Lighter Maintenance

So what’s the best way to keep your lighters making the best fire that they can? Here are some helpful tips to keep the fire flowing.

Use the Proper Butane
Be very careful about filling your butane lighter. Butane matters! There is no substitute for high-quality butane. ST Dupont should only be filled with Dupont butane, regardless of how many other companies sell “adaptors” for their lower quality gas. You’ve spent a ton of money on a high-quality item–so why would you fill it with floor sweepings to save a few bucks? And as far as adaptors are concerned–Some Dunhill lighters require an adaptor to fill, but the adaptors you need come with every bottle of Dunhill butane, already on the nozzle.
You’ve spent a ton of money on a high-quality item–so why would you fill it with floor sweepings to save a few bucks?
Wear and Tear
Try to be careful with your lighter. Nobody cares about what happens to a disposable lighter, but a high-end lighter like a Dunhill or Dupont will cost hundreds to thousands of dollars and they are just as susceptible to damage as a cheap lighter. The most common cause of dents and scratches that we see, aside from dropping, is from keys. Tossing a lighter in your pocket full of keys and loose change will nick and scratch your lighter in minutes. And unfortunately, there is nothing you can do about nicks and scratches. Lighters cannot be re-lacquered. Some jewelers claim to be able to re-plate gold and silver lighters, but in all of our years of experience, we have yet to see it done properly. Do yourself a favor and be careful how you carry your lighter. Keep it out of your pocket while unprotected and try not to drop it.

Keep Your Lighter Clean
If you are careful about following the advice given on this page about the care of your lighter, then cleaning your lighter is one of the easiest bits of maintenance you can perform. A small can of air blast or any canned air product available in most hardware, computer, or electronics stores is perfect for keeping your lighter clean. Simply give a few blasts of air up close to any of the areas where the flame comes out. This will clear any dust or other material that is building upon the burner and keep it burning much longer than with no cleaning at all.

For cleaning the outside of the lighter, gold and silver should be cleaned only with a polishing cloth designed for those specific metals. Most jewelry supply businesses will have polishing cloths available. Lacquer lighters generally do not need to be cleaned, but in case it should get a little sticky from that PB&J sandwich that got away from you, we found that a little Pledge® brand furniture polish and a soft dry cloth will do the trick. Nothing abrasive (no matter how slightly) should EVER be used to clean the outside of a lighter.

When Broken–Overhaul
There just comes a time in every lighters life that nothing more can be done by you to keep it working properly. Eventually,every flame will begin to sputter and flicker. Sooner or later your thumb will go completely numb from 6,487 unsuccessful attempts to light that cigarette. When you find granddad’s old lighter from 1973 that has sat for so long it has become fused into one solid piece of metal, it may seem incapable of ever producing a flame again.


Accept it…your lighter needs to be overhauled–that’s where we come in.

Want to see some Frequently Asked Questions about lighter repair?