I Was Surprised by How Much I Liked These Electric Lighters

More often than not, something in my house is on fire. Whether it’s a scented candle, a cone of incense, or a stick of palo santo, sweet-smelling smoke brings me instant joy.

Despite being one of the earliest human discoveries, fire-starting technology hasn’t changed much in the last million years or so. Whether you’re lighting birthday candles or a bonfire, you’re probably going to use either a butane lighter or a match to get it going.

But lately, I’ve been curious about another incendiary implement: flameless lighters. These are typically powered by a built-in rechargeable battery rather than a nonrenewable fuel like butane. And since they produce an arc of hot plasma instead of an actual flame, they can’t “blow out” in the same way that traditional lighters or matches do in windy conditions.

I’m generally hesitant to recommend any gadget made of hard-to-recycle materials like plastic and lithium (in other words, most household electronics) when a more sustainable option exists. But in this case, none of the available tools are perfect.

Butane lighters can be finicky to use, and always seem to run out of fuel at inopportune moments—like right before your guests arrive for a dinner party or on the first night of a camping trip. Matches break easily and leave behind a sooty stub, which must then be disposed of without setting the contents of your wastepaper basket ablaze.

So, over the past few weeks, I’ve tried several widely available flameless lighters, testing their mettle against a variety of traditional options—and one really stood out from the rest. This isn’t a definitive list—lots of flameless lighters are available—but it’s a small sampling that I picked based on their price, color options, listed features, and availability at major retailers.