Care of a Lighter

Once you have decided to smoke, chances are shortly afterwards you will find a need for a quality lighter. Torch or candle flame, either way you will spend between $30 and $200 for a quality butane lighter.
Okay. Now what?

Care and feeding of your lighter.

Butane.
Used to be a can of butane was a can of fuel. Now, things have changed a bit. The hi tech lighters have ignition coils and such that ask a bit of care to make them perform as new even twenty years later. This means you should be buying the most refined butane you can find.

There are many brands. Since I have no access to a laboratory I cannot verify the veracity of the claims of purity. I do however, understand a less refined products will leave carbon deposits that eventually will clog fuel delivery causing the flame to sputter or not light at all.

Turn the Flame Down...

Turn the flame height adjustment screw down to the minimum.

Bleed before you fill...

You are trying to remove any air in the fuel chamber.
I use a small hex wrench, but you can use a small screwdriver or a specific lighter tool and depress the filler tube. Hold it for ten seconds or until the hissing ceases. This will release any remaining fuel and air.

Not Shaken, either...

Do not shake the propane canister before refueling. In fact, never shake the can. When you shake the can of butane you are mixing propellant with the fuel. In some cases the propellant is - butane?! But most of the time it is compressed air. We do not want to water down our fuel with air.

Now Wait...

After filling the lighter wait four to five minutes for the fuel to settle and reach room temperature.

Reset and Go!

Set the flame height.

Use it well.