2025 test18 productsFlashlights & Lighting
Which Lighters Brand Wins?
We compared 18 lighters options head to head. Sondiko came out on top. See the measured results, the runner-up, the budget pick, and a link to the full test video.
Winner
Sondiko
Price shown in test: $18
Check price on Amazon
Affiliate link. We may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
Runner-up
Tencoz
Price shown in test: $17
Check price on Amazon
Affiliate link. We may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
Budget pick
Urgrette Torch
Price shown in test: $9 for a two-pack
Check price on Amazon
Affiliate link. We may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
The measured results
Every number below is read straight from the test. Scroll sideways to see all measurements. Products are listed in the order they finished.
| Product | Weight | Ignition speed | Wind resistance | Heat production (80F to 500F) | Heat-shrink melt time | Heat-to-touch after 15s use | Durability (break test) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Sondiko$18 | 206.35 g | 0.3 seconds | held a flame facing directly into the fan at both low and high fan speed; part of the group given the best subjective wind rating of 1 | 15.4 seconds (2nd overall, behind Urgrette Torch) | 1.5 seconds (1st overall, fastest of all lighters tested) | 78 F (1st overall, coolest/best of all lighters tested) | not tested |
| 2Tencoz$17 | 241.33 g | not tested | held a flame facing directly into the fan at both low and high fan speed; part of the group given the best subjective wind rating of 1 (captioned '10 gas') | 20.8 seconds | 2.2 seconds | 79 F (2nd overall) | not tested |
| 3Ravs$32 | 250.04 g (heaviest of all 18 lighters tested) | 0.3 seconds | performed very well at both fan speeds, similar to Tencoz and Sondiko; flamed out only once tilted directly into the wind at high speed | 18.3 seconds (3rd overall) | 1.8 seconds (2nd overall, close behind Sondiko) | not tested | not tested |
| 4Urgrette Torch$9 for a two-pack | 58.22 g | 0.3 seconds | unfazed by the fan at both low and high speed, described as very well designed for windy conditions | 15.2 seconds (1st overall, fastest of all lighters tested; has a three-jet flame) | 2.3 seconds | not tested | not tested |
| 5Zippo Butane$16.00 | 47.72 g | 0.35 seconds | maintained a tall flame at both fan speeds; only extinguished when tilted directly toward the fan at high speed, then re-lit easily | just under 20 seconds | 2.8 seconds | 94 F (3rd overall) | not tested |
| 6Urgrette Pen$10 for three lighters | 56.55 g | 0.3 seconds | unfazed by the fan at low speed, but regressed at high speed, briefly lighting about a foot from the fan and then losing its flame | 20.1 seconds | 2.3 seconds (tied with Urgrette Torch) | not tested | not tested |
| 7Topkay Flex Neck$12 | 82 g | not tested | stayed lit until the tip was pointed directly into the fan at low speed; at high speed lit easily, stayed lit until tilted, and re-fired easily ('definitely better than the Urgrette Pen Lighter') | 24.9 seconds | 4 seconds | not tested | not tested |
| 8BiC Pocket$12 for 10 lighters or about $1.20 each | 21.69 g | 1.5 seconds | struggled badly, losing its flame in only around a 1 mph breeze at low speed; skipped in the high-speed test based on that earlier performance | just under 1 minute (about 4 times longer than Urgrette Torch) | 7.3 seconds (slowest among products covered to that point in the test) | not tested | not tested |
| 9Click-n-Flame$12 for four lighters or $3 each | 57.8 g | 0.8 seconds | performed well at both fan speeds; described as 'the best yet' in the high-speed test and part of the group given the best subjective wind rating of 1 | 27.9 seconds | 4 seconds | not tested | not tested |
| 10BiC Flex$14.00 | 80.33 g | 1.6 seconds | struggled to stay lit even 36 inches from the fan at low speed; skipped in the high-speed test based on that earlier performance ('Skipping the BIC Flex based upon earlier performance') | very close to 50 seconds | 5.7 seconds | not tested | survived over 50 lbs of force, by far the best result of the durability test |
| 11MK Lighter$14.00 for four lighters or about $3.50 each | 26.93 g | just over half a second | well designed for windy conditions at both fan speeds, though not quite as wind resistant as Click-n-Flame at high speed | very close to 41 seconds | 4.4 seconds | not tested | not tested |
| 12BiC Multi-Purpose$14.00 for two lighters or $7.00 each | just under 100 g (heaviest of the batch introduced to that point) | 1.3 seconds | struggled to stay lit even 36 inches from the fan at low speed; skipped in the high-speed test based on that earlier performance | 46.3 seconds | 5.5 seconds | not tested | not tested |
| 13Topkay Long Torch$15.00 for two lighters or $7.50 each | 67.13 g | 0.3 seconds | maintained a strong flame at both fan speeds, performing as well as Click-n-Flame at high speed; flame went out only when facing directly into the wind | 30 seconds | 3.4 seconds | not tested | not tested |
| 14Elite Brands$15.00 for five lighters or $3.00 each | 47.35 g | 1.5 seconds | held a flame until about 4 inches from the fan at low speed but was quickly extinguished in the wind path; skipped in the high-speed test | 47.4 seconds | close to 6 seconds | not tested | 21.62 lbs |
| 15Knights of Armur$21 for 12 lighters at just under $2 each | 45.57 g | about 1.5 seconds | struggled badly, losing its flame about 24 inches from the fan at low speed and skipped in the high-speed test | 48.5 seconds | 5.5 seconds | not tested | 11.2 lbs, the weakest durability result in the video |
| 16Fukkuda Electric Lighter$9 | 36.08 g | around 1 second | held its plasma arc in the direct path of the wind at both low and high fan speed, consistent with its windproof design claim; part of the group given the best subjective wind rating of 1 | skipped (electric arc lighters arced out on the aluminum test bolt) | skipped (electric lighters not designed for this task) | not tested | not tested |
| 17LcFun$10 | 45.65 g | about 3/4 of a second | held its arc in the direct path of the wind at both low and high fan speed; part of the group given the best subjective wind rating of 1 | skipped (electric arc lighters arced out on the aluminum test bolt) | skipped (electric lighters not designed for this task) | not tested | not tested |
| 18Zippo Lighter Fluid$11 | 60.12 g | 1 second | could be lit in the direct path of the low-speed breeze but the flame grew choppy and was finally extinguished when tilted into the wind; at high speed could not be lit or held a flame at all in front of the fan | 50.4 seconds | 5.8 seconds | not tested | not tested |
How it was tested
- ignition/candle-lighting speed (seconds)
- wind resistance at increasing fan speed, up to a high-speed round (qualitative hold-flame performance plus a subjective 1 to 1.5 rating)
- heat production (seconds to heat an aluminum bolt from about 80F to 500F)
- heat-shrink tubing melt time (seconds)
- durability (pounds of force to break a long-neck lighter, only some brands reported)
- heat-to-touch temperature after 15 seconds of use (F, only top 3 reported)
- trigger comfort (subjective rating, no brand-level results given in the transcript)
“the Sandicko came out on top with the best average finish at 2.2.”