This torch works just fine. I was looking for a small torch to use primarily for electrical repairs on cars. It is well made, sturdy, comfortable to hold and use with one hand. I'm left handed, so opening the regulator lever on top with my thumb takes a little coordination, but isn't difficult. It can be unlocked, turned on, lit, extinguished, and locked all with one hand. I really like the lock feature so that it doesn't accidentally turn on and waste all the fuel. I also like the base stand so that you can easily set it down without worry of it falling over and melting something. The fuel tank is fairly large. I have only filled it once when I bought it a month or two ago. Overall, I am very satisfied with this torch. It is well worth the money. I have used an almost identical torch which cost about twice as much as this one. Blazer GB4001 Stingray Butane Torch - Black
Blazer makes the best hand torches. I have gone through plenty of other brands cheap $20 torches and they all went out in about a year or two of use. The blazer I have not owned long enough to say it lasts longer, but it has a life time warranty. Not to mention, it functions great. It is easy to turn on and it stays on which is great, no sliding a lock, no child safety latch every time you want to press the igniter. There is a lock feature but you only have to slide it one time to unlock it and one time to lock it.
The torch started malfunctioning after a few months. I would turn the valve off but the flame wouldn't go out for several seconds or even longer. This gradually got worse, i.e. it kept burning longer and longer even after turning it off. It reached the point where I considered it unsafe and threw it away.
The controls and buttons to light the torch feel flimsy. This could be the root cause.
Nice little torch. Wouldn't hold Butane overnight. Finally checked the filling valve on the bottom of torch before throwing it out. Tightened it up, and it's worked well since. Check yours before using.
We got this for cooking applications. It works as expected and is easy to use and regulate. The flame is perfect for the kitchen. The tank holds plenty of charge.
Butane refill:
Like most others, this torch does not come with butane. It will take a standard butane bottle available at many common stores such as Walgreens.
Cigar smokers, read this. Repeat lights are important to us, more than other users of a torch like this. I use a torch to keep a nice, even burn on my cigar during the whole smoke. This means 20 to 30 lights per cigar, twice a day. That's a lot of use compared to how much action this torch would get from a technician, or on a job site. Cigar use is where the rubber meets the road. Understand, I go through torches. Every lighter I've bought has just simply worn out (I seldom lose them or damage them out of service). Typically I will need a torch serviced within four months of purchase (in the warmer months), and my favorite cigar shop does this happily for me. With the cigar torches, Colibri et al, the weak link is the valve. They're too tiny for their own good, and they don't work at all below about 40 degrees Fahrenheit, depending on humidity. They get so fussy I had one that wanted to be bled & refilled twice during each cigar, just to fire! Well, I've put up with a lot. A friend suggested one of these kitchen torches (he used to be a mechanic and used one with great success). I did my homework online, and settled on this model. When it arrived and I tried it, oh was I in heaven! But I waited on writing this review, knowing that the proof is in longevity, not out-of-the-box performance. Anyway, the valve is about 4x the size of a pocket torch. You can really light a cigar until it's a pile of ash. And the piezo ignition popped this thing to life like they couldn't wait to serve me. It is a glorious lighter out of the box. Now, here I am 11 weeks later though, writing this review. The piezo will not ignite the torch unless it has already been burning. I thought the cause might be carbon buildup on the electrodes, so I emailed Blazer from their website to ask about a safe way to clean it (I don't expect under my conditions for the torch to never need service). They did not respond. I waited a few weeks and re-sent the email. They still have not responded. In the meantime, I have cleaned the contacts with progressively aggressive petroleum-distillate solvents and that hasn't helped. Today I rubbed them lightly with 0000 steel wool, and they are clean now (these are the steps I wanted Blazer to consult with me before trying), but still it will not ignite. In my heading I say that the piezo died at 8 weeks. I'm being kind; it got spotty after just 4. I am now lighting the torch with a separate Bic I carry too. Not the worst thing, but not the best either. I will send the thing back soon, and Blazer will probably send me another one, which will probably last me another couple of months. Great valve. Great size tank. Weak ignition. Somebody please work on this piezo ignition longevity issue.
The Blazer is a high quality product, as it should be given the inherent danger of compressed butane. I use it to light cigars when I'm outside, and no longer need to seek out a wind-break in order to light my cigars. Of course, I purchased the Blazer primarily for my wife to make creme brulee. Yeah, right. - Cigar Lighter - Blazer - Torch - Butane'
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