Looking Down the Barrel of a Bison Air Lighter Review. The Bison Air Lighter is just about the be all end all of firestarters.
This baby throws high velocity flame with a jet air stream to ignite charcoal quickly without dowsing it with lighter fluid.
I can’t help but chuckle in anticipation as I bring this thing out of the box. Immediately you understand why the company named it the Bison. It’s much larger than expected, it resembles a shotgun barrel. The Bison Air Lighter emits a 4-inch flame, super heated to 2,600 degrees that can withstand wind and rain. There’s also an LED flashlight isn’t very bright but it’s enough to see down into your coals and internal fan is great to help stoke your fire.
Filling the unit is simple. Hold the Bison with the butt of the handle facing up and turn your butane bottle upside down, marry the two nozzle points and press. A clear window on the handle makes it easy to tell when you are at capacity. A full tank gives you about 15 min of continuous flame equal to approx 40 barbecue fires. The handle can be used in 3 positions; straight, locked midway or bent position.
The onboard battery can be charged via the integrated USB port on the side of the body and is good for 30 min of light or up to approx 40 barbecue lightings. A rattler inside the device will make noise when you shake the unit and it’s fuel tank is empty.
Firing this thing up, I was right; it’s as fun as it looks! Gripping the unit in one hand, (point the barrel away from anyone or anything), use your left hand to slide the safety off and press forward with your thumb on your right hand (or vice versa) till the ignition module clicks.
A plastic nib on the left side of the body, when depressed locks the unit in firing mode and you can let go of all buttons and point. Press forward with your thumb again and let go, disengages the lock and turns the Bison off. Pressing reverse (towards you) on the thumb switch gives you just air to fan your flame and keep all that smoke out of your face, which you can also place in a locked on position.
The Bison is constructed similar to a flame thrower, the ignition system is placed at the tip near the opening where the fuel shoots out. Pressing forward on the thumb button there is a bit of resistance, when you press it fully the spark ignites and the fuels pressure takes over. After repeated tests and continuous flame for about 3 min and longer the air cooled barrel still remained cool to the touch and always will.
The flame is not very visible in day light but if you take it in the dark, you can see the velocity of the blue flame. Have fun with it, just be safe!
I recommend the Bison Air Lighter if you do a lot of charcoal barbecuing, have a wood burning stove or fireplace, build campfires, tailgate barbecue, the Bison Air Lighter is great outdoor gadget to have at your access. This baby will fire up your charcoal in seconds without a flinch, and can even fan your flame so you can keep your face out of the smoke. It fills with ordinary lighter butane canisters and keeps your food smelling the way it should, lighter fluid free! I highly recommend this for anyone that does a lot of Charcoal Barbecues.
And what would a high velocity, jet air stream, sawed off shotgun style firestarting device be without a bottle opener? Don’t worry they’ve added one of those too!
Bison Air Lighter available for $99
from www.airlighter.com
