Non-smokers - what lighter (matches ???) do you keep at home to start a fire?

I use the flexible long neck bics mostly, followed by real wooden matches, but also wanted to suggest the fancy cigar lighters out there. Not as nice as Toot's Brunton but some are pretty slick and flame thrower like.

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Originally Posted by Saab2000

I had always assumed matches in restaurants were relics from the days when smoking in restaurants existed. And on that subject, isn't it amazing how quickly minds changed on that? I know it's been what, like 20 years, since that was phased out. I expected much resistance and I personally didn't even have super strong opinions on the topic but it's impossible to imagine going back to those days.

Smoking section in a restaurant or airplane? They may as well just have a peeing section in a public swimming pool.

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Man, we went to Downtown Grill (a local high end restaurant that's been around a long time, Gregg Alman proposed to Cher there FYI) a few weeks ago for a date night (rare since the baby was born) / anniversary dinner. It was our first time there, we had reservations, but got there a little early so we had to wait about 10mins for our table (there was someone else at it, they didn't just make us wait till our specified time). Anyways...it's also a cigar bar, which we didn't know.

I didn't actually see anyone smoking while we waited those 10 minutes, but you could smell it, and it effed me up. My nose was about to release the floogates, and I told my wife, if the dining area also allowed smoking we're gonna have to go somewhere else. Thankfully, the dining area doesn't allow smoking, and the HVAC system kept the smell out, so once we got to our table after a few minutes I was fine. Dinner was amazing too, I had a grilled quail, a couple lamb chops, and a 6oz fillet, and a few sides.

But yeah, smoking sucks. And if you think smoking is mostly gone, which I used to think 'cause you don't see it as much as you used to, just go to an outdoor country music concert. Plenty of folks still smoke.

We're partial to a big box of "strike anywhere" wood matches for our winter fireplace. The problem we had with the plastic lighters is they are small enough to get misplaced around the house and we were always having to buy more of them. A box of matches doesn't accidentally find it's way into your pocket

I have an old school metal Zippo lighter I use for the fireplace. Nice big flame.

Refilling it is no big deal. They pretty much look and look the same as they ever did. But as a non-smoker, I'm no expert on lighters.

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Originally Posted by Too Tall

I've had this Brunton Helios Stormproof for about 6 years. Never fails and seems to go forever on a charge.

Brunton Helios stormproof :: Moontrail

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never saw one of these before- thanks for the link

~8 months a year I light my fireplace every morning with those long neck BIC lighters. I think maybe $2.50 at the grocery store. They last a whole season and then I buy a new one.

-Joe