The EXOTAC titanLIGHT has been an instant winner here at Option Gray. It’s a durable, waterproof, refillable lighter. When you are cold, wet, and need to make a fire, it’s an easy way to get warm and dry quick.
What’s the problem?
After filling up your titanLIGHT, are you seeing an oversized flame, including flames that are coming out of the vents on the flame guard itself? From the handful of conversations with customers who have experienced this as well, I know I’m not alone.
When I started experiencing this with my personal titanLIGHT I gave EXOTAC a call and they provided some good feedback. I have been overfilling the titanLIGHT. No surprise there.
Why is this happening?
This happens when there is excess fuel that is being burnt off because you overfilled it.
The watertight seal created by the titanLIGHT is creating a small amount of internal pressure when the lighter is sealed up and overfilled with fuel. This is forcing some of the liquid fuel out of the top of the lighter and into the top cap, causing fuel to “leak” out, and therefore burning off when you first light it.
How to prevent it
The key is to not overfill the titanLIGHT.
Well, how much fuel is enough? Let’s put it this way … a little fuel goes a long way. According to EXOTAC, we should only use 3mm of fuel when filling the titanLIGHT. To make things simple, EXOTAC recommended using the bottom cap of the lighter as a way to measure how much fuel to use. Take the bottom cap and fill it up twice with fuel and dump into the fuel reservoir. This will put you in the ballpark when it comes to the appropriate amount of fuel to use while preventing overfilling.
Tip: Chances are you are here because you have already overfilled your titanLIGHT. Good news is that there is an easy way to get rid of the excess without burning it off and wasting your wick. Just take off both end caps (the top and bottom) and let the fuel evaporate overnight. The next morning, replace the caps and see if it will light. If it will not light, too much fuel has evaporated and you can just add a cap full of fuel and you should be good to go.
The EXOTAC titanLIGHT is an awesome waterproof lighter and this is the only minor issue or problem I have experienced. Fortunately, it is due to user error and it’s easily fixed.