Petrol lighters

Petrol lighters are the originals. Also called fluid or naphtha lighters, they predate the gas models by decades and still do their one job beautifully. Inside the body sits a wad of cotton soaked in lighter fluid; a wick draws that fuel up to the top, and a knurled flint wheel throws a spark onto it with a single roll of the thumb. Flip the lid and you get the sound everyone knows.

Most use a hinged flip-top and a windproof chimney, the design that made the petrol lighter a pocket companion through the better part of a century.

The cotton packing holds the fuel. The wick carries it upward to the chimney, where it evaporates into a vapour ready to burn. The flint wheel drags across a small flint to throw sparks, and the chimney shields the flame so it holds in a breeze.

There are no electronics, no cartridge, nothing to fail quietly in a drawer. It is about as honest as a machine gets, which is exactly why one made in the 1950s still lights today.

Fuel. Naphtha evaporates slowly even with the lid shut, so a petrol lighter is a thing you top up rather than fill and forget. A few drops into the cotton every week or two of regular use is plenty. Don't overfill; the excess just evaporates and can leave fuel on your fingers.

Flints. The flint is a consumable. With daily use you will replace it every few weeks: a standard 5 mm flint drops into the spring-loaded tube under the base. I include a spare with most petrol listings.

Wick. The wick lasts years. When the tip chars down, draw a little more through with tweezers and trim it level with the chimney.

Smell. There is a faint naphtha scent. Some people love it; it is part of the ritual.

No two are the same. The brass softens at the corners, the chrome takes on a patina, the hinge develops its own particular click. That wear isn't damage; it is a record of a life already lived. A petrol lighter is meant to be carried, used, and topped up for another fifty years.

Prefer a clean, instant flame with no upkeep between fills? Read the gas guide.