Lighters

A lighter is a portable device used to create a flame. It consists of a metal or plastic container filled with a flammable fluid or pressurized liquid gas, a means of ignition, and some provision for extinguishing the flame. The first lighter, Döbereiner's lamp, was invented by Johann Wolfgang Döbereiner in 1823. It stayed in production until 1880. Most automobiles are equipped with an electric cigarette lighter housed in a 12-volt lighter receptacle. Its electric heating element becomes hot in seconds upon activation.

The development of lighters accelerated during World War I. Soldiers used matches to find their way in the dark, but the intense initial flare of matches gave away their position, to the loss of much life. From this need for fire without a large initial flare was born the lighter industry. By War's end lighters were being mass produced. Naphtha based lighters employ a saturated cloth wick and fiber packing to absorb the fluid and prevent it from leaking. They employ an enclosed top to prevent the volatile liquid from evaporating, and to conveniently extinguish the flame. Butane lighters have a valved orifice that meters the butane as it escapes as a gas.

A non-typical form of lighter is the permanent match, consisting of a fuel-filled metal shell and separate metal rod serving as wick. The rod is removed and scratched against a flint on the side of the case to create a spark. Its internal wick catches fire, resembling a match. The flame is extinguished by placing the rod into the shell, where it absorbs fuel for the next use.

The International Standard establishes non-functional specifications on quality, reliability and safety of lighters and appropriate test procedures. For instance, a lighter should generate flame only through positive action on the part of the user, two or more independent actions by the user, or an actuating force greater than or equal to 15 N. The standard also specifies other safety features, such as as the lighter's maximum flame height and its resistance to elevated temperatures, dropping, and damages from continuous burning. However, the standard does not include child resistance specifications.