FasFil 5x Filtered Butane... Anyone Heard Of?

[shopkins82]

I was at a low-end (90% Cigarettes, Pipe, and Smokeless) Tobacco shop today and they had a brand of butane I've not seen or heard of before. It is "FasFil 5x Refined" and sold for $4/can, 300ml (this is about the same as Vector online before shipping, but I've never found ANY 5x Refined for under $10/can locally). I grabbed a can along with a Villiger Export Sumatra for a quick after-lunch smoke.

I'd been using Ronson fuel in all my Ronson Jetlites without any problems, but recently picked up a Lotus Laser (brown leather Ave Maria branded, same as the black leather CI branded) that was finicky (misfires, varying flame height, not wholly formed flame, puff-outs, sputters) on the Ronson fuel even from the first fill. I grabbed the FasFil to see if it helped the Lotus and, after a purge-fill-purge-fill, blast to the nozzle, and 15 min for the fuel to warm up it was lighting 100% reliably with a wholly formed flame of consistent height.

I can't say this stuff is as good as Vector or any other more well-known 5x Refined butane, but if you see it locally and can't find anything else reasonably priced at your B&M, it seems like it's probably worth a shot.

The same cheapo shop had "King" brand 3x Refined butane for $2/can 300ml but I figured for just twice the price and infrequently as I refill, I'd give the FasFil a try. I know several folks have reported King as working fine for them, so I also thought I could give the FasFil a try as much as public service as anything else.

[SvilleKid]

Not sure what my brand is, but I've got a can of 5x at home that I paid under $5 at a cigar shop 2-3 years ago. But I'm still working on a can of Vector 3x I got 5 years ago, so I don't know when I'll dig out the can of 5x and see what it was! I'll also keep my eye out for the FasFil. Never can have enough good quality butane!! Thanks for the heads up!

[awsmith4]

Where is this shop located?

[shopkins82]

Originally Posted by SvilleKid

I've got a can of 5x at home that I paid under $5 at a cigar shop 2-3 years ago.

Seems all the shops around me either have premium fuels marked WAY up! Most cary Xicar for $10/can...

[shopkins82]

Originally Posted by awsmith4

Where is this shop located?

Discount Tobacco across from Microcenter on Powers Ferry... I think it's a semi-chain or franchise around Atlanta.

I wouldn't go there looking for cigars, though... they had a 5' tall display humi with some really marked up sticks along with some that looked to be of questionable legitimacy (so A. Fuente with no band and "A. Fuente" screen-printed on the celo) as well as a bunch of "Cuban Rounds" with a log that was a clear rip-off of Cohiba.

[T.G]

While there is nothing wrong with Vector, FWIW, Vector isn't 5x refined. It's 3x refined, w/ 2 extra filtration steps, hence the "Quintiplus / 5+ Filtered" claim on the label. No where does Vector claim to be 5x refined. It's a neat marketing shtick too, most people don't realize the difference, including the people who write the ad copy at the vendors, so they write refined and VectorKGM sits back and makes no moves to correct the claims.

[awsmith4]

Originally Posted by shopkins82

Discount Tobacco across from Microcenter on Powers Ferry... I think it's a semi-chain or franchise around Atlanta.

I wouldn't go there looking for cigars, though... they had a 5' tall display humi with some really marked up sticks along with some that looked to be of questionable legitimacy (so A. Fuente with no band and "A. Fuente" screen-printed on the celo) as well as a bunch of "Cuban Rounds" with a log that was a clear rip-off of Cohiba.

I will check it out for the butane, lots of other good places in town to buy cigars

[shopkins82]

Originally Posted by awsmith4

I will check it out for the butane, lots of other good places in town to buy cigars

Agreed... I like "Wise Ash" on Cobb Parkway, not so much for their selection or prices but becaue they have an open-use lounge and they're 3 min from my office... I'm there once or twice a week on my lunch break. This, That, and the Other on Cobb Parkway also has a good selection and pretty good pricing, but they are also an adult book and toy store if that kind of thing turns you off.

[shopkins82]

Originally Posted by T.G

While there is nothing wrong with Vector, FWIW, Vector isn't 5x refined. It's 3x refined, w/ 2 extra filtration steps, hence the "Quintiplus / 5+ Filtered" claim on the label. No where does Vector claim to be 5x refined. It's a neat marketing shtick too, most people don't realize the difference, including the people who write the ad copy at the vendors, so they write refined and VectorKGM sits back and makes no moves to correct the claims.

Good to know. The FasFil clearly says 5x Refined, for what it's worth. To me, the main advantage is it's available locally.

[awsmith4]

Originally Posted by shopkins82

Agreed... I like "Wise Ash" on Cobb Parkway, not so much for their selection or prices but becaue they have an open-use lounge and they're 3 min from my office... I'm there once or twice a week on my lunch break. This, That, and the Other on Cobb Parkway also has a good selection and pretty good pricing, but they are also an adult book and toy store if that kind of thing turns you off.

I like Wiseash, John is good people and the crowd there is pretty laid back. John's selection may not be the best but he'll try and order in almost anything you ask for. As for This That and The Other, they have a surprisingly big humidor but I usually only go to B&Ms to have a place to smoke so I usually past them by.

The tobacco shop on Powers Ferry can be on my way home if I try so I might stop by and grab some butane to try. Thanks for the heads up.

[shopkins82]

Originally Posted by awsmith4

The tobacco shop on Powers Ferry can be on my way home if I try so I might stop by and grab some butane to try. Thanks for the heads up.

Only reason I noticed them is because I was hitting up MicroCenter across the street during lunch and thought I'd stick my head in. I was pretty disapointed until I spotted the butane.

Ended up getting a Villiger Export Premium Sumatra to make the $5 credit/debit minimum... I've picked up the Villiger Export Maduro and Natural (paper wrapped) plenty of times a good 20 min smoke. The Premium Sumatra is a mylar/foil sealed single and costs about twise the other Villiger Exports. It's alos V-cut, which I like. It's the mildest of all three with less spice and harshness. All-in-all a nice little 20min smoke, but I wouldn't pay $3 for one again with the regular Villiger sitting next to it for $1.50.

[Wharf Rat]

Originally Posted by T.G

While there is nothing wrong with Vector, FWIW, Vector isn't 5x refined. It's 3x refined, w/ 2 extra filtration steps, hence the "Quintiplus / 5+ Filtered" claim on the label. No where does Vector claim to be 5x refined. It's a neat marketing shtick too, most people don't realize the difference, including the people who write the ad copy at the vendors, so they write refined and VectorKGM sits back and makes no moves to correct the claims.

It's highly unlikely that words like "5X Refined" mean much. They have no meaning in the engineering world that produces and refines butane or other fuel gases. Butane can be purchased in bulk at various purities. You don't know how it got that pure. If Vector or one of its competitors chooses to buy high purity butane, that's good for us. But, the words on the label are really no guarantee of what's inside. Only experience or a laboratory test would tell you if its pure enough.

[T.G]

Originally Posted by Wharf Rat

It's highly unlikely that words like "5X Refined" mean much. They have no meaning in the engineering world that produces and refines butane or other fuel gases. Butane can be purchased in bulk at various purities. You don't know how it got that pure. If Vector or one of its competitors chooses to buy high purity butane, that's good for us. But, the words on the label are really no guarantee of what's inside. Only experience or a laboratory test would tell you if its pure enough.

True, but as engineers, when presenting information to the public, we have a responsibility to ensure that people can understand it, ideally with a minimum of confusion and additional explanation. I didn't pick the 3x refining or 5x refining definitions/terms, but at this point they are so widely used it's simpler to just use the accepted term, even if it's not wholly correct, than reexplain everything. This is a cigar forum after all, not an engineering library.

[Wharf Rat]

Originally Posted by T.G

True, but as engineers, when presenting information to the public, we have a responsibility to ensure that people can understand it, ideally with a minimum of confusion and additional explanation. I didn't pick the 3x refining or 5x refining definitions/terms, but at this point they are so widely used it's simpler to just use the accepted term, even if it's not wholly correct, than reexplain everything. This is a cigar forum after all, not an engineering library.

If the terms had any actual meaning, even in the lay sense, I would heartily agree with you. My point is they are purely hype with no meaning. There is nothing, for example, to guarantee that 5X is better than 3X. The gas mixture is whatever the company chooses to specify and pay for.

[T.G]

Originally Posted by Wharf Rat

If the terms had any actual meaning, even in the lay sense, I would heartily agree with you. My point is they are purely hype with no meaning. There is nothing, for example, to guarantee that 5X is better than 3X. The gas mixture is whatever the company chooses to specify and pay for.

Agreed, there is no guarantee.

So many people see performance increases going from the 3x brands to the 5x brands though, meaningless terms or not, that's what they associate. I guess I'm just not in the mood to buck that big a misnomer.

[Wharf Rat]

Originally Posted by T.G

Agreed, there is no guarantee.

So many people see performance increases going from the 3x brands to the 5x brands though, meaningless terms or not, that's what they associate. I guess I'm just not in the mood to buck that big a misnomer.

I don't blame you! Call it my pet peeve. Every year or so, I try one of these posts and, generally meet disbelief. I suppose it'll be another year before I get to feeling feisty again.

[T.G]

Originally Posted by Wharf Rat

I don't blame you! Call it my pet peeve. Every year or so, I try one of these posts and, generally meet disbelief. I suppose it'll be another year before I get to feeling feisty again.

No worries brother, we all have them. Apologies if my apathy towards knowingly using a misnomer caused you some grief, that was never my intent.