OHMatt's lighter fluid: isoButane

[OHMatt]

For the last 2 years I have stopped filling my lighters with expensive triple and quadruple refined Visol, Vector, Lava, King et. al.
Paying $5 - $8 for a 6 ounce can bugged me. Don't worry; I didn't risk ruining my lighters with cheap unrefined Ronson or the equivalent..
I have been filling my lighters with isobutane or isobutane blends instead, and have had excellent results.

Here's some chemist's description of the difference between butane and isobutane: "butane and isobutane are isomers of each other. Butane is a single chain whereas isobutane is made of a shorter chain with a branch.
Basically, the same atoms make the molecules but they are arranged differently"

Isobutane has a lower boiling point, higher pressure, and burns more efficiently than than the N-butane (lighter fluid butane). Isobutane works better in low temperatures than N-butane, and by adding a bit of propane to the blend (with its -43F boiling point) you further enhance cold weather performance.

Brunton makes a very pricey lighter for backpackers and climbers called the Helios. For a while they bundled it with their Fueltool that allowed you to fill it with their Bruntane fuel. I was intrigued by the concept, and found Primus also made a product "Filling Adapter" just like the Fueltool; allowing one to adapt a Lindal valve fuel canister to a lighter refill valve. I bought the Primus one since it was a couple bucks cheaper at the time. I checked prices on the adapters tonight and they fell between $14 and $20.



These isobutane/isobutane blend canisters have a Lindal valve and are available at Sporting Goods Stores and Camping stores and should run <$4 for an 8 ounce can. The percentages vary brand to brand. (I listed the percentages on the ones I could find easily). I have personally used MSR, Jetboil, and Snow Peak brands in my lighters.

MSR Iso Pro 80/20 isobutane/propane
JetBoil Jetpower ??/?? propane/isobutane
Brunton Brutane 80/20 isobutane/propane
Snow Peak Gigapower 65/35 isobutane/propane
I avoid these brands as they have butane / isobutane blends
Primus Powergas Propane/Isobutane/Butane Blend (25 % propane/25 % isobutane/50 % butane)
Coleman Butane/Propane Fuel 70% butane and 30% propane

I tested the fuel in cheap lighters first, but now use this fuel in my Dupont X-Tend lighters too. Here is the only minus I have found from the switch: this fuel seems "rich" to me and may require more oxygen to burn; you can't "prime" the lighter by allowing fuel to leak before sparking. I have best results clicking the igniter quickly so max oxygen is available. On one lighter with a deeply recessed nozzle, I find I need to move the lighter a bit when I spark it. Other than this I have not needed to adjust, clean, or even purge any of my lighters since I made the switch.