don't smoke, so often by the time I would actually need the Zippo, it would have dried out.  That's one of the reasons I wanted a butane jet lighter.



For what is actually a fairly cheap lighter (not Bic lighter level cheap, but quite inexpensive for a reusable lighter- cheaper than a Zippo) the Jetlite is actually a fairly nice and well put together piece of equipment.  I have yet to burn out the piezo igniter, which is a problem that most of the other jet lighters I have had suffered from.  I have a very nice piece of scrap steel marked Colibri somewhere.   



The R stamped into the side, the name at the bottom of the front panel show a nice level of attention to detail, and after hundreds of openings and closings the top still flips very nicely.  The lighter has ignited every time I press the button, which, as you can imagine, is what you want in a lighter.



The adjustment and refill spots on the bottom are easily accessible but not open enough to really get clogged or get in the way.  So far this has been a nice lighter, and while I don't rely on a lighter every day, I do try to keep it with me as much as possible.  So far I haven't had any cause to use it other than just playing, but I figure it should perform adequately when it is called up. 

A lot of lighters end up crapping out after refilling a couple of times, and I have not had to refill this one yet, so I really can't comment on it's longevity.  A while back Jie posted about why you shouldn't bother with refillable butane lighters and I have to say, I have not had much luck with them in the past either.  Still, at around $5-6, this one isn't going to break the bank if you consider it a disposable lighter.  If you smoke a lot and use the lighter constantly, you are still pretty safe as you are probably spending so much on cigarettes that $5 for a lighter is still the cheap part of the equation!

Def

[JAfromMn]

I'm happy it's working out well for you Def

I knew it would 

[Jothra]

I've refilled my JetLite a few times, and it's still working fine.

I mainly carry my Zippo, though I admit it's a personal preference and not a quality issue. Jet lighters are often a very good idea.

[derekmac]

I've tried to refill mine a few times, but haven't been able to get it to work properly.  I've watched a bunch of videos on how to "properly" refill it, but still a no go.


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[Grant Lamontagne]

I will say it is much better than this thing:



Ignite Electra, USB rechargeable electric lighter.



Neat concept, but it's designed to light cigarettes and really isn't good for much else.



Since I don't smoke cigarettes this isn't really much use to me.  The hole is just a little bigger than a cigarette, so unless you smoke cigarillos, this is pretty limited.





With no flame it's difficult to get it to light much else, but at some point I'll take it out to the woods and try to start a small camp fire with it using some moss.  One of the big drawbacks to it is that everyone thinks it's a USB drive, and I know a few people that have them that can't seem to figure out how to put files on it.  There's an easy answer to that- it's a bloody lighter, not a USB drive. 

Def

[Higgins617]

I believe ronson is actually owned by Zippo, not that it really matters. I've refilled mine a few times, since then it doesn't light if the adjustment on the bottom is set to the lowest, other than that it's still good. For the 3 bucks I spent on it at Wal-Mart I am more than impressed

[Jothra]

I know is starting to veer away from the OP, but my truck Zippo (it lives in the under-radio drawer) has a piece of bicycle inner tube around it. A naptha lighter can hold fuel for ages if you find a way to seal it like that.

That said, it doesn't take too many JetLite refills to make your money back.

[lister]

It would be nice to find a really good jet lighter... The closest I came to that was the zippo blu, but while I loved the flint ignition I really dislike the thin metal of the case and the fact that it stopped working when flipped up side down.

I might have a look at one of these as soon as my gadget budget collects some funds... 

[enki_ck]

Have you checked out those Windmill lighters everyone was raving about a few years back?

[lister]

I am thinking of this one:

http://www.good-kit.com/windmill-windproof-lighter-review/

But it is not exactly cheap.  But neither was zippo blu... 

In addition the lid opens only to 90 deg and the other offerings from the company don't look as good as far as I am concerned.

[16VGTIDave]

I've had a Ronson Jet Lite for a few years (long enough to wear through the chrome plating!) and it worked flawlessly as my EDC smoking lighter until I quit that habit, and now is used for para cord crafting duties. I've refilled the Jet Lite with cheap and quality butane. While, like me, it prefers the good stuff, it works fine with the rest. The only thing that slowed this lighter down was being cold or wet. Cold is a problem for all butane lighters, and piezo ignitions don't like being wet. Keep this lighter warm and dry and it will work.

With regards to longevity of refillable butane lighters, I have various examples from the '60's, '70's, and '80's that work just fine after being serviced.  Each were bought for $1 - $5 at flea markets and I serviced them myself. Leaking seals or clogged valves are the typical problems. If quality butane had be used, most wouldn't have had any issues.

[Smashie]

I've never had any luck with refillable butane lighters, my DuPont went out of the window of a car in Germany, the Cartier has cost me a fortune in "servicing" and the two Dunhills are relegated to a drawer somewhere because I will not spend any more money on maintaining these over priced decorations!

All the jet flames I have tried have been rubbish!

[kirk13]

I've never had any luck with refillable butane lighters, my DuPont went out of the window of a car in Germany, the Cartier has cost me a fortune in "servicing" and the two Dunhills are relegated to a drawer somewhere because I will not spend any more money on maintaining these over priced decorations!

All the jet flames I have tried have been rubbish!

So,aside from all that,what did you think of them?

[jzmtl]

I had a Ronson as well, it died after a few refills.  And I used Ronson/Zippo butane too.

[Smashie]

I've never had any luck with refillable butane lighters, my DuPont went out of the window of a car in Germany, the Cartier has cost me a fortune in "servicing" and the two Dunhills are relegated to a drawer somewhere because I will not spend any more money on maintaining these over priced decorations!

All the jet flames I have tried have been rubbish!

So,aside from all that,what did you think of them?

The jet flames lasted three or four refills before they got binned, the DuPont was £500 and complete smurf, the dunghills  (that was deliberate) also useless. I will keep paying money to keep the Cartier running because that was a gift from my father.

Day to day I carry a Zippo and a cheap disposable butane jobbie as a back up, because Zippo's fail too!

[kirk13]

Five hundred quid?! I'd have been well pissed!

[Smashie]

Five hundred quid?! I'd have been well pissed!

They are garbage, butane only works with high pressure like a blow torch or a camp stove. refilling lighters is just too random

[lister]

What kind of a lighter costs 500£? Was it due to some kind of a unique case or it being rare vintage item or is it due to some technical reason?

Ps: If I paid 500£ for a lighter that wasn't able to melt down bunkers in any kind of weather and regardeless of the elevation I would not be at all amused either... 

[Smashie]

What kind of a lighter costs 500£? Was it due to some kind of a unique case or it being rare vintage item or is it due to some technical reason?

Ps: If I paid 500£ for a lighter that wasn't able to melt down bunkers in any kind of weather and regardeless of the elevation I would not be at all amused either... 

I didn't pay for it, look up DuPont lighters, then search for people complaining about them

[JAfromMn]

I don't like reading all the bad luck people have had with there ronson lighters.

They've been great for me.

[16VGTIDave]

Well, based on the above, I can understand the frustration. However, my experience has been the opposite. I currently EDC an older Ronson with piezo ignition that was made in "West Germany" to give an idea of its age. It just works, after I serviced it 3 years ago. I have a mid '60's Ronson Comet lighter that puts the Zippo butane lighters to shame in every way. And like I said, the Jet Lite's that I have are perfectly reliable and have been for years of heavy use. I'm sure that the quality of butane used has been a major factor, but there must be more to it than just that.

I have many wick lighters as well, but they have all been stored since they are as reliable as paper matches in the rain. Well, except for a vintage "trench lighter" that I keep on my keychain and refuel every month. But that is just a conversation piece...

[Grant Lamontagne]

I'd like to see that trench lighter.  I have a pretty nice one that was given to me by a currently AWOL member.







Def

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[jcs0001]

That last one is a beauty.  Would be interesting to know it's history.

John.

[Grant Lamontagne]

I doubt we'll ever know.  The workmanship on it is fantastic though, considering the conditions under which it was built.

Def

Sent from my smurfing hunk of techno sorcery

[lister]

I didn't pay for it, look up DuPont lighters, then search for people complaining about them

I did look them up. They do have some fancy exteriors...  and the reviews are mixed.

@Grant: I saw that one before in some of your posts. It is a nice lighter. This kind of design could make a petrol lighter that is water resistant, from which the fuel does not evaporate and the cap of which you can't lose as it is attached to the body even after it is unscrewed. Now some one should figure out a way to add a wind shield (zippo stile). Maybe something that is pushed by a spring while you are unscrewing the cap?

Either that or the zippo could make their zippo blue line a bit better. First of all the lighters should not go out if you turn them up side down, and they really should consider adding the catalytic coil to make it more windproof. Also t he size of the lighter should be like that of the original and the fuel level window should work better. The ignition system is perfect as it is as far as I am concerned although many people seem to struggle with it.

Also I wonder if it would be possible to incorporate something to make it function like a soldering iron? Something along these lines: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Sealey-Micro-Butane-Soldering-Iron-Torch-1300-Degrees-Refillable-/360394730764?pt=UK_Home_Garden_PowerTools_SM&hash=item53e9332d0c

 

[kirk13]

I'd like to see that trench lighter.  I have a pretty nice one that was given to me by a currently AWOL member.







Def

Sent from a digital multitool

Isn't that the Liberator from Blakes 7?

[tattoosteve99]

FYI use really good fluid when you refill it. Quad refined. I've had a couple of those lighters and the only one that still works is the one I used quad fluid with.

[lister]

This is a bit off topic but yesterday I found this:

 
 
A petrol lighter that is a bit like IMCO lighter but is actualy waterproof!

[Grant Lamontagne]

That is pretty cool!

Def

Sent from my smurfing hunk of techno sorcery

[Grant Lamontagne]

Forgot to mention that where I live there are two kinds of devices- waterproof and broken.

Def

Sent from my smurfing hunk of techno sorcery