XikarStratosphere II High Altitude Lighter, Single Jet Flame, Windproof, Ergonomic Design, Durable and Dependable, Black

I was pretty happy with the lighter for the first week. After the first week the flame became weak and the lighter was hard to start. I had to adjusting the flame setting to full just to get it to light but it still would go out and when it would fire it barely could get the cigars to light. I am using their fuel as well. I am waiting for a response from the seller to see if they will send me a replacement. For $30 I expected to last a little longer than a week. If the seller replaces the lighter I will let you know.(UPDATE) Sep 08 2012.Recieved my replacement lighter from Burn Wholesale (great company to do business with!) It works for now, hopefully I will get some use out of it. Do yourself a favor buy American buy a Zippo. I will soon.

My only gripe which turned out to be a better thing is that the image is wrong. I received the newest xikar lighter. I currently have the old style as pictured, but in green. I bought 3 as groomsmen gifts. I was kind of annoyed at first when I opened the box, but was happy when I clicked the lid open, no more little latch, but more like a zippo style lid. Filled up with xikar butane (which on my original they used ronsonol butane and it didnt work at all) and all three lighters lit up great. One of them seems to need adjustment because it actually puts out too much butane and the torch wants to burn out. Easy to adjust. I have been using the old version for 2 years now and loved it so much, that I am actually buying a 4th of the black new models right now. As far as wind and all that goes, it is what it is, there might be better, but I dont have issues with mine. I try to light whatever out of the wind anyways. Great for cigars, great for lighting up a fire starter for my chiminea, 4th of july punks, everyone always wants to borrow my lighter.

I have been trying to purchase a reliable wind resistant lighter; turns out it much harder than it sounds.This is not the first model I have purchased, however, it the first to actually light up AND be able to stay lit thru a puff of air at arms length! (while that may hardly seem like a "windproof" test, this is the only one to have passed so far, the other would go out just by saying the phrase "puffer fish").a few things that while they mention in the manual deserve noticing:-It lights quick and easy...-your thumb IS very close to a very hot flame...in the breeze you had better make sure your thumb is upwind!-the device heats up, FAST, if you need more than 5 seconds of flame, look elsewhere-the flip top lid is plastic and the open spring is a little weak, you must also press the lever to CLOSE the lighter (seems odd that it does not snap closed)-eats fuel at a pretty good clipso that is why 4 stars (mostly the closeness of your thumb and how hot the device gets, those are design issues).That said, its a lighter and it actually LIGHTS!!! other manufacturers take note, if a device does not perform its primary task, anything else really does not matter...

I opened up the package and when I opened the box for the first time a tiny piece of plastic hit my foot. It was the flame adjustment valve. The very next day I go to use it and it will not light. I have it full of their brands fuel and nothing. I can see that the ignitor is only making a spark about every 20th strike but its not enough to ignite the fuel. If I was you I would not buy this model but I have heard good things about the brand but talking about just this lighter it sucks and not worth the money.

Great windproof lighter, emphasis on windproof...you really have to try to get it to go out (the heat element works exceptionally well, even when compared to other lighters with similar features). I purchased this one as a backup (my primary is a simple single/soft flame Thunderbird insert for my Zippo) lighter for high-altitude backpacking and I believe it will serve me well in that capacity (just keep in mind that it does have a jet flame, which, despite burning hotter, does consume fuel at a greater rate than the average soft-flame). It is easy to change the height of the flame, though I found that my example required a fairly high volume to ignite reliably (and I haven't tried it at particularly high altitudes as of this draft). I only wish it were a little more compact, though it is reasonably lightweight and has a fairly large fuel reserve, so it isn't worth deducting a point for this minor drawback. It replaced my old Eddie Bauer windproof lighter that recently died. Hopefully this one lasts as long (though it has an excellent warranty, if it happens to fail early).

Well mine lasted only a few months before the lid would no longer stay closed due to the poorly designed catch lip breaking under normal use. It also would go out frequently during use and had a rather weak flame (compared to other single flame torch lighters) even though I used ultra premium fuel from the start. Also like others said it will burn your thumb after a few seconds of holding the igniter down. Sent back under warranty for repair or replacement but would rather have my money back. I have had cheap $4 Ronson Jet lighters that have performed better and lasted much, much longer. Would definitely not recommend. 'Nuff said.

Going into the wilderness you need to pack one of these