Here's a quick review of a couple of lighters that I picked up that I'm truly in love with. They were both uber affordable with price tags under $15. Wanted to sharpen up my product photography skills and thought this would be a neat little opportunity, although it's getting late and just quickly went over these in Gimp and will write a few words about them.
First off is a Vertigo lighter called the Merlin. This is a dream for me ergonomically and aesthetically. The high points for me are:
Horizontal flame direction - My style of lighting a cigar benefits from this because I lightly toast the foot until it's lit. I don't puff with the flame on the foot. I can toast the foot without having to twist my wrist to orient the flame, it's a dream to hold while toasting.
Flame lock - little switch that keeps the flame lit. Love this feature. Also locks the lighter to prevent unintentional lighting. Dual purpose feature. No more tired thumbs.
Huge reservoir and see through - It has a nice frosted dark black tank that is see through enough to see the fuel level, but still dark enough to look awesome.
No flip up lid - Those lids are notoriously flimsy, one drop and they pop off or won't click shut.
Nice design - clean, industrial, minimal, and stealth. Love it.
I've always wanted an IM Corona Old Boy. I've had my eye on the matte black model for at least half a decade, but can't justify the price tag given my lack of baller status at the moment. Saw the Xikar model but read some bad reviews. Also, at like $40-50 I might as well just by the Old Boy.
So I took a gander at everyone's favorite auction site and found this little gem. It wasn't too easy to find; given the multitude of lighters on there it was hard to scroll through endless pages of cheap torch lighters but my efforts paid off. At $13 shipped this little Yibao more than satisfies my yearning for the Old Boy until I can feel good about dropping the dough for that matte black model I desperately want.
Some of the highlights/thoughts:
Nice build quality. The plating is pretty clean and the acrylic nicely polished. It's not jewelry grade polishing like the IM's, but definitely at a casual glance exudes quality and elegance. Feels solid in the hand and everything works smooth and tight.
Arm flips back all the way. The lift arm mechanism flips all the way back so it doesn't get in the way when lighting/toasting.
Lights consistently and doesn't overheat.
Flame adjustment and refill valve have a nice screw in cover. The only drawback is that the threads were tapped slightly sideways, so the cover doesn't sit flush with the bottom. It's only a half mm discrepancy, but noticeable. However, the lighter has no problem standing upright.
It's a little on the small side. Not really a gripe, and especially since I've been using my Vertigo at home I think this is going to be my "going out" lighter to light smaller sticks when out on the town. The small size is a welcome surprise. The comparison shot is with a standard Zippo.
So there it is, a quick little double-review. Hope you guys enjoyed it.
/
First off is a Vertigo lighter called the Merlin. This is a dream for me ergonomically and aesthetically. The high points for me are:
Horizontal flame direction - My style of lighting a cigar benefits from this because I lightly toast the foot until it's lit. I don't puff with the flame on the foot. I can toast the foot without having to twist my wrist to orient the flame, it's a dream to hold while toasting.
Flame lock - little switch that keeps the flame lit. Love this feature. Also locks the lighter to prevent unintentional lighting. Dual purpose feature. No more tired thumbs.
Huge reservoir and see through - It has a nice frosted dark black tank that is see through enough to see the fuel level, but still dark enough to look awesome.
No flip up lid - Those lids are notoriously flimsy, one drop and they pop off or won't click shut.
Nice design - clean, industrial, minimal, and stealth. Love it.
I've always wanted an IM Corona Old Boy. I've had my eye on the matte black model for at least half a decade, but can't justify the price tag given my lack of baller status at the moment. Saw the Xikar model but read some bad reviews. Also, at like $40-50 I might as well just by the Old Boy.
So I took a gander at everyone's favorite auction site and found this little gem. It wasn't too easy to find; given the multitude of lighters on there it was hard to scroll through endless pages of cheap torch lighters but my efforts paid off. At $13 shipped this little Yibao more than satisfies my yearning for the Old Boy until I can feel good about dropping the dough for that matte black model I desperately want.
Some of the highlights/thoughts:
Nice build quality. The plating is pretty clean and the acrylic nicely polished. It's not jewelry grade polishing like the IM's, but definitely at a casual glance exudes quality and elegance. Feels solid in the hand and everything works smooth and tight.
Arm flips back all the way. The lift arm mechanism flips all the way back so it doesn't get in the way when lighting/toasting.
Lights consistently and doesn't overheat.
Flame adjustment and refill valve have a nice screw in cover. The only drawback is that the threads were tapped slightly sideways, so the cover doesn't sit flush with the bottom. It's only a half mm discrepancy, but noticeable. However, the lighter has no problem standing upright.
It's a little on the small side. Not really a gripe, and especially since I've been using my Vertigo at home I think this is going to be my "going out" lighter to light smaller sticks when out on the town. The small size is a welcome surprise. The comparison shot is with a standard Zippo.
So there it is, a quick little double-review. Hope you guys enjoyed it.
/
