Most of the lighters I own I get for free or as promotions with the purchase of cigars. Occasionally, I’m given a lighter by someone like my brother-in-law, and even less often I purchase a lighter at a lounge or online. It’s not that I don’t want to spend the money. It’s more that I have so many available, there’s no need to buy more until one dies or stops working. But that’s neither here nor there. Recently, I came across a few multi-functional lighters on Amazon, which made me wonder just how good they are. I grabbed a couple and we will put them through their paces.
The two lighters I purchased for this include the Upallant 5-in-one cigar lighter, and the Moniup all-in-one torch lighter. They’re both similar in design, with multiple tools built into the lighter like a draw tool (cigar needle), V cutter, and cigar holder. I wanted to know how well these tools worked, namely in a pinch when you don’t have anything else on you, and whether or not they’re worth the purchase. Both are priced at about $28, but if you time, it right there are recurring promo codes offering a discount. I did purchase both lighters with my own money — I was not sent these for free.
At first glance, both lighters look remarkably similar, but the designs are different enough that you can tell them apart. The shell or casing is stainless steel, with a carbon-fiber-like finish on the Moniup, and a unique, honeycomb-style finish on the Upallant. Both are attractive and while I wish the branding on the Moniup was slightly more obscure, they both feel very premium for affordable lighters from Amazon of all places.
Filling them was a cinch. They both have fuel ports on the bottom so you just plug the butane nozzle into the port and let the tanks fill. If you don’t already know how to fill a torch lighter with butane it’s about as close as you’ll get to a fool-proof process as possible. They also both have windows on the side so you can see how much butane is left — and it’s just as helpful for filling up the lighter with fuel.
Since they’re both stainless they are somewhat heavy compared to a smaller, plastic lighter or something made of similar materials. The Upallant weighs about 8.8 ounces according to the store listing and the Moniup weighs about 9.9 ounces. That’s not so heavy or bulky that I wouldn’t want to take them with me to a lounge or somewhere on the go. They fit nicely in your pocket but if you have a cigar bag or holder of some kind they should fit well in there, too.
Not that you’ll be caressing these with your hands like a precious ring, but they do feel great to hold. The finish isn’t so intricate that they are overwhelming to the skin. And as I said, they’re not too heavy to handle, even filled, they feel just right.
Lighting a cigar, using the tools: The big test
Source: Briley Kenney / The BS Lounge
The dual flame torch of the Moniup and the triple flame of the Upallant lighter are purportedly windproof. It just so happens that it was pretty darn windy during the time of my review so I had the opportunity to test this out. That claim is untenable at best. Both lighters still kick on and the flame is there, but the wind makes it difficult to light a cigar evenly without some kind of defense or shield in place. I do think that’s fairly obvious if you’ve ever tried to light a cigar before — like on a cruise where you’re basically in a wind tunnel. That’s not a fault of the lighter makers but reality. However, the claim itself — that they’re windproof — is true. Both lighters still work and fire up even on a windy day. If you’re trying to light a campfire you’ll be just fine.
Source: Briley Kenney / The BS Lounge
The tools on both lighters are functional and work exactly as you’d expect. The V cutters are great, but you’re definitely going to need to keep them clean so be sure to keep the gunk off. The cigar punch on the Upallant is excellent if you forget your favorite cutter or a spare. And the cigar draw, the needle that’s like a PerfecDraw, works great to loosen up a cigar that’s rolled too tight. Only the Upallant 5-in-one cigar lighter has that cigar draw tool, though.
Source: Briley Kenney / The BS Lounge
Source: Briley Kenney / The BS Lounge
The cigar holders are positioned differently for each lighter but both work well. The Upallant lighter features a holder on the rear side, so you have to lay the lighter down flat on a surface to use it. Meanwhile, the Moniup holder is positioned right on the top, above the lid for the torch. Comparatively, I like Moniup’s positioning a lot better for a couple of reasons. First, the lighter stays upright and the cigar rests on top. Second, it’s more convenient to interact with when it comes to picking up your cigar and taking a draw. That said, both holders are functional and do what they need to. Plus, the heft of the lighters ensures they won’t topple or lose your lit cigar, even if you bump the table or something.
Why should you buy one of these lighters?
Source: Briley Kenney / The BS Lounge
Source: Briley Kenney / The BS Lounge
Source: Briley Kenney / The BS Lounge
Source: Briley Kenney / The BS Lounge
Source: Briley Kenney / The BS Lounge
Source: Briley Kenney / The BS Lounge
If you need a lighter, a spare, or just want something multifunctional to bring with you to the lounge or events, both of these options are excellent. They would make fantastic gifts for any cigar lovers you know, too.
Having used both, I could recommend either one. Look at the tools, compare, and choose the one that fits your needs. If you’re never going to use a cigar draw tool, for example, you’ll be just fine with the Moniup lighter. If you think you’ll need that tool, however, it’s only included on the Upallant lighter so spring for that instead. There are V cutters on both, and yes you can use them to make X cuts. Either way, you’re getting some kind of cutter built-in. Yet, the Upallant also has a cigar punch on the side, which brings its tool total to five gadgets versus the Moniup’s two — a holder and a V cutter.
If I had to choose one of the two, honestly, I like the Moniup lighter better. I like the cigar stand on the top, and I almost always have tools on me so I don’t need the extra gear. If you want those extra tools, like the punch and the cigar draw needle, then go with the Upallant instead. It helps that they’re both the same price.
My Preference: Moniup all-in-one torch lighter
Tools: Upallant (5) versus Moniup (2)
Flame: Moniup dual flame versus Upallant triple flame
Design: Carbon fiber (Moniup) versus honeycomb (Upallant)
Disclaimer: I used affiliate links from Amazon in this article. Purchasing either lighter through those links directly supports my work. Thank you.
Briley has over 16 years in the publishing and content marketing business. He's been writing about cigars for nearly half that in various forms. What makes him a tour de force is he also smokes them.
Source: Upallant
Source: Moniup
Source: Briley Kenney / The BS Lounge
Source: Briley Kenney / The BS Lounge
Source: Briley Kenney / The BS Lounge
Source: Briley Kenney / The BS Lounge
Source: Briley Kenney / The BS Lounge
Source: Briley Kenney / The BS Lounge
Source: Briley Kenney / The BS Lounge
Source: Briley Kenney / The BS Lounge
Source: Briley Kenney / The BS Lounge
Source: Briley Kenney / The BS Lounge
