Xikar Executive II lighter review:
Though I would post my impressions of my Xikar Executive II lighter.
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I purchased this about a year and a half ago from CI, in the pearl color. The fit and finish are very nice. Lighter has a decent weight to it and it feels like good quality, especially for the money. I have spent a lot more on lighters from Colibri that always felt cheaper and broke quickly. I got so fed up, I just stuck to matches or give away butane lighters for a long period of time.
This was the first lighter I actually purchased in a long, long time.
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Filling was easy and I really like the oversized adjustment knob that has enough resistance to make sure it holds your setting, but not too hard to make it a PIA to turn. I let the lighter sit for about 1/2 and hour after filling, turned the knob to about halfway and clicked it "on". Lit right up with a nice medium sized flame. The adjustment worked very well, right down to a nice small flame and all the way up to a shockingly powerful single flame. Obviously it's still just a single flame, but it kicks off some heat! :cigarette:
The lower settings can result in a flame that can sputter out every once in a while. However, I personally don't use the lower settings much. So not a deal breaker for me and honestly I have not found a lighter that does not do the same thing, yet.
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Fuel tank seems to be a decent size for a more "compact" lighter. I have brought it out to cigar events and it not only lit my two cigars, it lit 4 more sticks for my buddies at the same event. They don't toast as much as I do, so that can have an impact on how long it will last between filling.
About a month ago I ran into an issue with it lighting. I cleaned the ignition system and it got a slightly better but not what I would call usable. I tried to purge and refill and when I refilled, it leaked all of the butane right back out...
I went to the Xikar website, pulled up the warranty/return form, filled it out, printed it and sent the lighter in. About a week later I received an email that my new lighter was on its way to me...
Came home a few days later and it was waiting for me on my front porch.
I have not been able to smoke too much lately as it's too cold out for my spoiled ass anymore. So I went to my local B&M Saturday. I filled the new lighter right before I left and drove to the shop.
New lighter lit right up and works like a champ. :santa:
Conclusion:
I really like this lighter. It looks really nice, feels good in the hard and I really like the side ignition switch for comfort. It is in constant use for me and it stood up longer than any other lighter I have ever owned, by a wide margin. If it was not for the warranty, I would have been kinda pissed that it kicked off after a year and half. But with Xikar, who cares!! I will be in the market for a larger table top lighter this spring and I most certainly will be looking to Xikar for my lighting needs!
