Sometimes simple tech is the best tech, and rechargeable lighters are a reliable staple for any smoker in 2025. Beyond just cigarettes, though, electric lighters can be used for candle-lighting, singing kindling and more! What makes a rechargeable lighter good, and are they as safe as their simplicity makes them seem?
How Do Electric Lighters Work?
Rechargeable lighters are electronic, combustion-free alternatives to a traditional flip-lighter. While traditional lighters require lighter fluid or oil, and electric lighter doesn't. This is because the energy isn't coming from the ignition of a flammable liquid but from an internal battery.
Similar to how a car needs to combust petrol to power the engine, a lighter uses lighter fluid. But, in an electric car with batteries or a rechargeable lighter, the energy is accessible directly as electricity pushed through a coil.
The electricity from the battery is passed into a "Coil" in the head of the lighter, which you can then tap on the end of a candle wick, cigarette or whatever else you need to light!
What Are Lighter "Coils"?
Electric lighter coils themselves work without needing combustion by allowing the electricity in the lighter to pass through a series of wires in a small space. These wires are designed to force the energy to over-work, and give out heat.
Normally, cables getting hot is a negative side-effect of the energy transfer. In a coil, that heat is the goal and so the heat is amplified and allowed to run wild!
Because the heat is entirely electric, the coil is easy to switch on and off, creating and cutting-off heat almost instantly.
Are rechargeable lighters safe?
Auto Cut-Off
As with all technology, usability and safety are closely tied together. An electric lighter can take advantage of the nature of its circuitry to very suddenly cut the heat off, and even have automatic timers to avoid accidental exposure or burning out the coil.
If the lid is detected to be open for too long, the heat shuts off. If the power button is not pressed, the coil will remain inactive. These features are intended to make electric lighters safe to use.
Invisible Heat
Of course, the lighter is still producing an incredible amount of heat. Just because you can't see a flame doesn't mean the lighter isn't hot, so it can be easier to accidentally burn yourself if you are not careful.
However, with the lack of an open flame comes the lack of possibility of alighting nearby objects that are not in direct contact. In that way, the lack of flame is more safe than unsafe.
Electric Coils vs Lighter Fluid
Finally, the use of internal batteries and huge variations in temperature does require the coil to be changed routinely. If this is not done, there is a risk the device damages itself. However, the chance for any serious failure resulting in harm is just as low, if not lower, than a regular lighter.
A regular lighter can explode from a sudden inflammation of the lighter fluid, if the integrity of the lighter has failed and allowed Oxygen inside. If an electric lighter suffers a similar failure there will be no explosion, as there is no fluid to ignite. Damaged electric lighters should still be replaced immediately to avoid harm, but the initial moment of breaking is infinitely less likely to cause a problem than with a standard fluid lighter.
The coils in these lighters can (and should) be replaced as they are used and exposed to heat, similar to how you'd refill a standard lighter with fluid. You can refill an electric lighter with a new coil when one begins to show signs of wear (This is also substantially cheaper than lighter fluid).
Rechargeable Lighters 2025
Explore our range of safe, auto-off wind-proof electric lighters and fight back against the dismal wind and spring showers! If you need new coils, we stock replacements to ensure you can use your lighter again and again.
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