Colibri Quasar II

When I think of true collections of cigar accessories, one of the first ones that comes to mind is Colibri’s Quasar collection. The current collection dates back to 2014, but its inspiration goes back much further, to the 1960s and the hobnail pattern on the Colibri Moletric lighter.

Jumping back to 2014, Colibri teamed up with Daniel Marshall to create the Colibri Quasar humidor, a limited-edition release that used a design of small pyramids on every face of the humidor except the bottom.

When the humidor was released, there was no indication that there would be more Quasar products, but the Quasar Collection has seen roughly a dozen items including cutters, lighters and ashtrays since the debut of that humidor.

In November 2023, Colibri released the Quasar II lighter, a pocket-friendly, dual-flame lighter that stands as both a complement and contrast to the Colibri Quasar Table Lighter, a triple-flame table lighter that came out in 2019.

WHAT IS IT?

The Colibri Quasar II is a dual-flame torch lighter with a single-action ignition, that also offers a built-in 9mm punch cutter, a blue-tinted fuel window, and a flame adjuster wheel. Additionally, Colibri states that it will work at elevations up to 10,000 feet. It measures about 3 x 1.375 x .875 inches and weighs a hefty 5.7 ounces.

It is offered in seven colors—black, blue, green, gunmetal, navy, red and silver—all of which come with a gift box and a two-year warranty.

HOW MUCH DOES IT COST?

$99.

HOW DOES IT WORK?

The Colibri Quasar II has a single-action ignition, meaning one only needs to push upwards on either the uppermost or middle pyramid on the front face of the lighter to get the lighter going. That starts the flow of butane and provides the spark that ignites that butane to produce a flame and thus light your cigar. There’s no lid to flip or other buttons to push, hence the single-action description.

The flame size is adjustable with the wheel at the bottom of the lighter, providing a range of usable flame heights.

There is a button on the back of the lighter, pressing the black button causes the punch cutter to pop out though you may need to pull it out just a touch to get to its full operating length.

WHAT MAKES IT SPECIAL?

By far, the most special aspect of this lighter is its design, which it shares with the other Colibri Quasar accessories. Beyond that, this borrows from the Colibri Slide in that the ignition pushes up a central part of the lighter to start the butane and provide the spark, as opposed to a simpler, more traditional ignition mechanism.  

PROS

• The Design is Distinctive — While we can argue about the merits of the design, I generally like it and how it honors and builds upon the other accessories in the Quasar collection. It is one of the few lighters that I would argue deserves the description of being beautiful.
• It’s Rock-Solid — While the weight might be a turnoff, it’s hard to argue that the Colibri Quasar II feels rock-solid. Everything feels well-built, and after multiple weeks of usage, I haven’t seen any wobble or play develop with the ignition.
• It’s a Good Flame — The angled dual-flame produces a really solid lighting option, handling whatever cigar you throw in front of it. Personally, I like a dual flame that expands the width of the flame rather than making a singular point more powerful, but this works.
• The Punch Cutter is Serviceable — I’m not a regular user of a punch cutter, so if it does the job without damaging my cigar or presenting any unnecessary challenges, I’m pretty much fine with it. That’s the case here, though the space is definitely limited, with a 56-ring gauge starting to feel quite snug. If you smoke larger ring gauges regularly, this might not be the built-in punch cutter for you.

CONS

• The Colibri Quasar II Guzzles Butane — I really need to get a better way to measure how long a lighter will burn or how frequently I need to refill a lighter, but in the meantime, I’m left with perception, and it’s not great about this lighter. Even with the flames turned down to normal levels, it needs to be refilled a lot more frequently than expected. It also gets frustrating when the butane gets low, as the lighter looks like it will perform normally, only to abruptly go out. It doesn’t feel like the Quasar II is particularly adept at getting all the butane out of the tank.
• The Butane Valve is Sunk Down — In the category of things that are taken for granted in the functionality of a lighter, the fuel valve is near the top of the list. The first time I went to refill the tank, the stem of the butane can got caught on something, so much so that I had to use some force to separate the two. It also means that one my go-to purging tools can’t reach that valve, so I have to use the longer, pointed tool on my XIKAR MTX cigar scissors.
• The Upper Half of the Ignition Can Get Warm — This was the first note I wrote down about the Colibri Quasar II, as it was immediately noticeable while lighting the first cigar.
• The Flame Adjuster Isn’t Ideal — It gets about halfway to ideal, as while the wheel is larger than normal, only half of it is accessible. It’s not terrible, but I wonder if the way force gets applied to it might lead to problems down the road.
• There’s Nothing to Eject Tobacco From the Punch Cutter — Since the cutter slides in and out of the body, there is no built-in aspect to eject the punched cap from the cutter, something that is found on nearly every other punch cutter that is built into a lighter. I don’t know if the insides of the Quasar II are solid or not, but I’m not crazy about the idea of having loose tobacco stuck in my lighter. You could always blow it out or use some secondary tool or implement to remove the ash, but I’d rather not have to worry about that.

THE COMPETITION

When looking at competitors to the Colibri Quasar II, there are a couple of factors at play, namely finding something that combines a dual-flame lighter, the added features and functionality, a distinctive design, and the price. Dual-flame torch lighters are also less common than single- and triple-flame torch options, which reduces the number of competitors. While I don’t want to say they have completely fallen out of favor, it seems like there are far fewer new dual-flame lighters being produced, partially due to the arrival of larger single-flame torch lighters. Finding something that matches up directly with the Quasar II and checks the same boxes has been a challenge, but there are a number of options that are worthy of consideration.

• Colibri Quasar Table Lighter ($175) — If you like the Quasar design, your other option for a lighter is this one, which came out in the summer of 2019. It is a beast of a tabletop lighter, there is no punch cutter, and it is significantly more expensive, larger and heavier, but this triple-flame performed very well when I reviewed it several years ago.
• Colibri Slide ($69) — The similarities between the Slide and the Quasar II are plentiful, most notably as both feature a body that slides up as opposed to using a traditional ignition. Both are dual flame torch lighters with punch cutters and a blue fuel window. I can’t speak to the current quality, but I liked it a lot when I reviewed it early in 2017. For me, saving $30 would be worth the trade-off in design, not that the Slide doesn’t look good on its own.
• XIKAR Ion ($69.99) —If having a dual-flame torch is your priority, I’d consider the Ion. I haven’t had the chance to use this extensively, but I like the design and large ignition mechanism. Not being a punch cutter user, I’m not bothered by the fact that there isn’t one on this lighter, but that could be a consideration.
• JetLine Luxe ($49.99) — While JetLine tends to be known more for its value-oriented lighters that use a translucent fuel tank, the company does offer some design-forward options such as the Luxe. There’s no punch cutter, but I’ve found JetLine to offer reliable lighters at a reasonable price, so I’d certainly consider this as an option.
• Lotus GT ($50) — Certainly a different design than the Quasar II, but for about half the price, it’s a worthy competitor given its design and that it offers two punch cutters. I haven’t used this for a review, but I’d certainly consider it given the quality of the Lotus brand.
• XIKAR Turismo ($74.99) — A fairly straightforward dual-flame lighter from XIKAR, part of the Quality Importers Trading Co. portfolio. Like the Quasar II, it is design-forward, though it doesn’t offer a punch cutter. I haven’t used this so I can’t offer much of a head-to-head comparison.
• Colibri Daytona ($59) — While I haven’t used every Colibri lighter extensively, this is still my favorite in their portfolio. The large single flame is very capable, the flame adjuster works great, and the visibility of the fuel tank is fantastic. There is also the Rebel, a dual-flame version that is priced at $79 and borrows many of the same design queues. Assuming the quality is as good as I remember it, I’d take the Daytona.

SHOULD YOU BUY IT?

Unless you want to complete the Colibri Quasar Collection, unfortunately, the answer is no. My stance has softened a bit with more usage of the lighter, but I’m still not sold on it, as the issues with the flow of butane are simply too concerning and frustrating to recommend this lighter. On a fully purged, full tank of butane, the first light or two are likely to be just fine, but after that, there is a risk of a sputtering flame that makes me think that there is some fault with the tank, fuel line or valve that results in a flow of butane that is simply inconducive to delivering a solid, reliable flame. This is a lighter that leans too much to form and not enough to function for me, and one I’m hoping gets its issues resolved as the design is simply too good to deliver such an inferior flame.

The lighter used for this review was purchased by halfwheel.