Butane, Arc or Torch? How to Pick the Best Grill Lighter

1. Handi Flame Refillable Grill Click Lighter, 3-Pack – Adjustable Flame, Easy Refills

Best overall

The classic grill lighter, done in a way that lasts: a long metal wand, a click trigger, and a butane tank you refill rather than throw away.

The listing describes a long, durable metal wand meant for grills, fire pits, lanterns and candles, with electric ignition and a long nozzle to “light hard to reach places” and keep your fingers away from the heat. The flame height is adjustable, which matters more than it sounds: turn it up to light a burner on a breezy day, turn it down for a candle on the table. A visible fuel window shows how much butane is left, so you refill before the lighter fails halfway through a cookout.

The three-pack is the practical part. One lives by the grill, one by the stove, and one goes in the drawer where the matches used to be. Because each lighter refills from a standard butane can, a pack like this can last for years instead of ending up in the trash when the fuel runs out.

The listing is honest about one thing worth repeating: the push-down trigger is stiff, and the seller says it is not suggested for anyone with hand weakness. That stiffness is common on long butane lighters, which are built so small children cannot work them easily (see the safety section below).

Why we like it

• Refillable butane with a visible fuel window
• Adjustable flame height
• Long metal wand keeps your hand back from the flame
• Three lighters in one pack

Why we recommend it

It does the everyday job well for both gas and charcoal: an adjustable flame, enough reach to get under a grate, and refills instead of replacements. Buying three means there is always one where you need it.

Skip it if you have arthritis or a weak grip. The seller itself warns that the trigger is stiff; an arc lighter with a push button may be easier on the hands.

Pros and cons

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2. Handi Flame 20-inch XL Grill Lighter with Butane – The Longest Reach Here

Longest reach

When the thing you are lighting sits deep inside a grill or at the bottom of a chimney, inches count. This Handi Flame lighter has a 20-inch extended flame stem, and the listing gives its overall length as 20 inches and its weight as 6.4 ounces.

That reach is the point. With a charcoal chimney, you light the paper or starter cube under the coals through the vents at the base; with a kettle, you may be reaching down past the grate; with a fire pit, you would rather not lean over the logs at all. A 20-inch stem keeps your hand and sleeve a long way back from the first flare, which a short lighter cannot do.

The lighter ships empty, as butane lighters usually must, and the listing says the package includes two cans of butane (600 ml) to fill it. The listing’s pack count is not consistent, so check how many lighters are in the box before you order. Handi Flame calls this its “Basic” lighter: there is no flame window or adjustment mentioned, just length.

Some buyers report that the lighters are hard to click, which fits with the safety mechanism every multi-purpose lighter sold in the United States must carry.

Why we like it

• 20-inch stem, the longest reach on this list
• Butane cans included in the package
• Light, at 6.4 oz per the listing
• Handy for chimneys, kettles and fire pits

Why we recommend it

Choose it if you light charcoal in a chimney or kettle, or keep a fire pit, and want the most distance between your hand and the flame. It is a simple tool that does one thing better than the others here.

Skip it if you want a lighter for the kitchen drawer or the dinner table. Twenty inches is awkward to store and clumsy for candles, and this basic model has no flame adjustment listed.

Pros and cons

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3. SUPRUS Rechargeable Arc Lighter – No Butane, Built-In Safety Lock

Best rechargeable

An arc lighter makes a small electric spark between two points instead of burning fuel, and this SUPRUS model charges over USB-C. No butane cans, no refilling, and no flame for the wind to blow out.

The safety design is the best documented of the arc lighters we looked at. SUPRUS says you have to push a safety lock switch first and then press the ignition switch, and the spark stops on its own after seven seconds; press again to restart it. Four LEDs on the barrel show the charge, and SUPRUS says the lighter has passed CE, RoHS and UL tests. The listing gives its length as about 7 inches and its weight as 70 grams.

Know how an arc works before you buy one for a grill. There is no flame to hold against briquettes; the arc lights whatever it touches, such as the newspaper or a starter cube under a chimney, a candle wick or a paper twist. For gas grills, a long butane lighter or a match is still the familiar way to light a burner by hand. And at 7 inches, it keeps your hand closer to the fire than the long butane lighters do.

Why we like it

• USB-C rechargeable; no butane to buy
• Safety lock must be pushed before it will spark
• Spark cuts out after seven seconds
• Four-LED charge display
• Wind- and splash-proof design, per SUPRUS

Why we recommend it

Choose it if you light a chimney with paper or starter cubes, light candles on the patio, and want one lighter that never needs a fuel run. The two-step lock and the auto cut-off are the clearest safety features on any arc lighter here.

Skip it if you want to light a gas burner or hold a flame to lump charcoal. An arc only lights what it touches, and its short body keeps your hand nearer the heat.

Pros and cons

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4. ARECTECH Flexible-Neck Arc Lighter – Bends to Reach Awkward Spots

Best flexible neck

The same flameless arc idea, with a neck you can bend. ARECTECH’s lighter has a 4.1-inch neck that rotates through 360 degrees, and the listing gives its overall length as 10.6 inches and its weight as 1.92 ounces.

A bendable tip earns its keep at a grill. You can angle it up into the vent holes at the bottom of a chimney starter to catch the paper, tilt it into a jar candle, or reach around a grate without turning your wrist into the heat. It is noticeably longer than the SUPRUS, which helps keep your knuckles back.

ARECTECH lists three safety features: a child-proof switch at the on/off button, an external safety lock switch, and a built-in chip that cuts the arc after seven seconds. It charges by USB, and a hanging hook means it can live on a nail by the back door. The listing describes the arc as windproof and able to work in wet conditions.

As with any arc lighter, it lights paper, wicks and starter cubes rather than holding a flame to charcoal.

Why we like it

• 4.1-inch neck bends 360 degrees
• 10.6 inches long, longer than most arc lighters
• Child-proof switch, safety lock and 7-second auto-off, per ARECTECH
• USB rechargeable with a hanging hook

Why we recommend it

Choose it if you start charcoal in a chimney and want to reach the vents at the base without bending low, or if you light candles in deep jars. The bendable neck is the feature the other lighters lack.

Skip it if you mostly light gas burners or want a flame. Like every arc lighter, it needs something flammable to touch.

Pros and cons

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5. Flame King Grill Gun Propane Torch – Lights Charcoal Without Paper

Best for charcoal

A torch is a different tool from a lighter: instead of a small flame you hold against paper, it throws a hot jet of burning gas straight at the fuel. Flame King’s Grill Gun screws onto a 1 lb propane cylinder (sold separately) and, according to the listing, is meant for searing as well as “lighting your charcoal grill, campfire, and fireplace.”

For lump charcoal and wood, that is the appeal. Point the flame at a few pieces in a chimney or a pile in the grill and they catch without newspaper or starter cubes. The same tool finishes a steak, blisters peppers and tomatoes for a salsa, or melts cheese over a skillet of queso fundido.

Flame King gives it a push-button piezo igniter, which the listing says keeps your hands away from the flame when lighting, and an adjustable flame. The listing gives its length as 12.5 inches and weight as 1.1 pounds, and Flame King backs it with a one-year manufacturer’s defect warranty that it says applies only when bought from Flame King or Amazon Retail.

Treat it with more respect than a lighter. The CPSC’s child-resistance rule for multi-purpose lighters excludes devices holding more than 10 ounces of fuel, and a 1 lb cylinder holds more than that; the listing does not mention any child-resistant lock. Store it, and its fuel, where children cannot reach it.

Why we like it

• Lights lump charcoal, wood and briquettes directly
• Doubles as a searing torch
• Push-button piezo ignition and adjustable flame
• One-year manufacturer warranty

Why we recommend it

Choose it if you cook over lump charcoal or wood and want coals going without paper, or you already sear with a torch and would like one tool for both jobs.

Skip it if there are young children in the house and nowhere locked to store it, or if you only need to light a gas grill. It is more power than a burner needs.

Pros and cons

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6. Iwatani PRO2 Culinary Butane Torch – A Kitchen Torch That Also Lights Fires

Best kitchen torch

If you would rather own one torch that lives in the kitchen and comes outside for the grill, Iwatani’s PRO2 is the better-made option. It twists onto a butane canister (not included) and locks in place, and Iwatani lists it at 6,300 BTU with a maximum flame temperature of 2,700°F.

The listing pitches it for charring vegetables, melting cheese, browning toppings and finishing sous vide steaks, and names BBQs and camping among its uses. An adjustment knob changes the size and shape of the flame, a one-touch piezo igniter starts it, and a stabilizing plate helps it stand. Iwatani backs it with a one-year manufacturer’s warranty, and the listing says it is made in Japan.

For lighting a grill, it does what the Flame King does on a smaller scale: a few seconds on a corner of a lump of charcoal or a starter cube gets the fire going. It is a finishing torch first, so a long butane lighter is still the simpler tool for everyday lighting.

Why we like it

• 6,300 BTU, up to 2,700°F, per Iwatani
• Adjustable flame size and shape
• One-touch piezo ignition and stabilizing plate
• One-year warranty; made in Japan

Why we recommend it

Choose it if you want a serious kitchen torch for searing and charring that can also start a charcoal fire when the lighter is missing. It suits cooks who already use a torch indoors.

Skip it if lighting the grill is the main job. A long butane lighter or a propane torch is simpler for that.

Pros and cons

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7. Dark Energy Plasma Lighter with Flashlight – Weatherproof Backup for the Camp Box

Best pocket backup

A pocket lighter will never replace a long grill lighter, but it is the one you will have with you at the campsite, the tailgate or the beach grill. Dark Energy’s plasma lighter makes a dual arc, charges over USB-C and adds a 120-lumen flashlight with a strobe.

Dark Energy describes it as weatherproof and windproof, with a water-tight cap, which is the reason to choose it over a disposable lighter in a camping box. Those are the maker’s own claims, not independent ratings. The box includes a charging cable and a lanyard. The listing gives no figure for lights per charge and does not mention a child lock or auto-shutoff, so store it out of children’s reach.

At the grill, use it to light a starter cube or the paper under a chimney, then step back. Its short body offers none of the reach of the lighters above, so keep it for the times the long lighter stayed at home.

Why we like it

• Weatherproof and windproof, per Dark Energy
• USB-C rechargeable
• 120-lumen flashlight and strobe
• Water-tight cap, per Dark Energy

Why we recommend it

Choose it for a camping kit, a boat, or an emergency bag, where a lighter that shrugs off wind and rain matters more than reach.

Skip it if this would be your only grill lighter. It has no reach at all, and a long butane lighter is safer for leaning over a grill.

Pros and cons

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