+7
A lighter is not something I would expect to innovate much in the coming years. But of all of us had these moments when you go outside to light a cigarette, and the wind blows down the flame, or suddenly your lighter is out of gas. Well, someone came up with an idea to solve all those issues, and it’s a pretty good one.
Maybe you already heard of it, since there are several variations of these type of lighters – the most known, I think, is a Plasma Arc Lighter. This one is a bit different, it’s a USB Rechargeable Induction Lighter. I was skeptical about it at first, assuming I will just throw into a drawer after one day and never use it again. But I couldn’t be more wrong.
USB Rechargeable Induction Lighter Design
For this price, I was not expecting anything extraordinary, but I was pleasantly surprised. I ordered a silver one (you can get it in 6 colors: black, blue, gold, black, red and silver) and I must say that it looks really nice. The box on its own has a stylish present-like look. It contained the lighter and a short USB charging cable. I didn’t find any manual inside, but I guess there is not much to figure out. The lighter has a compact size, it’s very thin (29 x 78 x 7.5 mm) and it weighs only 42g. The silver version has an elegant brushed finish.
The lighter has a small LED touch panel, which shows the battery indication and the ON/OFF button. At the bottom, you can find a micro USB charging slot. According to the producer, the lighter has a 220 mAh battery which should suffice for around 3 weeks or 140 uses on a single charge.
USB Rechargeable Induction Lighter Functionality
In terms of features, well, it does what a lighter it’s supposed to do. Just the method is a bit different. When you open the lighter, the LED panel lights up showing the ON/OFF button. After touching the button, the LED panel additionally indicates the battery level, and the round induction area heats up in red (and this is the moment when you should light up a cigarette!). The induction area stays hot for around 8 seconds, and then it turns off automatically. You can also click the ON/OFF button again or just close the lighter, and it will turn off immediately.
The induction area is double-sided, so it does not matter from what side you will try to light a cigarette. As mentioned already the battery should be enough for around 140 uses (I will update this once I will use it for a bit longer, just to be sure). The charging time is between 1-2 hours.
OK, so it’s a lighter, and it works, nothing to be excited, right? Well, not entirely. Since it does not have a flame or gas, you can use it almost in any conditions. It does not matter if it’s windy, rainy, snowy, it will always work. And if the battery drains, you can just recharge it with a micro USB cable which you probably have with you anyway to charge your phone or earphones. So yes, I guess this makes it kind of amazing.
There aren’t really any drawback I could find, but I guess you can say that the lighter is designed mostly for smokers. It’s very easy to light up a cigarette with it. With a piece of paper you also won’t have any issues, but to start a bonfire or something similar, you will be better off with a traditional flame lighter.
Summary
Considering that is costs around $3, for me, this is a definite must-have. A smart upgrade of our daily-use device. Simple, stylish, and practical. What more could you want?
If you want to grab one, you can find it on aliexpress.
Affordable price
Stylish design
Weatherproof
With a rechargeable battery
Might not be the best solution in all situations