The Dude reviews: Alec Bradley "The Burner"

[Dude Here]

I had been looking for a new lighter to replace my cheapy Jetline I've been using. The Burner popped up on Cigar Monster and I pulled the trigger. Arrived today:



First impressions: It's a lot smaller than I originally thought it was going to be. Most of the product photos make it seem much larger than it actually is. Not a bad thing really, I use a small patio table for my smoking station so I really didn't need a huge lighter taking up space. Here it is compared to my wife's iPhone.



Construction seems solid. I gave it a shake and didn't feel or hear any loose parts. The polished "kettle" reservoir looks pretty nice as well. Ignition switch is comfortable and requires just the right amount of pressure to spark. Fill port on the bottom is easily accessible and there's a nice rubber ring that keeps the lighter from sliding around on whatever surface you place it on.



Let's crank up the gas and light 'er up!



The picture above is with the unit on full blast. It produces a nice wide flame about an inch and a half high. Lots of heat up to about two inches away. The gas control valve turns easily, but also produces my first complaints. First, the valve turns like a water hose; you crank it to the off position and the flame goes out. However, on more than one occasion I would still hear gas hissing out of the lighter even with the valve turned all the way to off. The only way to stop it was to re-open the valve and then turn it back to off. A minor annoyance, but it coincides with my second complaint; which is that the cap on the valve stem doesn't feel all that strong, and I worry that it may break from cranking it too hard to shut off the gas. I feel this could have been corrected by having the valve "click" off instead of just tightening until you can't turn it anymore. Another thing I found odd is that you can go from off to full blast in one full turn of the valve, but the valve can be turned three or four times after that with no effect to the flame. Again, just a minor annoyance but it seems like something that could have been tightened up to start with.

One thing I found really nice though was that I could turn the gas down low and produce a natural flame which looks perfect for touch ups and a slow toasting.



Gonna go take this bad boy for a test drive with tonight's cigar, and I'll be back for part two of the review.

[Dude Here]

Alright, just finished my smoke and I gotta say, I like this lighter!

Now, I'll admit, it's gonna take a little practice to get a good toast using this thing (I scorched the foot of my cigar a bit tonight) but it still lit my smoke in half the time my handheld would have taken.

Couple of quick things I noted: First, the flame is susceptible to wind. I smoke in my garage with the door about half-way open and a breeze snuck in and pushed the flame around during the initial light. This probably wouldn't be an ideal lighter to use outdoors in an uncovered/unprotected area. Second, just as I said above, this thing will scorch your smokes if you're not careful! The flame is VERY powerful and hot when turned to full, and the wide flame produces a very wide area of heat above the unit. It's gonna take a bit of practice to find that sweet spot in the flame strength.

Other than that though, this is a great lighter and I think I'm gonna really enjoy it.

The End

[ky70]

Nice review! I love mine. But I do not hear anything when mine is turned to the off position. You may need to return yours.

I wanted one... now I REALLY want one...

[Dude Here]

Originally Posted by ky70

Nice review! I love mine. But I do not hear anything when mine is turned to the off position. You may need to return yours.

Looks like you're right about having to return mine. I tried to light it a little bit ago and it was completely empty. Ugh, really sucks but oh well. Here's hoping the next one I get works well.

[CamoFlogged]

I dig mine when outside on the porch. Conversation starter when people are over.

Large flame can get a little crazy on smaller sticks but I think it's worth what I paid for it. Had it about 8 months with zero issues.

[sikk50]

We use one, I love it, but when the wind comes up the green belt your eyebrows are in danger

[Generalissimo]

This is a major step upwards from the wooden kitchen matches I use.

[cjhalbrooks]

I have been looking at getting one of these babies for my man room. From the pictures I think I will be able to cook in my man room too.

[maninblack]

These things work beautifully! Just watch your eyebrows.