A few years ago, I was a member of a rather popular cigar forum that has since been bought out. In my hay-day of forum posting, I got in on a couple of group buys for different cigars and accessories. One of those group buys netted me one of the best cigar related purchases I have ever come to own. The item was the Taiwanese version of the Blazer Pocket Torch.
This product was advertised as the same lighter but bore the Prince PB-207 Pocket Torch moniker. With international shipping, this product cost me a grand total of $22.00. At this point in time the Ronson lighters from Walmart were not very popular and the Blazer / Prince lighter was said to be the affordable torch that every cigar smoker should own.
It has been a long time since I made that purchase, in fact, it has to have been about three years ago. You would probably be amazed if I told you that it lasted only half that time and died on me, but the fact of the matter is that I still have that torch and it works well. Not only do I still own it, but it has been my carry lighter since day one and it still gets placed into my pocket each and every day before I head out of the house.
While my Prince PB-207 may not get used every day, it has probably lit hundreds, if not thousands, of cigars. On more than one occasion this lighter has been passed around among a small group of friends. Due to its large fuel tank, it tends to go a long way before you even need to think about refilling it. While this lighter doesn’t have as powerful a flame as it used to, it still gets the job done.
Positive Aspects:
- Large fuel tank which allows you to view the fuel level. Even the variety with the colored tank has a clear bottom section to view fuel levels.
- Very durable, this lighter has gone through the washing machine a couple of times without much fuss. It has also been dropped on a number of occasions
- On the side of the torch is a lock, this will allow you to light the flame and release the trigger. Even with the trigger released, the flame continues to burn.
- The removable cap on the lighter is attached by a small chain to prevent you from loosing it.
- Lighter comes with a rubber base which can be slipped on. With the rubber base in place, the lighter can be set onto a flat surface and locked on.
Negative Aspects:
- Because of this lighters large fuel tank, it can be a little bulky in the pocket.
- Over all of this time, I think that the jet has began to corrode because the flame is not as strong as it used to be.
- The clear plastic shell on this particular lighter shows wear early on in its career. Keys and coins easily scratch it up.
- The black plastic cap to this lighter doesn’t snap in to place all that tightly. You can expect it to pop off from time to time while traveling around in your pocket.
Overall:
Even though most people will tell you that the best affordable lighter on the market is the Ronson torch, I still think that the Prince PB-207 is one of the best utility lighters that money can buy. It has exceeded my initial expectations by far and I have no reason to believe it will not last another couple of years before the flame becomes too weak to be practical. In the event that you can not purchase the Prince model and are required to go with the more expensive Blazer (which I believe has a child safety lock), you won’t be dissapointed with your purchase.
Looks like you got your $22 worth… I usually lose a lighter before I get my full value out of it…
My wife picked up 2 of these lighters and wish I could find the other one that she had. The only thing that’s not working with my lighter is the lock–She paid under $10 each at the time and wish I would have gotten more—many more………I really like mine!!!!!!
I have the Blazer version of this lighter and absolutely LOVE it. The large fuel tank is perfect for cigars. I can go weeks at a time before even thinking about refilling and the child safety latch (witch is a little annoying) is easily removed.
I have alwasy eyed these lighters up but never snagged one yet. I have seen the knockoffs on the foreign distro sites for easily under $10 and some under $5, I wonder i they work as well? Gonna snag one some day, but my Creme Brulee torch has me spoiled =)
Mike
$22 for an import lighter? I bought similar cheaper versions but most broke, the plastic cap fell off, or my buddies never returned it. Why not go to source and buy direct from China. http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.1455 from extreme deals cost less than three dollars ( free shipping) has a metal cap and can light dozens of cigars before refill. I kept them in the car,on my fishing vest and in the kayak. I don’t cry if it falls in the water or somehow disappears.
I got one of these from Hong Kong and liked it, until the piezo crapped out after six months.
I had a Blazer BP-207 for several years, it was in my pocket constantly. I went to Reno for a weekend in 2000 and it never worked after that. I made the mistake of taking it apart and never got it back together. I then had a couple of Blazer Ambassador lighters that worked well for a few years, then suffered various problems. I’ve since given up on “expensive” torch lighters. I have a couple of tripple flame lighters with goofy red and blue flashing lights which work great, I think they were $30 for a box of 20 or something rediculous. I use those the most, but they rip through butane. The Zippo insert from Blazer is nice, but doesn’t hold enough fuel, same with the freebie lighter I gor from Cigar Magazine (Colibri? can’t be, it still works after several years). Both are adequate as a “nice” lighter. I miss my PB-207, but I think if I added up all the torch lighters I have they didn’t cost as much, and accomplish the same result. Don’t get me started on cutters…
I’ve had the Blazer PB-207 for a couple months, thanks to Tom and Ed. It’s definitely the best lighter I ever purchased.
I have a very similar lighter, and it works great.
I’ve been using this one from DealExtreme for about a year now. Excellent so far and has a huge fuel tank. Can’t complain for under $3 shipped.
http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.1320
I had one of those for 3 years and NEVER had a problem. The BEST lighter I have ever owned. Until one day out on the boat fishing. Saltwater will kill those things in just a few hours. They make one heck of a lighter!!
Edit—my lighter is a “Laser Jet” not the PB-207 but looks identical.