Energy ยท Gear Review
Emergency lighters. Cheap, plain, and in more than one drawer.
The lighter that works when the power is out is usually the plain one you already know. A multipack of BIC Maxi pocket lighters is our top pick, spread around the house so there is always one within reach. Add a long BIC Multi-Purpose by the wood stove or grill. A refillable Zippo makes sense only for someone who carries it daily and refills it out of habit.
Top pick
BIC Maxi, 10-pack
Typical price
About $13 a pack
Store it
Up high, locked, out of the sun
At a glance: BIC Maxi pocket lighter
Strengths
- It is a sealed lighter with no fluid to evaporate and no battery to charge.
- It is child-resistant, as federal rules require for disposable lighters.
- A multipack costs little enough to keep one in every room that needs one.
Limitations
- The flame is fixed and not adjustable.
- Some owners report lighters that arrive less than full.
- An open flame struggles in strong wind.
By Dan Whelan, founder of New World Survival
Researched from CPSC and U.S. Fire Administration guidance, maker documentation, and owner reports. See our sources
The one thing to know
Where the lighter lives matters more than which one.
Disposable and multi-purpose lighters must be child-resistant under federal rules, which means a mechanism that stops at least 85 percent of children under 5 from working it in testing. (CPSC) Resistant is not proof, and BIC says so itself: no lighter is child-proof. (BIC listing) A refillable metal flip-top lighter has no child guard at all.
So the same advice applies to every lighter on this page. The U.S. Fire Administration says never to leave lighters or matches where children can reach them, and not to play with them in front of children. (USFA) NFPA adds: keep them up high, out of children's reach, in a locked cabinet. (NFPA)
Heat is the other rule. A butane lighter holds gas under pressure, and BIC's safety data sheet for its butane utility lighter warns it may explode if heated and says to protect it from sunlight. (BIC SDS) If you keep one in the car, use a shaded spot such as the glove box, never the dashboard or a sunny seat, and bring it inside during hot weather. Our fire starters handbook covers storage in more detail.
The field
Three lighters, three jobs.
Details come from each maker or its listing, checked November 4, 2026. We did not bench-test them ourselves.
BIC Maxi pocket lighter
- Best for: every drawer, car, and kit
- Fuel: sealed butane, not refillable
- Child guard: yes
- Storage: long, kept out of heat
- Typical price: about $13 for 10
BIC Multi-Purpose
- Best for: wood stove, fireplace, grill
- Fuel: sealed butane, not refillable
- Child guard: yes
- Reach: long metal wand
- Typical price: about $15 for 4
Zippo Classic
- Best for: daily carry by one adult
- Fuel: lighter fluid, sold separately
- Child guard: no
- Storage: fuel evaporates while it sits
- Typical price: about $18, plus fluid
Our picks
One for every drawer, one for the stove.
Want the bigger picture first? Our fire starters handbook compares lighters with matches, ferro rods, and tinder.
Top pick
BIC Maxi pocket lighter, 10-pack
The plain answer is the right one. A sealed butane lighter has nothing to evaporate and no battery to run down, so one that has sat in a drawer is far more likely to light than a fluid or rechargeable lighter. It is child-resistant, as federal rules require. The ten-pack is about $13 on Amazon, with more than 35,000 ratings averaging 4.8. Put one in the kitchen, one by the wood stove, one in each car, and the rest in the kits.
Find it on AmazonFor the stove and grill
BIC Multi-Purpose, 4-pack
A long metal wand that keeps your fingers away from the flame, which is what you want when reaching under kindling in a wood stove, into a fireplace, or across a charcoal grill. It is child-resistant and sealed like the pocket lighter. About $15 for four on Amazon, with more than 26,000 ratings averaging 4.6. Keep one where you light fires, stored up high when not in use.
Find it on AmazonRefillable pick
Zippo Classic
A metal flip-top lighter whose chimney keeps the flame going in a breeze. Zippo backs its pocket lighters with a lifetime guarantee that it works or they fix it free, and the fuel is sold separately. (Zippo) It is a poor choice for a drawer, because the fluid evaporates while it sits, and it has no child guard. It is a good choice for one adult who carries it and refills it. About $18 on Amazon, with more than 16,000 ratings averaging 4.4.
Find it on AmazonAffiliate disclosure: New World Survival earns a small commission on qualifying Amazon purchases at no cost to you. This helps us cover operating costs and keep building new content. We only recommend gear we would put in our own kit. Commission never decides a recommendation, and these lighters are sold in almost every grocery store and gas station too.
What owners actually say
Dependable, mostly. The complaints are small.
These patterns come from Amazon owner reviews, read November 4, 2026.
BIC Maxi: it just works
The most common comment is how dependable these are, often from people who have used them for decades. The complaints are that some arrive less than full, the flame cannot be adjusted, and a pack may come in colors you did not expect.
BIC Multi-Purpose: good reach
Owners like them for candles, campfires, and grills. Opinions are mixed on how easy they are to switch on, which is the child guard doing its job, and on how long each one lasts.
Zippo: loved, and thirsty
Owners praise the classic design and how the flame holds in wind. The repeated complaints are fuel that runs out within a couple of days of daily carry, a lid or hinge that can break, and a flame that sometimes only sparks.
How they fail, and what they cost over time
Lighters rarely break. They run dry or go missing.
Heat
A lighter left on a dashboard or near a stove is the one most likely to fail, and the one BIC warns about. Keep them cool and shaded.
Evaporation
A fluid lighter dries out on its own. A can of fluid costs a few dollars, so the real cost is the habit of refilling it.
Wind
An open pocket flame blows out in a strong breeze. Cup it with your hand or your body, or keep stormproof matches in the outdoor kit.
Wandering off
The most common failure is simply not finding one. A ten-pack spread around the house solves it for about $1.30 a lighter.
What we didn't pick, and who should skip
Clever lighters, wrong fit for the drawer.
Rechargeable arc lighters
No fuel and little trouble from wind, which makes them good for candle wicks and camp stoves. But the battery runs down in storage, the arc lights only what it touches, and owners often report far fewer lights per charge than the box promises. Fine as a second lighter you charge every season, not as the only one.
Torch and jet lighters
A hot, pointed flame that shrugs off wind. They need refilling with butane, and the FAA does not allow them in carry-on or checked bags. (FAA) More tool than a household needs.
Novelty lighters
Lighters shaped like toys or cartoon characters are covered by the same child-resistance rule, because they are exactly what appeals to young children. (CPSC) In a home with children, skip them entirely.
No-name bulk packs
A box of fifty unbranded lighters is tempting. A known brand costs a little more and is one you can buy again and trust, which matters more for a drawer you will not test until you need it.
Skip a lighter for wet weather
For a car or pack kit that might meet rain, add stormproof matches or a ferro rod with tinder. The handbook's formats section explains each.
Skip candles for outage light
The U.S. Fire Administration advises flashlights, not candles, when the power goes out. (USFA) See our emergency lighting handbook.
Where it fits in your readiness
A basic, kept where it belongs.
Lighters are a basic, alongside flashlights and water. They matter most in a winter outage for a home with a wood stove, fireplace, or gas appliances, and for the car kit. They do nothing about the gas a fire makes: CDC warns never to burn charcoal or use a portable gas camp stove indoors, so a carbon monoxide alarm belongs in any home that burns fuel. (CDC)
Questions people ask
About emergency lighters.
What is the best lighter for an emergency kit?
A plain, sealed butane lighter from a known brand, such as the BIC Maxi. It has no fluid to evaporate and no battery to run down, it is child-resistant, and a multipack lets you keep one in every room, car, and kit. Add a long utility lighter for the wood stove or grill.
Is a Zippo good for emergencies?
For someone who carries it every day and refills it, yes: the flame holds in wind and Zippo repairs its pocket lighters free for life. For a drawer or a kit that sits, no, because the lighter fluid evaporates while it waits and the lighter has no child guard.
Are disposable lighters child-proof?
No. Federal rules require disposable and multi-purpose lighters to be child-resistant, which means most young children cannot work them in testing, but BIC itself says no lighter is child-proof. Keep every lighter up high, out of children's reach, in a locked cabinet.
Can I keep a lighter in my car?
Yes, out of the sun. A butane lighter holds gas under pressure, and BIC's safety data sheet for its butane utility lighter warns it may explode if heated and says to protect it from sunlight. Use a shaded spot such as the glove box, never the dashboard or a sunny seat, and bring it inside during hot weather.
Are rechargeable arc lighters better than butane lighters?
They are better in wind and need no fuel, but the battery runs down in storage and the arc only lights what it touches. Keep one as a second lighter you charge every season, with a butane lighter or matches beside it.