A lighter seems like the least important thing in your kit, right up until you're outside in the wind flicking a dead Bic. The best lighter for a joint isn't the best one for a bong, either. Here's what actually matters and our picks for each kind of session.
What Makes a Good Lighter for Weed
- Flame type: a soft yellow flame (like a Bic or Zippo) is best for joints and bowls. Torch flames are for dabs and cigars. They're way too hot for flower and scorch the taste.
- Wind resistance: if you smoke outside, this matters more than anything.
- Refillable: better for your wallet and the landfill.
- Angle: most lighters hate being tipped sideways, which is exactly how you hold one over a bong bowl. Inverted and electric lighters fix that.
- Size and carry: if it's not on you, it doesn't matter how good it is.
Best Lighter for Joints: Stashlight
Yes, it's ours. But we built the Stashlight because we kept losing lighters and crushing joints, and this fixes both.
It's an airtight aluminum doob tube with a refillable flint lighter built into the cap. The tube keeps your joint smell-proof, waterproof, and in one piece. The lighter uses standard lighter fluid (the same stuff that goes in a Zippo), handles wind well enough to light outdoors, and it's always attached to the thing you need it for.
- Sizes: Regular fits a standard 0.5g pre-roll up to about 3 inches. XL fits up to 1g, about 4.5 inches.
- Good: joint and lighter always together, smell-proof, fits on a keychain.
- Heads up: it's a flint and fluid lighter, so you'll top up the fluid now and then.
Need a replacement insert? We sell replacement lighters for the Stashlight in both sizes.
Best Classic Lighter: Zippo
The Zippo is iconic for a reason. Steel case, refillable, tough in wind, and it lasts decades. It comes in endless designs.
- Good: durable, windproof, refillable, lifetime warranty.
- Heads up: fluid evaporates, so it dries out if you don't use it for a while. Some people taste the fluid, so let it burn a second before lighting your flower.
Best Lighter for Bongs and Pipes: Dissim Inverted
Normal lighters want to point up. Over a bong bowl, you're tipping the flame sideways or down, and it gets hot fast on your thumb. Dissim's inverted soft flame lighter works at any angle with a gentle flame, which makes cornering a bowl much easier.
- Good: works upside down, soft flame, adjustable, refillable.
- Heads up: pricier than a standard lighter.
Best Electric Lighter
Rechargeable arc or plasma lighters use electricity instead of fuel. No butane, no fluid, windproof, and they charge over USB. Brands like Saberlight and Bolt make solid ones.
- Good: windproof, no fuel taste, rechargeable.
- Heads up: the arc is small and awkward for a joint, and it's useless when the battery dies.
Best Budget Pick: A Regular Butane Lighter or Hemp Wick
A standard Bic still does the job. For a cleaner taste, try hemp wick: light the wick, blow out the lighter, and use the wick's small flame on the bowl. You skip most of the butane taste, and it gives you a lot of control for cornering.
What About Torch Lighters?
Great for dabs, cigars, and campfires. Bad for flower. The flame is so hot it scorches the top of the bowl or the tip of a joint before it lights evenly. If you only own a torch, keep it farther away than feels natural.
Quick Picks
| For | Get |
|---|---|
| Joints | Stashlight, or a Zippo |
| Bongs | Inverted lighter or hemp wick |
| Pipes | Regular butane lighter, hemp wick, or inverted |
| Outdoors and windy | Zippo, Stashlight, or electric |
| Dabs | Torch |
How to Stop Losing Your Lighter
Attach it to something you never leave behind. A keychain lighter or a lighter leash works. So does the Stashlight's keychain ring. Our Capsule Water Pipe has a magnet in the lid so a lighter stays right on the bong.
FAQ
What's the best lighter for weed?
For joints, one you'll always have with you, like the Stashlight or a Zippo. For bongs, an inverted lighter or hemp wick.
Do lighters affect the taste of weed?
A little. Butane and lighter fluid can add some taste. Hemp wick is the cleanest option.
Are torch lighters bad for weed?
For flower, yes. Too hot. Save them for dabs.
Want more tips on lighting up?
Here's how to light a joint so it burns evenly.