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We will be doing an experiment today to see how long does a Bic lighter last. The idea here is just to use a brand new Bic lighter and tape the button closed while starting a timer to determine the exact minutes it will last and then divide it by the number of flicks giving you an estimate.
Us preppers have been debating for a long time now which is the best survival lighter, is it a traditional type of lighter, or Ferro rods, matches, or electronic plasma lighter, it’s really hard to say what is the best lighter but in this article, we will be just touching on the Bic lighter and how long it will last for by running our experiment.
It’s a really simple way of seeing how long a Bic lighter last and there really is not much to be considered other than getting a lighter and performing the lighter test to determine how long it is going to last.
The Main Advantages of Bic Lighters
Before we get into the lighter test, let’s talk about some of the key features and benefits of a Bic lighter for a survival lighter.
Reliability – A Bic lighter tends to always work when we flick it, well not always as there are some times in every person’s life when they get a lighter wet and it becomes unusable. For the most part, you are able to dry them out and in about 20-40 minutes the lights will become usable again. This is not bad, and to speed up this process you can even flick it, blow into the lighter, keep it warm in your palm, and repeat this process. I have personally picked up lighters I found on the ground that’s been there for who knows how long and the lighter was able to light again.
Long lasting – For the typical lighter user, or everyday smoker, BIC lighters do last a really long time. Normally just with a single lighter, you can create hundreds of fires compared to a dollar store lighter or another brand.
How Long Do Bics Last?
There are a couple of factors here to answer this.
- How long do Bic lighters last for the average user?
People who smoke cigarettes or cannabis usually get 3-4 weeks out of the regular-sized Bic lighter. - What size of Bic lighter
Since Bic has different lighter sizes this will vary when it comes to how long the light will last. Most mini Bic lighters will only run for about less than half an hour when held open, there now are the EZ Reach lighter too which has about the same amount of fuel as the Bic Mini’s. - No two Bic Lighters Are The Same
Have you ever bought a Bic lighter and noticed how much fuel is in it? They may undergo multiple quality checks but, take notice of this the next time you get one. The fluid sometimes will be topped right up or it will have some with not as much butane in them.
How Long Will A Bic Lighter Last Continuously Burning – Regular Sized Lighter Test
Now we will perform the test to determine exactly how long the light is going to last until it completely runs out.
Starting with taping down the lighter’s button allowing the button to be pressed in and then properly securing it, in order to leave somewhere for the next little while, as we start a timer to determine exactly how long the typical Bic lighter is going to last us so we know, just for fun, and to have this knowledge in the back of our heads the next time we choose to get a lighter that is a long-lasting and reliable choice for preppers.
The Results Are In
The BIC lighter was able to run continuously for 1 hour and 55 seconds before the flame died out. The flame started getting weak and I, patiently waiting for this lighter to die, snapped a picture when the flame went out and was excited because it died. A long brutal wait to get the results.
So, for the debate people claiming they last 1 hour, this is not accurate and now when someone asks, “how long do Bic lighters last?”, we can say just under 2 hours. 1 hour and 55 minutes is close enough, and to be fair, not every Bic lighter is going to burn for the exact same time as the one I performed the test on. Some might actually burn quicker or last a few more minutes.
Conclussion
It was a test I wanted to perform to see how long these types of lighters will last when continuously burning until empty.
For a daily smoker, a Bic lighter typically will last 3-4 weeks.
The average cigarette takes between 2.5 – 3 seconds to light. That is between 2,500 to 3,000 flicks before the lighter becomes empty.
For camping, starting a wood furnace, or lighting something on fire can take ten times the light to catch the target on fire. Especially if it is windy or what have you.
It is nice to know that we can get 2 hours out of a regular-sized Bic lighter. Imagine what you could do with that.
