Autogen lighter is a relatively recent invention. And almost everyone who at least once bought such a thing for their needs, the relevant question arises: "How does this tricky contraption work?" Now let's talk about this in more detail.
Main difference
Autogen, or, as they are popularly called, turbo lighters, is primarily distinguished from conventional lighters by a flame. This is not a simple fire tongue, which has a normal shape and can easily be extinguished by a simple blow of the breeze. An ordinary lighter in the wind cannot be ignited at all.
The flame of a turbo lighter has a conical shape and is a gas that quickly burns out under the pressure of a strong pressure. No wind can extinguish such a flame, especially if the variety is equipped with an additional incandescent spiral.
Device and principle of operation
A turbo lighter is a container with liquefied natural gas, in the upper part of which there are ignition elements, an incandescent spiral and, in fact, a nozzle from which gas escapes under pressure.
When a key is pressed, the gas supply through the nozzle opens and at the same time a piezoelectric element is triggered, by means of which a small spark jumps between the contacts located above the nozzle, it ignites the gas stream. While the key is in the pressed position, the filament works, which prevents the flame from extinguishing even with the strongest winds.
The piezoelectric element and the spiral, as a rule, are powered by three small batteries - tablets, each of which produces one and a half volts. These four and a half volts are more than enough to provide the electric functionality of the lighter (including the incandescent spiral), until it completely runs out of its entire fuel resource. As a rule, when the gas runs out, another 80-90% of energy remains in the batteries. Therefore, lighters of this type are often equipped with additional electrical equipment - a flashlight, diode illumination, and even musical accompaniment.
Pros and cons
The list of pluses of a lighter autogen can be entered:
- Weather independent. It works great in winds of any intensity.
- Due to the high pressure, the flame does not deviate to the side even with a strong wind, so there is no danger of getting burned.
- The intensity and shape of the flame in no way depend on the angle of inclination. Even upside down, it works great, which is why such lighters adore pipe smokers.
- Reliability and functional reliability.
The disadvantages include the fact that:
- Gas in such lighters ends one and a half to two times faster than in conventional analog devices, due to the intensity of the exhaust.
- The price of lighters autogen, as a rule, is an order of magnitude higher than ordinary, because of the dense "stuffed" with electrical equipment.
Turbo lighters have more advantages than simple similar devices. Despite the fact that the cost of such a device is higher, it is definitely worth buying. You will not only get quality products, but also protect yourself. In cheap lighters, silicon quite often flies out after several ignitions. Not only is this unsafe, but such a device will no longer work. You still have to buy a new lighter. So why buy cheap simple devices over and over again if you can buy one reliable one - autogenous once?