Newbie lighter comparo: Blazer PB207 v. Xicar Exec

[bonggoy]

Originally Posted by Brad

About a year ago I invested in my first "good" lighter, a gunmetal Xicar Exec. For a while it served me well, but as of late, i've been having problems. I fed it a diet of the cheapie Ronson fuel from Walmart (I know, horrible) and now it simply will not ignite. I'm pretty sure it's the crappy fuel, but that isn't all. The finish of the lighter is starting to look pretty ragged. Also, the tank on this thing must be the smallest ever invented, I only get maybe 4 or 5 cigars out of it before it needs a refil. Even when working, the flame wasn't enough to light larger ring guage sticks, and would freaquently blow out in the wind.

I was at my favorite cigar shop today and they had Blazer PB207's for $38, so I picked one up. Also got a can of King 3x butane for $4. So far, I'm really impressed with the Blazer. This thing fires on the first click, every single time. I even tried it sitting in front of box fan on the higest setting, still works. The tank is huge, and I like the fact you can see the level so I know when it's refill time. It might not be the prettiest thing on earth, but it works. For me, it's function over form. As a side note, the can of King butane is gigantic, I could see getting many many fills out of this thing for $4.

I am a believer, PB207's do rule!

I commend and thank you for this review. However, comparing a year old lighter that was fed cheap fuel against a new lighter with a better fuel is, IMO, a very fair comparison. This is like comparing an old well worn tire against a new tire and declaring the new tire a better of the two.

[Brad]

Originally Posted by bonggoy

I commend and thank you for this review. However, comparing a year old lighter that was fed cheap fuel against a new lighter with a better fuel is, IMO, a very fair comparison. This is like comparing an old well worn tire against a new tire and declaring the new tire a better of the two.

The lighter never worked very well, new or old. And FWIW, I cleaned out all the Ronson fuel and filled it with 3x refined butate and it still doesn't work.

[The Duke]

I've used Colibri with my Xikar Exec. from the beginning and it hasn't worked very well. I just purged it and filled it up again, maybe that will help. I bought a cheap Jet Line Dual Torch for 12 bucks shipped and got a free Colibri with a purchase at JR Cigar and they both work much better than the Xikar.

[ca21455]

Thanks for the review.

Have a Blazer PB207 and for some reason it goes out with just a small amount of breeze. Cleaned it with pressurized air and use good butane so I do not know what the problem is. Inside it fires up every time and works great.

[The Duke]

Used the Xikar again tonight. The purging and refilling actually helped a lot. Much better than it was before. Still not as good as the Colibri and Jet Line because their flame is stronger. But much happier with it after purging and using again.

[[OT] Loki]

if your xikar isn't working properly why not send it back, and buy a ronson to hold you over till the xikar comes back?

[The Duke]

If it was broke, I would send it in. It isn't broken, I just think it has a weaker flame then others. I have it on the highest setting and after purging and refilling it is working much better. I wouldn't buy one again, but it doesn't suck like I thought at first.

[genezawis]

Thanks for the review... Just bought my first Blazer PB207. So far, so good.

[NCRadioMan]

Originally Posted by The Duke

If it was broke, I would send it in. It isn't broken, I just think it has a weaker flame then others. I have it on the highest setting and after purging and refilling it is working much better. I wouldn't buy one again, but it doesn't suck like I thought at first.

Did you read Matt's first post? You can turn the flame up as much as you want. Simply pull the black cover off the fuel adjustment, take off the governor and turn it up till your hearts content.

Originally Posted by txmatt

The Xikar can probably be helped by my lighter fix guide (linked in my signature).

Frankly, I find the single flame simply doesn't do a good job lighting a cigar to begin with. A triple flame is perfect for cigars because of the total surface area it covers, all at once. Also, imo, Colibri fuel simply isn't that efficient. Unlike Lava or Vector.

[The Duke]

I will get vector or lava when my colibri runs out. But it isn't the cheopo stuff and has worked fine with my other lighters.

I think you are right about the double/triple flames.

The damn lighter runs out of fuel so fast without making the flame bigger I don't want to make it any worse. I'll just use a different lighter.

[NCRadioMan]

Originally Posted by The Duke

The damn lighter runs out of fuel so fast without making the flame bigger I don't want to make it any worse. I'll just use a different lighter.

I don't want to sound condescending but you are you bleeding the lighter before filling it up, no?

[The Duke]

Yes, I've purged it an re-filled it. Not sure if doing this multiple times will matter, but I've done it once already.

[NCRadioMan]

You need to bleed the lighter every time you refill it to get all the air out of the tank so the fuel can fill it completely. You may not be geting a full tank, making it seem like it doesn't hold alot.

[Brad]

Originally Posted by NCRadioMan

You need to bleed the lighter every time you refill it to get all the air out of the tank so the fuel can fill it completely. You may not be geting a full tank, making it seem like it doesn't hold alot.

Some of it could just be the lighter, the Exec doesn't seem to have a very big fuel tank.

[The Duke]

I've only refilled it once and did purge it. Maybe I'm not filling it up enough, no tank to see so I never know for sure.