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Review on ๐Ÿ”ฅ Red Waterproof Flameless Plasma Lighter for Outdoor Camping: USB Rechargeable & Windproof by Priscilla Roque

Revainrating 5 out of 5

Good first impression

Just a quick update: Satisfied so far. The inner cell has a production date of mid-2020 and a stated capacity of 230mAh, which is perfectly reasonable for its size even if it comes from a Class B vendor. Haven't driven them into the ground to charge yet, but I probably use it once 40 times a day, sometimes maybe more. I still avoid deep cycling anything of mine with most lithium chemistries (except for the LiFePo variants, I beat them day to day because they can handle it). I might order another one of these in the near future. Quick update/change: In the initial review (below) I stated that there was a single gasket and it turned out to be thermoformed urethane. That is not right. The entire active block slides out of the housing with little effort (no tools required). From there we see two primary seals; one to prevent liquid from entering the case (visible above) and a second, identical in size and sealing material, just below to prevent moisture (and possibly atmosphere to some extent) from entering the module itself invades. The module can be disassembled by removing an obvious screw on the side of the active module which gives free access to most of the internal components (I don't think I took this apart any further as it's still under the return period and that is reasonable). accept an implicit return/warranty failure once you have crossed the threshold of "instrumental" disassembly). In any case, the two O-rings are made of soft urethane, a very pliable material. I would recommend a light, non-reactive, lightweight, non-petroleum-derived lube to ensure these joints don't rot and seal them. If you look very closely or have eyelash sensors, you'll see a very small gap next to the hinge as the D-ring engages the lid latch. This means that the primary seal does not have a constant preload, which can reduce seal life and/or reduce the ability to stop liquid/gas ingress. But this is where I'm really picky. This is probably fine for normal use and I wouldn't worry about it unless you have a visible and severe preload differential that decreases numerically towards the pivot point. On mine, with decent and clean gauges, it's about 5km near the pivot while the front end is preloaded (which would be a negative on the same scale). Again this is probably normal, probably enough preload on the seals to prevent liquid from entering at 1 bar. However, any impact > 1 bar (relative; just more pressure than what's in your hand, where you're standing, bear it with me) has a good chance of hitting the module and damaging/failing it. (TL version; DR; don't swim with it, hose down etc and expect it to work, but most likely fine in the rain) Still happy with it. The battery is in good condition and fits a really "new" lipo/lithium battery. It's definitely better than my 220mah Zippo insert which I assume has been on the shelf for 3 years (really poor performance and it's a top brand!). I'd happily use it as my main camping trip, but not without a chemical fuel backup or one of my little solar chargers I built. Roughly I give this device a 9.5/10. Not many of the things I review get this rating, but overall I'm very happy with the value for money. Take care of it and it will take care of you. Also a big plus is that it can be taken apart with a small POS/Phillips, a lot of cheap things get assembled with a ton of cheap glue or cast in heavy duty epoxy resulting in forced disposal/junk if a small component fails. I just received this so take it at face value. I'll be sure to update if there are any issues. It's an honest design, but I wouldn't intentionally swamp it. I can replace some components with my own, most notably the o-ring (if you can call it that, it's a thermoformed urethane, so its shape helps ensure proper preload). Documents say it has 220 mAh. Batteries are almost always labeled at best, even with well-known brands, in my experience as a power/electronics engineer and operator. I would expect around 185mAh for a large batch of low volume lithium polymer cells, even then that's pretty optimistic. The good news is that when they die, these cell types can be replaced for a dollar or two if you are able and have the right tools. Also, it helps avoid their deep circulation; Most of these ultra-small lithium-ion chemistries are connected to circuits that have really obnoxious low-voltage cutoff. While you can discharge a Li-Ion cell down to about 2V (like a fully solid ground across which the electrolyte undergoes irreversible chemical changes), discharging such a cell above about 3-3.2V will shorten its life much faster than the nominal voltage. . (That, and after you pull the cell below the rating of about 3.75V, the voltage drops drastically. To make it easier for a hiker, the amount of power released by dropping to 3.6V from 3 .8 V can be gained, an order of magnitude greater than the release of energy between, say, a drop to 2.7 V even from 3.2 V, this chemistry is anything but linear It's an oversimplification (I know, but it's important for people to understand that they need to take care of anything to do with lithium ion chemistry.) It's a good idea to have the charging port INSIDE the waterproof case, much better than with other designs I've had where they just have a polymer snap over the connector on the outside (which doesn't do much and ends up just breaking). Overall if I can get 36 hours of use on a single charge I would be very happy with this purchase. I have a good collection of these transformer lighters, it's great to be able to charge them. I like to use one of my various small solar clusters for such things (I can charge it like at home, since the charging consumption is very low and the battery is quite small). As long as it lasts, it is recommended. I'm not sure about "waterproof" yet, but it doesn't really look perfect. Although I will say that a D-ring pinching the top a little can help. The problem is that it shrinks very unevenly.

Pros
  • Health & Household
Cons
  • Slightly wrinkled