turboflame lighter: refill

[nigeltm]

HELP!

How on earth do you refill the turboflame lighter?

http://www.turboflame.co.uk/

I tried following their instructions and just can't seem to get it right. I've bled the tank, held it the correct way and applied the gas can for than the recommended 10 seconds. The problem is it doesn't take enough gas to be effective. The gas it does take doesn't last long and doesn't seem to have enough pressure to be windproof. Following the instructions to the letter I should be able to apply the gas can a number of times, but it instructs you to bleed the tank between each attempt? Surely that just empties the damn thing!

I even resorted to the old paintballer's trick of freezing the lighter before trying to refill. Still no luck!

Any suggestions?

 

[mayfly]

Curious, I just got one which has now run out and I am having exactly the same problem! I'll let you know if I figure it out, please do likewise Chris

 

[ged]

HELP!

How on earth do you refill the turboflame lighter?

http://www.turboflame.co.uk/I tried following their instructions and just can't seem to get it right.
Any suggestions?

Do these help?

http://www.turboflame.co.uk/faqs.php#19
http://www.turboflame.co.uk/faqs.php#20

I'm only guessing but it sounds like you aren't getting enough butane liquid to go in when you fill it - just butane gas - and you might even be using the wrong gas. I'll be very interested in how you get on because I bought one of these only last week and I hadn't realized that they aren't full when you buy them, they just have a little bit of gas "for demonstration".

 

[Barn Owl]

I've got the double burner and it fills easily.

Good thing about it is you can see how much gas is in it.

 

[Agile]

Yep - I have the same question, purchased two a few years back and thought it was just the gas I was using (which specified it was butane gas for the cooking blow-torches).

Anyone ever managed to refill one of these darn things?

Mine are a turboflame and a turbostick - so I don't think the model matters!

 

[Ex Member - Sidney Bounty]

just off the top of my head I would say that somehow the filling tube on the lighters side is most likly freezing up and not allowing it to be filled....

 

[ged]

How on earth do you refill the turboflame lighter?

Like you and others I've had some trouble with the one I bought, both filling it and using it.

Mine is this one:

http://www.turboflame.co.uk/turboflame.php

Pro: when it works it really works.

Con: when it doesn't it's a bitch. It won't light when it's cold. It's a pig to refill it. You can't tell how much gas is in my one. You have to use special gas or (they say) it might be blocked/damaged. To sum up it's a lot of messing about just for a lighter.

So far the cons have outweighed the one real pro by a very long way but I'm going to persevere, partly because other people say they have used them successfully for years and I've only had mine for a couple of weeks, but mostly because it was expensive just for a bloody lighter.

Like the OP I followed the instructions carefully but still failed to fill it - I think after my first attempt it lit a total of three times and then flat out refused to light. It took several attempts to get it filled, and I really had to work on emptying it - holding it in my hand to warm it up, and repeating the emptying process several times. FWIW I used Colibri gas which was reasonably priced at Yeoman Outdoor on the high street (unlike some other stores I could mention, where it's very expensive).

When I found that it was so difficult to fill it I decided to weigh it first when it was empty, then when I thought I'd filled it. With all the gas removed as best I could, mine weighs 85 grams. When I think I've filled it, it weighs just under 87.5 grams. On its own that information isn't very useful, I don't see anywhere on the manufacturer's information where it says the capacity, but as I continue to use it I'll probably start to get a feel for how to fill it and how much it will take. One thing I noticed was that after turning the flame control down (as per instructions) to fill it, after filling it I had to turn it back up to get it to light at all. All this seems a bit excessive just to fill a flaming lighter, there are some from the supermarket much cheaper than this thing which have far fewer irritating features.

Anyway, two point four grams of gas isn't much, but it ought to last me weeks if all I do is light fires with it.

 

[Ogri the trog]

I find them to be finnicky at times.

A good blast of air (either from mouth or a compressor) cleans out any gunk and fluff from both the filling port and the working end. I make sure that the canister of gas has been indoors for a while prior to use to make sure it has sufficient pressure to actually eject the liquid gas into the lighter. Also make sure the spout on the canister is clear of any dust, fluff etc. I hold the lighter inverted and apply the canister nozzle also inverted to maximise any liquid transfer.

Having watched a transparent butane soldering iron fill from in the same manner, ten seconds is nowhere near enough time to fill a lighter from empty. I'd say two to four, ten second fills might be enough, but check the flame performance after each attempt - if its weak, fill it again.

Like others have said when they work they're great, but when they don't its a real pig!

ATB

Ogri the trog

 

[stooboy]

I bought one of these at the outdoor show, and was disapointed to "use" it that night and discover that there as said before was only enough gas in it to prove to customers it worked, anyway i filled it up last weekend using swan lighter gas, and had no problems, it did however fail to stay alight untill i turned up the presure using a small screwdriver and in the direction of the + used it that night but will keep an eye on it for future.

 

[maddave]

I use these from Dealextreme

http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.6783

£1.73 delivered and they work great !!

 

[Robbi]

try turning the lighter upside down to fill it. ( so you're pushing down with the refill can, not up )

 

[ged]

I use these from Dealextreme ...

I've been looking at DX for a while now, and some of the stuff looks incredibly good value for money. So good in fact that I thought it was probably Too Good To Be True and held back on that basis.

So have you had much experience of dealing with them, and what has it been like?

 

[Asa Samuel]

I ordered a few jet lighters from dealextreme but they never sent them, luckily I managed to get my money back through paypal but I am tempted to order them again and see what happens this time. A few people from here have gotten their stuff fine so maybe it's just me?

 

[seg1959]

I ordered a few jet lighters from dealextreme but they never sent them, luckily I managed to get my money back through paypal but I am tempted to order them again and see what happens this time. A few people from here have gotten their stuff fine so maybe it's just me?

I recently ordered from them an Ultrafire Cree 200 lumen flash light, batteries and charger; I think I paid about 20 USD for the lot. Incredible product, arrived within a week by registered post. A happy customer here...

seg

 

[tenchu]

try turning the lighter upside down to fill it. ( so you're pushing down with the refill can, not up )

I resorted to this also, after buying a new can of fluid to make sure that wasn't getting low.

Filled inside a couple of seconds when previously I'd struggled to get any in, lighter normal way up.

 

[Tengu]

they are a very good company and i like the product.

they sent me a replacement cap for mine even though they dont do aftermarket bits

 

[ol smokey]

have found that with different types of Jet Lighters, yhat they did not fill well, Ieven got two replaced by the shop. But on reading the instructions, I discovered that if you stuff a ballpoint tip up the filler hole and let any remaining propellant out they refill really well, and I have had no more trouble.

 

[Mikey P]

Hadn't realised you might need to bleed air from a Turboflame. I had been having same problems as others and so, bled the lighter, refilled it, and now it works perfectly. Thanks for the tip!

 

[mayfly]

No consistent luck with mine. Followed all FAQs to the letter, right gas from Maplins, bleeding, etc. Never really works properly. I'd personally not recommend these lighters, they're rubbish IMHO, I'd certainly never rely on mine in anger. I thought it might be me, but I've seen a few similar things on the web in various places about them like this. That is, they never really work properly when they get re-filled the first time. This tells me there is a design flaw somewhere. Chris

 

[Nonsuch]

I've never successfully refilled one like this and now just rely on pocketfuls of 99p disposable gas lighters !

NS