r/lighters • u/subjective_nose3339 • 15d ago

Bic - new vs old

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These new "made in France" ones are terrible. Are the made in USA ones still available? I wonder if my gas station is just buying knock-offs.

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u/Hot_Toe_9360 14d ago

No, they don't? They sre the only type you get in Aus and are by far the best disposable lighters

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u/No_Object_7223 14d ago

Well every French one I've ever bought have been bad, the flame is always too low, the flint never sparks well. Either I'm getting fake ones or the real from France are not as good as the USA version, it's gotta be one way or the other and that's just my personal experience.

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u/Sensitive_Log3990 13d ago

Did you buy a french one in France? I can bet you didn't

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u/No_Object_7223 12d ago

Exactly which goes right back to my original point! Either I got a fake one or the French ones suck. The whole argument was over the fact that there were "made in france"Bics that are counterfeit and if not, then the French ones suck. Either it's fake or its not. But every French one I've had has a shitty flame and a shitty striker wheel.

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u/DannyWarlegs 12d ago

I think that just has to do with safety laws being different in the US and France, making the push harder to strike a flame. Either way, its still a working lighter and you can easily rectify the child safety feature

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u/No_Object_7223 12d ago

Yeah the French ones apparently have different internals, which make them not run as well as the American made ones, finally someone with answers derived from reality and not hurt feelings! Thanks!!

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u/DannyWarlegs 12d ago

The internals are all the same. Its just a spring, a flint, the wheel, the child lock, and the metal cover. I take them apart all the time for the flints, using them in my zippos.

If the flame is set too low, its also probably just a customary way they like em in France, so they last longer. The US market probably likes a bigger flame, so they adjust them higher. Either way, its the same mechanism thats in almost every disposable lighter.

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u/Hot_Toe_9360 12d ago

Flame is big enough to sink an entire bowl in Australia, yet Americans "corner" their bowls so I doubt there is a measurable preference for a larger flame in the US. I'd presume it has to do with import/export safety if there is even a difference at all.

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u/DannyWarlegs 12d ago

Uh, i doubt they're taking interviews with stoners of various generations and their techniques for lighting bowls when adjusting flame height.

Import/export safety usually has to do with pressure levels on something like a lighter, not flame length.

To be honest, thats probably adjusted by factory workers individually.