Get Grilling with Zippo Flex Neck Utility LighterNothing says “summer is almost here” quite like the first barbecue of the season. Even though it’s back to practically freezing in my part of the country, we had really great weather last weekend that was perfect for a day at the park and that first real barbecue of the year. It was a great opportunity to try out our new Zippo Flex Neck Utility Lighter. Since I don’t really know the first thing about lighting a grill fire, I let Sal handle all the hard work. He’s quite the grill master (seriously, you should see his roasted marshmallows, they’re perfectly toasted on all sides!), whereas I’m more of a “throw a match on there and see what happens” type of girl.

The Zippo Flex Neck Utility Lighter works really great. It took like two seconds to get the coals burning. The neck can be straightened out, twisted at an angle, or hooked down, so it definitely makes it easier to reach the right spot on the coals, if there is such a thing. It’s easy enough that I could use it on my own if I had to.

In just a few seconds, the coals went from this:

Get Grilling with Zippo Flex Neck Utility Lighter

To this:

Get Grilling with Zippo Flex Neck Utility Lighter

Features of the Zippo Flex Neck Utility Lighter

  • It’s wind-resistant, so you can light that camp fire even on a somewhat blustery day.
  • Nearly a foot long from base to tip,  which allows you to more safely light those fires.
  • The child-resistant safety button helps prevent kids from accidentally lighting it, but at the same time is easy enough for adults to figure out. Since child-resistant usually means Nikki-resistant as well, this is important to me.
  • It has a fuel supply window, so you have a better idea of when to refill it, thus eliminating that nasty “oh no, the lighter is out of butane!” surprise when you go to light your fire miles away from civilization.
  • Features an adjustable flame dial, and dual-flame technology. To be totally honest, I have no idea what that last part means. All I know is that it works very well.

Zippo makes tons of other great products for outdoor enthusiasts (something I’m working on becoming), including an Emergency Fire Starter Kit. I received one of those for review as well, but I’m saving it for when we go camping. Yes, you read that correctly! I’m actually planning to camp in a real tent at a real campsite (preferably close to a very real, well-lit bathroom with real flushing toilets, I can only get so rustic!). It’s been over a decade since I last went, and if I recall correctly, I ended up leaving before the actual “camping” part. I’m considering it practice for when the EMP hits! The Emergency Fire Starter Kit has pretty much everything you need to start a fire, and it’s wind and water resistant, so you’re not out of luck if it gets a little wet. I’ll let you know how it works when we get back from our camping excursion, which we have to schedule once it’s not like 30 degrees out at night. Hey, I said I’m willing to camp, not freeze to death!

 

Get Grilling with Zippo Flex Neck Utility Lighter