Will a Cigar Shop Repair a Cigar Humidor or a Lighter?
If you are “into” cigar smoking, it is pretty likely that you own at least one cigar humidor. It is also quite likely that you have a good relationship with at least one cigar store too. Have you considered if that relationship is as valuable to you as it is to the vendor? For instance, if you have purchased cigars and the accessories needed to properly enjoy them, ask yourself if the seller can make the kinds of repairs that such expensive goods often need.
The thing to consider when you make any investment, however, is if the vendor is going to be able to help you out with repairs if something goes wrong. For instance, will the seller make it easy to get a new liner for the humidor? Will they offer repairs on a lighter that has cost you a bit of money? These are things to consider before you begin shopping regularly at any cigar store or specialty vendor.
Okay, so we can understand why not all cigar vendors can offer repairs on cigar accessories, but the next question of concern is why there would be a need for repairs in the first place. After all, aren’t accessories usually limited to things like cutters, humidors, and lighters that won’t often break? The answer is a resounding yes, but also a quiet no as well. While the accessories mentioned are durable, most of them actually do eventually break or malfunction in some way. Rather than risking further harming them, it is best to just find a good repair service.
First of all, that humidor is going to be designed to have a replaceable liner. While the exterior of the case is meant as a “one time” expense and should be selected according to your decor or preferences, the cedar lining is a relatively “living” thing. Remember that it is a material that is meant to absorb water and humidity, and this means that it might eventually warp or simply lose its absorbency. This doesn’t happen in one year, and it may not even happen in four or five years, but it will eventually require a replacement. If your cigar shop does not make repairs or offer service on accessories…look somewhere else.
As to the lighter, it is an object that will most certainly require support and at a pace that will seem almost instant when compared to a humidor. Remember, however, that your lighter uses fuel, flints, and is handled and put to work frequently. This means that it is only natural that the thing will face a lot of wear and tear, and even some damage. You must never think that you can repair a lighter on your own because that can lead to serious damage and harm. Most cigar smokers like to own a high quality lighter, so be sure that your cigar shop can offer repairs when something eventually happens to your costly accessory.
Harrison is a product reviewer of cigar lighters and has done vast amounts of research on cigar accessories including blue rhino lighters.
Will a Submerged Torch Lighter Still Work?
A torch lighter, fortunately, is usually a sturdy little device. They have almost no moving parts in them, which ensures that they don’t wear out very quickly. And, yes, they can hold up to being submerged in water. The important thing to remember is that you want to make sure that the torch is dry before you try to light it again.
The most important thing to do is to take the lighter and dry it off as much as possible right away. If it has a case that you can take apart, take it down to its component parts and leave them all out to dry individually. This allows them to dry out and ensures that they won’t corrode because of having become wet.
Some lighters have electric ignitions on them. These are a particular concern, for obvious reasons. If your lighter has become wet and it activates electronically, you need to make sure that these components are thoroughly dried out before you use them again. Not doing so can cause a short. Give it at least 24 hours to dry out.
If you have a flint and wheel igniter, you just have to wait for them to dry off enough to produce spark, which usually only takes less than an hour. If the lighter refuses to light after it has had plenty of time to dry out, take apart the flint mechanism and shake it out to get rid of any excess moisture. Usually, however, this won’t be a problem at all and the flint will start sparking after a few turns of the wheel. The heat it produces on its own is usually enough to get any excess water burned off of it fairly quickly.
If you find a lot of water in your lighter, you may want to take a can of compressed air can blow it out a bit. You can do this a few times to make sure that you get any standing water out of the cracks and crevices in the lighter and then leave it sit for a while so that the remaining water can evaporate. If the lighter seems unwilling to produce a spark at all and it has a battery-activated mechanism, check to see if the battery simply went dead. Sometimes, being submerged in water will cause the battery to short out and discharge. Most of the time, the worst you have to do is replace the battery to get it working again just the way it was before.
Wendy is a consultant for a specialty cigar lighterss store and has expert knowledge of butane accessories, including lotus lighters.
How to Care for Your Butane Lighter
High-end butane lighters are of a quality that enables them to provide service for many years. This is dependent, however, upon keeping the lighter in good working order. Fortunately, butane lighters are enormously simple devices and much of their reliability owes to this fact.
A Nibo lighter is a good example of a high-quality, refillable butane lighter. They produce a characteristically compact and hot flame that enables them to be used in conditions where a regular butane would stand little chance of functioning. Caring for these lighters is a combination of looking after the mechanical elements and the cosmetic parts of the lighter.
The mechanics, where the user is concerned, are easy to understand. The lighter has a receiver which is used to refill the reservoir with butane. This receiver will only accept a standard can of butane. No other fuel should be used in these lighters and any adapter that doesn\’t readily fit should not be made to do so by force. Doing so can destroy the lighter.
Make certain to only use fuel which is specifically designed for use in butane lighters. The adapter on the can is generally the best way to determine if one has the right fuel. The adapter should slide into the receiver on the bottom of the lighter with little or no effort. If this is not the case, chances are that one has the wrong fuel for the job and attempting to make it fit by forcing the nozzle is dangerous for both the user and the lighter itself. Never use a fuel other than butane in any butane lighter.
Fuel should be chosen for purity. More expensive lighters generally require impurity-free fuel to ensure that they perform up to their highest level. This fuel isn\’t much more expensive than the lower grades of butane and the performance is markedly better. It\’s worth it to spend the few extra dollars to get the best fuel. If the lighter fails to ignite after refueling, there is likely air caught in the reservoir. To discharge it and restore flow, simply depress the fuel release button without tripping the igniter mechanism. This usually needs to be done for only a second or two before proper flow is restored to the lighter and it ignites.
Sam Smith is the owner of an online specialty torch lighters store and has expert knowledge of cigar accessories, including refillable butane lighters.