Finding the right lighter makes all the difference when smoking bongs. While you can use most lighters to smoke joints, pipes and bongs need to have a strong, steady flame to get a clean smoke. You don’t want to have to keep re-lighting with every hit. You don’t want a flame that wavers in even a little breeze, either. To help you find the best lighter forsmoking bongs, we’ve put together a few of the most common lighter types. 

Best Lighter for Smoking Bongs

Lighters come in various types, sizes and even shapes. Here are some of the most commonly used lighters and how they compare when smoking bongs.

Disposable lighters.

The upside to regular lighters is that they are super cheap and easy to get everywhere, from the corner cafe or spaza shop to supermarkets. You can buy in bulk and keep a few to make sure you don’t run out. That does not make them good forbongs, however. As regular lighters have a flame that is not hyper-focused, they do not get the right angle and often end up going out just when you need to take a hit. Holding a hot lighter is not much fun, either. They end up making it much slower to get your hit, wasting a lot of time in the process.

Flex neck lighters.

Also known as braai lighters, fire lighters or even candle lighters, these lighters are similar to regular lighters in that they have a flame rather than a focused torch. The main difference between long, flex neck lighters and regular lighters is that you can hold the flame to your bong bowl without getting burnt fingers or having to keep relighting. They are not ideal for bongs. 

Torch jet lighters.

Then, we havetorch jet lighters. These lighters have a very sharp, very hot flame that comes out as a straight jet rather than a flame. This lighter is essential if you’re heating a dabbing nail to vaporise some concentrates. A regular lighter will not produce enough heat for dabbing. The jet-like flame allows you to light your weed at any angle, while the design makes sure that you won’t get your fingers hot. This type of lighter is often designed specifically for smoking. They produce an intense flame that will very quickly light up your weed and burn it more quickly. If you want to combust a lot of weed quickly, a torch lighter is a good option. For a slower, more controlled smoke, a normal lighter will be better. Intense heat can crack a glass bowl if it heats up quickly and unevenly. This lighter is best for more experienced smokers.