The LooftLighter makes us feel like we should run around the room pretending to be Harry Potter and yelling "Lumos!" But is it a piece of wizardry, or a silly toy? We are torn. This lighter doesn't use chemicals and would replace every match in your kitchen and camp box — is it worth the price?
Despite appearances, this is not a curling iron. The LooftLighter is a plug-in lighter that held against your coals or firewood for 15 seconds and then pulled away slowly to allow in air. Your fire starts and it's time to get cooking.
Although we appreciate a lighter that doesn't require lighter fluid to get it started, we're pretty sure that its need to be plugged in limits its use — especially with a $80 price tag.
If it's a gadget you can't live without, you can find it here:
• Find it: LooftLighter, $80.50 at Frontgate
Do you have one of these fancy gadgets? Are you using it to start fires in your cold, powerless house this week (hello ice storms!) or saving it for better grilling weather? If you have one, tell us why it's worth it, and if you're on the fence tell us why in the comments below!
Related: How To Grill Pizza
(Images: LoofLighter)
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Growing up we had a plug in briquet lighter. It worked quite well. Aparently they are still made, and cost less then $20.
Later we had a chimney starter which used a sheet of crumpled newspaper to light the briquets. It also worked quite well.
Now we have a gas grill.
OK there are some issues with this post. How can it go in your camping box or "light fires in your cold POWERLESS house" if it needs to be plugged in!?
Waste of money if there's no battery power.
I saw this first some months back, and was very taken with the idea - unfortunately I felt it's usefulness was reduced too much by being something you have to plug in. You can't use it when camping, the cable was too short to use for barbecuing without an extension cord (at least at my home), and there aren't many uses internal to the house which call for that kind of heat.
Instead, I purchased a small butane fuelled soldering iron with mini blowtorch fittings - it ignites charcoal just as effectively with the aid of a little kindling or firelighters, and much more portable and self contained for my purposes.
The full-size, trigger-start, propane torches [think Lowe's or Home Depot] are about 40 bucks and are useful for lots of things - will do this task in a snap.
um, so it's an $80 match? I think I'm missing something.... ;)
If I have no power in my cold house, how will this light my fire??
BIG waste of money. Chimney starters & crumpled newspaper is the way to go. Personally, there's no outlet anywhere near my charcoal grill, and I'd think an extension cord would blow up under the load of this thing.
Maybe if you light your grill in the garage.....
I find it perfect. Quick, clean, no muss no fuss. No power? Get a small generator, a BigGreen Egg and this bad boy and you'll cook faster and better than any other time of year. yes a chimney is faster but fueling it is a pain, especially with wind. If you cook on a gas grill you would not get it. This is for grillers using real hardwood charcoal on a real ceramic grill.
I meant to say the chimney is cheaper. It definitely is not faster. I've kept my chimney for when the looftlighter breaks (it is a machine after all) but it works like new after about 18 months.