# Is it harmful to use a butane lighter with pipes and cigars? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 14, 2001, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-harmful-to-use-a-butane-lighter-with-pipes-and-cigars/50043 "2001-01-14T23:41:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Seen\_to\_it\_already](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e79b87/32.png) [@Seen\_to\_it\_already](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Seen_to_it_already)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2001, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-harmful-to-use-a-butane-lighter-with-pipes-and-cigars/50043/1 "2001-01-14T23:41:31Z")
Since in either case you have it lit while inhaling, I would guess you’d get a lot of unburned gas, and burned gas remnants. Has that ever been measured? Is it as bad as the sulfur from a match? Is it anywhere near as bad as the tobacco smoke itself? ---
**Author:** ![TwoBuyFour](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/76d3ee/32.png) [@TwoBuyFour](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TwoBuyFour)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2001, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-harmful-to-use-a-butane-lighter-with-pipes-and-cigars/50043/2 "2001-01-14T23:52:37Z")
Just my two cents: I have a butane lighter, several Bic disposables, and an old flint/ lighter-fluid /wick one. They all make my cigars taste funny, while matches don’t. ---
**Author:** ![nowalls99](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/e68b1a/32.png) [@nowalls99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nowalls99)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2001, 11:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-harmful-to-use-a-butane-lighter-with-pipes-and-cigars/50043/3 "2001-01-14T23:56:34Z")
For cigars, I’ve found that bee’s wax candles work the best. Light the candle with whatever you have, and then you have the nice clean flame to light your Cuban with. They’re a little hard to use for pipes, but wooden matches, if allowed to burn off the sulfer, work well enough to spark it. ---
**Author:** ![Seen\_to\_it\_already](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e79b87/32.png) [@Seen\_to\_it\_already](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Seen_to_it_already)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2001, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-harmful-to-use-a-butane-lighter-with-pipes-and-cigars/50043/4 "2001-01-15T00:08:33Z")
Bee’s wax? From a bee’s behind? Yuuk! ---
**Author:** ![jb\_farley](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9d8465/32.png) [@jb\_farley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jb_farley)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2001, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-harmful-to-use-a-butane-lighter-with-pipes-and-cigars/50043/5 "2001-01-15T00:22:53Z")
Harmful? No. But if you’re taking resin hits, and there’s no more resin, you get a big old hit of butane. It tastes kindanasty, and does hurt. But then again, so does cigarette smoke. jb ---
**Author:** ![nowalls99](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/e68b1a/32.png) [@nowalls99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nowalls99)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2001, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-harmful-to-use-a-butane-lighter-with-pipes-and-cigars/50043/6 "2001-01-15T01:00:54Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Seen to it already \* > \*\*Bee’s wax? From a bee’s behind? Yuuk! \*\* Just so you know, Bee’s wax is from the honeycomb. It is the substance that makes up the majority of the comb. It is not a waste product of the bee’s. It is the cleanest burning, and longest burning wax available. ---
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2001, 4:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-harmful-to-use-a-butane-lighter-with-pipes-and-cigars/50043/7 "2001-01-15T04:42:04Z")
Butane is the best to use for pipes and cigars. It is a very clean burning fuel, and doesn’t affect the taste of tobacco as a fluid lighter does. Matches are good, but you have to wait until the sulphur burns off before you can use it. Of course, a few aficionados use Spanish cedar splints. I have to ask about the “inhaling” you mentioned–you shouldn’t be inhaling. I hope “pulling,” “drawing,” or “puffing” on the pipe or cigar is what you mean. Most cigar and pipe smokers do not inhale the smoke like cigarette smokers do; cigar and pipe smoke is meant to be tasted. Because cigars and pipes are smoked for the taste, anything that affects the flavours (fluid lighters, for example) is not recommended. Butane burns cleanly, doesn’t affect the flavour, and is no more harmful if held in the mouth than the tobacco smoke. Probably safer. ---
**Author:** ![fnord1966](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ad7895/32.png) [@fnord1966](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fnord1966)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2001, 6:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-harmful-to-use-a-butane-lighter-with-pipes-and-cigars/50043/8 "2001-01-15T06:41:01Z")
I do belive that there is no sulfer in matches, only phosphorus, they smell pretty close, but you would spend all day trying to light a sulfer match. Personally I dont see how anybody would notice if it was lit with a burning hunk-o-rubber, or a butane lighter, those things smell nasty.