Sparq XL Triple Beam Plasma Lighter

We don't smoke but we do burn the ends of a lot of paracord (and occasionally larger nylon rope & lines). This device works great for it. The 3 beams are wide enough to cover the entire end of the paracord, and the little plasma area gets HOT. It'll quickly and precisely melt the end down, and the focus area is tight enough that we get a lot of control. It's about as good as a butane torch (tight blue flame), and way better than a butane lighter (long yellow flame). Haven't yet tested for longevity; if it seems to not last long-enough I'll update the review. Mini update: we used it to burn a few paracord ends (not a lot), then tonight it died on our last sparkler. We used it to light about a dozen bottle rockets and 6 big sparklers, and it needed a recharge. The recharge took less than 2h. It does work great for paracord & fireworks, but I would recommend a top-up charge before any extended planned activity. For comparison, I fill my butane torch about once per year and we use it an awful lot more.

Very interesting product. I have had various fuel type cigar lighters over the years with a butane torch being the most common. This product had no problem lighting a 38 gauge cigar, but I haven't tried my 52+ gauge cigars as of this review. I expect it to work just as well with just a little more time to completely light. I like the idea of using an electric lighter that charges quickly for my cigars simply due to the convenience factor. Will a torch lighter light a cigar faster? Sure. Will I have to keep purchasing fuel? Absolutely not. My current cell phone uses the same micro USB cable to charge so I have plenty of options in which to charge the Sparq. For the price, it's an easy purchase to try out a newer technology.

For the first two days this worked great. It was really cool to have, it worked to light all the things I wanted, I could show it off to all my friends, and I was generally pleased with the item. Last night when I got home and went to use it, the device would not hold its arc for more than a half second. When the activation button is pushed, the arc appears but quickly fizzles away and the device can't be reactivated for a few seconds. At first I figured the device's battery was low so I charged it over night. This morning, after being plugged in for 5 hours while I slept, I tested the lighter. Even after getting what has to be a full charge it still won't produce an arc for longer than a half second. Either the device isn't charging or something else is wrong. In either case the device only worked as advertised for about a full day of use then quit. I want to like this lighter, but not with the poor quality it currently has

TL;DR - I would recommend this product but would tell someone to consider the Saberlight Sparq Rechargeable Splash and Wind Proof Flameless Butane Free Revolutionary Plasma Beam Lighter from the same company as I am pleased with the quality of the product. I've been considering buying it myself to take on the go. (I would love to give an in-depth review of it if it just happened to show up in my mailbox ;) ) If I have a backpack on, I would probably grab the XL regardless. GENERAL: I would encourage people to try this technology in general though. It's great to not taste butane everytime you smoke. If you actually touch the nodes, you can get a little bit of a metallic flavor, but lighting things with the actual arc doesn't do this. BATTERY: The battery is great which helps to justify the larger size. I charge it if I know I'm going to be using it a lot at once, but I don't think the battery has ever actually died! TRIPLE ARC: I would say that the triple arc definitely makes a difference. It has a larger 'burn' area compared to the other devices I've used in the past. This makes it easier to light things on the go or things like cigars. BUT, it is quite a bit bigger than the double arc products. SIZE: It's definitely on the larger side. Carrying in a pocket is doable for a guy, but our counterparts wouldn't even have a chance. The center of gravity is a little high, so I rarely put it down standing up because when it falls. It doesn't fall 'gracefully' by any means. The hinge does prevent it from rolling around, but it can still roll the other way. I wish it had a couple little feet or a protruding flat portion (maybe on the back of the cap?) to prevent it from going all humpty dumpty. This wouldn't be necessary for smaller devices, so I understand this doesn't exist but it would be nice! CAP: The cap is secured by a magnet when both opened and closed. I was pleased with how well they are secured in each position, but the cap is large which makes it a bit awkward to hold. I understand the design, but I wish the button and/or a little lower because the cap keeps my hand from holding it that far up. This ergonomics issue is the main reason for losing half a star. HINGE: Flipping it just feels good. (who doesn't love magnets) It felt a little cheap when I first got it because there is no resistance, but there is no sign of fatigue after a few weeks. I get a little fidgety at times and find myself flipping it open and closed repeatedly. I often break these sort of parts but have confidence that it will hold up after a few weeks of use. BUTTON: I really like the button. It has a nice feel to it. A warning I should give is that the LED is quite bright. (see what I did there) I don't mind it, but if you're trying to go icongnito, this isn't the right product for you. CHARGING: The charging port is a little bit of a pain because it is on the bottom, but I rarely stand the product straight up because of the size anyways. SAFETY: The safety feature works well. There is a pressure sensitive button between the hinge and arcs. I haven't shocked myself by accident, but I did it once on purpose to see what would happen if I did. It didn't feel good but it wasn't bad and didn't leave any burn marks.

It's not as impressive as I expected it to be; you really have to hold the thing you want to heat/ ignite RIGHT UP TO THE ARC OF PLASMA and that never stops feeling dangerous. Works okay for lighting a cigarette, and I imagine when I am able to use it on a cigar it will probably work well for that too. But because the plasma comes out of these sharp looking metal prongs it just doesn't feel safe putting that directly in contact with glass. For, you know, burning incense or whatever. The other disappointing thing is that the cap came loose, completely fell off, after maybe a dozen uses. So now it's scary to carry it in my pocket (what if I forget to flip it "off" before I pocket it, and the cap disconnects and I lean against something just the right way, and I set my pants on fire with PLASMA?) and thus, rarely gets used. I like the concept, and must say that I've only plugged it in to charge it once and it's still going. But that's because I turn it "on" right before I use it to light a cigarette, then switch it immediately to "off" before snapping the loose cap in place (a magnet kinda holds it there, but it's easy to knock loose) and nervously pocketing it. It then becomes the first thing out of my pocket the moment I get back inside. Make a version with less shoddy construction, and I might be willing to give it another try.

I think I am the first person to receive this item if not then I'll be the first to review. I was looking at these lighter's reviews and got mixed ideas about the quality mostly reviewing the ones with "dual" plasma beans so I figured I'd get the triple one. My first thoughts are that this is pretty AWESOME. Other products have recommendations not to keep lit for more than 5 seconds but this one can be lit for up to 45 seconds at a time which is perfect. Comes with life time warranty so get one. Kinda big tho so might not be as portable as you would like

I don't smoke, but bought this for reliably lighting fires outdoors, as we have an incinerator and a wood burning outdoor fireplace/grill. I used to use butane torches, but it's a pain when they run out of fuel, especially when you don't have a refill around, and they only seem to last a year or two until the ignitor fails or the fuel line clogs. This product does what it's supposed to do as long as you confine yourself to lighting easily ignitable tinder such as paper or dry sticks. If you need a torch, you'll have to stick with butane or propane, as the plasma arcs are confined to the small air-gap between the electrodes. Not that it matters from a functional viewpoint, but it looks and sounds really cool in operation.

It's been two days since I received my Saberlight Sparq XL and all is well!!!! I had to modify the technique I normally use to fire up a 54 ring stogie but I finally figured it out. Take your time and carefully position the Sparq XL's plasma beam along the perimeter edge of a fat stogie and gently rotate it until the edge is fully lit.......don't worry, it will burn toward the center as you puff. Inevitably, the plasma arc is going to contact the foot of your stogie and cause some fouling of the electrodes which can be easily removed with a stiff toothbrush. There's never a hint of butane taste because there's no fuel at all!!!!! I'm a bigtime sucker for gadgets and I just love this thing like crazy.......I can't put it down!!!! As others have chimed in.......I think the lid is a bit flimsy and could use a more robust hinge and a cleaning brush.......aside from that, I'm luvin it!!!! I got a FREE one-year ext warranty too...........that's how I like my customer service!!!! Great gift for gadget freaks......HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!!! Update: 3 Star deduction!!!! After 3 days of light usage the flip top cover fell off and one of the magnets that hold the cap closed popped out.........and I'm pissed off about it!!!!! However, I'm a resourceful armchair mechanic and I simply refuse to return it..........I'll fix this little bugger!!!!! Afterall, I do like this nifty lighter.