such a great lighter, bought mine for 40$!

somebody may have said this already butto prevent misfires:
-only use triple refined lighter fluid
-do not fill it to the max amount
-do not set the flame size on max [3/4 works best for me]
-sometimes you need to hold it in your hand and let it warm up before it works flawlessly

besides that, probably the greatest lighter out there for a GVG

I recently just bought the whole line of Turboflame lighters.
Apart from the Phoenix which died on me pretty quickly, they all have their use.

The Arc will be dedicated for the GVG that is yet to get through customs, but I like the T2 (dual flame) for my joints and bongs. Deep bowls are great to smoke with the Arc though, as are oil rigs (the Arc is powerful enough for a Ti nail.)

All in all, I like the Arc so much I eventually couldn't resist and went for this deal. "Ergonomic Butane Jet Torch" only found me a deal for 2 lighters, and the shipping from US to Europe was of course a bit higher, but a great deal nonetheless at 30$/25€ in total so 12.5€ per lighter is approximately a third of what I paid for the original Turboflame Arc.

Thank you Gibran2, you sir rock

Ok, the Ergonomic Butane Jet Torch combo arrived this morning.

Externally, there are a few cosmetic flaws that the original doesn't have, but the jet mechanism actually works much better than the original !!!
Maybe the original has a faulty mechanism, as it has to be switched on twice for the flame to appear from time to time, and it simply won't turn on unless it's set on maximum flame. Even then it's a bit weak.
On the copies, I have to tone them down from maximum else they are too powerful.

I'm happy to have bought copies

I just got my 2 pack of Arc clones. They work very well. I was surprised that they came full of butane and turned up all the way. I thought that they would be shipped empty for safety reasons. I hope the butane they use us as clean as the Vector fuel.
Can't wait to try these with my gvg.

I have a friend who has a real Arc. We are going to get together and compare the two, but as far as I can remember, these seem to be exactly like the real thing. 2 for around $20 including shipping. I might buy a couple more just to have them on hand.

They are not clones.

It is very likely that they are produced by the same manufacturer, then supplied to various companies who label them with their own brand. See post #3 in this thread.

Mine came full too. The butane didn't burn cleanly, and I'd get constant misfires. Once I emptied and refilled with Vector, the lighter worked perfectly.

I second that.

The fact there are little cosmetic flaws in the unbranded ones makes me think they just failed the Quality Control for appearance and so are sold as is at a much lower price.

I think you can't go wrong with either the official Arc or the unbranded ones, they work as well.

My no-name lighters are indistinguishable from my Arc lighter. They don’t have any cosmetic flaws. Maybe you were just unlucky?

The one thing I have found is that torch lighters with a larger diameter flame are more effective, in that they allow one to heat a larger surface area in a VG or GVG, which reduces the need to circle the wagons around the bowl, as much.......

The larger diamter flame, heats the ceramic element in a VG or GVG more uniformly, and completely than a smaller diameter torch lighter flame.

More uniform heat to the ceramic element equates to more efficient vaping. IMHO

I bought 3 lighters I'd ordered from china. It looks just like the arc lighter depicted, cost me $8 for all 3 including shipping.

Still on the first of the 3 after 2 months, still going strong!

I always have a backup torch lighter within reach while venturing into the unknown. just in case, but never had to resort to the back up, so far......

The flaws are minor so maybe you don't see them or you were lucky ?

Who knows... Doesn't matter as it's the inside that count, and they do work as well as the branded ones.

Nicely spotted, BTW.

@ The Observer : damn, 8$ including shipping ? Now that's a bargain !

so i noticed the price on this was high again.

so i thought i would point people to another possible source of cheap arc(?)s (15$ free shipping)

Preface: I am brought here because I lost my torch. I was using the vector volt based ona suggestion from ragabr in this thread about lighter recommendations. It worked beautifully for some time now (+1 year).



The quantity on the link begins at 100 for me :S

So I found these options.. this one looks similar to an "unbranded" arc and this looks like an unbranded arc as well, though they call it a "zico".

I also found what appears to be an imitation/different brand of the vector volt I was using before, though the price is much cheaper, which can be found here. I also found a set which appears to be the same as the vector volt though branded "honest" quite cheap ($5 with free shipping) , here. Edit : though the picture shows 2 lighters the description does specify that the item is for only 1 lighter. Still I ordered one and will let you know.


Happy travels.

So I went ahead and ordered the "zico" as well (because I couldnt say no to the price and because one can never have too many torches). I will update on both purchases when they arrive and after some testing.

Yea the site which Parshvik linked used to sell single lighters (I bought one from them last year), but it seems they now only do wholesale.

The "Zico" lighters definitely look like unbranded Arcs. I think I just might order a couple backup torches myself, since I've already got the page open and all...

I received my "Zico" (which appears to be a branded unbranded arc) lighter 1 week after placing the order.

Works well upon arrival. Though the flame is huge, even on the lowest setting it is quite large, so that will take some getting used to.

I will put it through the paces and return with updates.

$99 for a Zico!? No way. My ArcFlame is unreliable as it is

Try $45 for 3 for the Zicos.

You can still find the no-name arcs for $30/3 or even $10/1 with free shipping. I have like 5 of these now, two for camping, one that lives with my GVG, one that lives with my cannabis stuff, and a backup. I find them incredibly reliable. Sometimes they will fail to light as they get low on fuel, but if you use a premium fuel (like colibri) and increase the output when fuel gets low (or refill) it should resolve the issue, ime.

Strange, I paid 9 + shipping :s

i read through this thread and saw a few mentions of lighters not working etc. so i thought i should just go through some quick jet lighter maintenance. i used to have a 3jet tiger and that was hands down, the most effective ive ever used for gvg, but the most fuel hungry too. anyway.

1. check there is no obstructions inside the inner shroud, blow it out, or tap it.
2. check the flame intensity screw and adjust to the lowest setting which works flawlessly (starts first click and doesnt blow out or flicker)
3. if the above steps didnt work, take some longnose pliers and twist/pull out the jet element and poke through all the holes and gaps with a sewing needle. blow/tap out any obstructions and make sure gas is comming out (gas flow to the touch, or smelling it)
4. press the jet back in and make sure its seated correctly, also.. some jet lighters have an adjustment underneath the jet, so you could twist that with a screwdriver to get correct gas flow too.

if that doesnt work, and you havent had much use out of your jet lighter, contact the seller and demand a refund/replacement.
i hope that helps some people.

I didn't want to create a new topic but for the people who like the design of the vector volt better, here is the unbranded version of it for 8€:

Honest Lighter / Honest Portable Classic Cigarette Cigar Lighter Butane Gas Jet Flame Lighter

I would also recommend using a premium brand butane or even butane/propane mix for torches/jet lighters because the impurities in the gas can produce a weaker flame as well as clog up your lighter.
Personally I use Colibri Universal Gas and I never had a problem of my lighter misfiring or not working when held upside down.

The Honest vector volt style lighter I purchased arrived today from Hong Kong, some ~20 days after ordering.

Upon filling everything seems on par with the vector volt (which I found in my coat pocket.. dope!.. )

Will try to put both the zico (~arc) and the honest (~volt) through the gaunlet and return with news.

Cheers