PCA 2022: Lotus Group/Vertigo

There have been few booths that have landed on my coverage list as consistently from year-to-year as The Lotus Group, which encompasses the Lotus, Vertigo and Margaritaville cigar accessory brands. As such, my eyes seemingly gravitate to the banner that hangs above the booth almost as soon as I walk on the floor, and this year was no exception, though it might have been influenced a bit by the Lotus Group being in the front row of the show floor.

As I got closer, I noticed that the booth featured a number of updates from previous years; the solid white walls are replaced by a fabric that shows the company’s portfolio on the portions that face the inside of the booth. Also notable is that the Vertigo brand now has its own logo that will begin showing up on more products in the future.

On the lesser-noticed details front, the company also went with a lighter floor and some new chairs for the desks where its sales staff meets with retailers to go over the new products and write orders. And there are a number of new products for both Lotus and Vertigo, as the company continues to offer a portfolio that not only seeks to innovate but to offer products at a range of price points and with enough options to seemingly fulfill the majority of requests from consumers.

Lotus Emperor

This new tabletop lighter packs four jet flames in a square configuration under its lid, which also doubles as a cigar rest. It has an all-metal housing and offers a fuel level window, large flame adjuster and an extra large fuel tank. It measures 3.625 x 2.125 x 1 inches and is available in black, gunmetal and carbon fiber, and a copper and brown crackle combination.

MSRP: $89.95

Production: Regular Production

Release Date: July 2022

Lotus GT Cutter

If you’ve been digging the company’s GT lighter, there is now a matching cutter for it. This serrated blade guillotine can handle up to a 70 ring gauge cigar, while the closed back design ensures the cut shouldn’t be too deep. A slot on the underside of the lighter helps with easily removing the clipped cap and other debris. That slot also features an odometer design and the GT series logo. It’s available in black, chrome and black, gunmetal and black, and red and black.

MSRP: $59.95

Production: Regular Production

Release Date: July 2022

Lotus Minister

You could probably put this lighter in your pocket, but the company is calling it a table lighter as it measures 3.75 x 1.625 x 1.5 inches, and after putting it in my hand, I’m not sure I’d want to carry it around in a pants pocket. It’s also a quad flame torch, with the jets in a diamond arrangement and ignited by a push button ignition. It also features all-metal housing, a fold-out punch cutter, fuel level window and an extra large fuel tank. It’s available in three finishes: gunmetal and silver carbon fiber, copper and copper carbon fiber, and gunmetal and red carbon fiber.

MSRP: $99.95

Production: Regular Production

Release Date: July 2022

Vertigo Delegate

The Delegate is a single action, dual-flame with a large flame adjuster, fuel window and a built-in, 9mm punch cutter. The two flames are angled together to create a stronger pinpoint flame, and the front of the lighter has a curve to allow the user to rest their cigar on the lighter. It is available in black crackle, green crackle, red crackle, and brown crackle, each of which has a ton of texture.

MSRP: $24.95

Production: Regular Production

Release Date: July 2022

Vertigo Fortress

The Fortress is a quad flame torch with a large flame, freestanding design and a cigar rest built into the lid of the lighter. It is available in two color options, black and gunmetal and black and chrome.

MSRP: $19.99

Release Date: July 2022

Production: Regular Production

Vertigo Hammer

The Hammer, a single flame torch, gets its name from the design of its ignition mechanism. It offers two fold-out punches and an all-metal housing, and is available in black crackle, copper and gunmetal, brown crackle and gunmetal, and solid gunmetal.

MSRP: $24.95

Production: Regular Production

Release Date: July 2022

Vertigo Page

Flat flame lighters have become an increasingly prominent option for cigar smokers, and the Vertigo brand gets a new angled flat flame design. Essentially, the flame is pointed away from the ignition mechanism at about a 35-degree angle. It also offers metal housing, fuel level window, and a large flame adjuster. It is available in black, green, copper, and chrome.

MSRP: $14.99

Production: Regular Production

Release Date: July 2022

Vertigo Predator

The Predator is a large tabletop lighter that offers a sizable single flame torch as well as a large fuel tank. The flame can be locked into place and adjusted via a large adjuster. It’s only available in black and is the first lighter to bear the new Vertigo lighter.

MSRP: $29.95

Production: Regular Production

Release Date: July 2022

Vertigo Recoil

This single flame features an angled torch, a large flame adjuster and a large fuel window, as well as a fold-out cigar punch on its base. It has an all-metal housing and is available in four color options: black crackle and gunmetal, blue and gunmetal, woodgrain and gunmetal, and the gray and gunmetal combination pictured above, which Rosemary Sharp, president of Lotus Group, told me was her favorite as it looks like the ceramic gray color that has become popular on cars.

MSRP: $19.99

Production: Regular Production

Release Date: July 2022

Vertigo Sickle

The Sickle is a single action, dual flame lighter with the two flames angled to create a pinpoint flame. It offers a built-in guillotine cutter that can handle up to a 64 ring gauge cigar. It has as an all-metal housing and a fuel window. It is available in black crackle, chrome, gunmetal, and copper.

MSRP: $29.95

Production: Regular Production

Release Date: July 2022

Correction — the original version of this story listed the Vertigo Page as having an MSRP of $24.95; that was incorrect and it has been changed to its correct MSRP of $14.99. We regret the error.

Patrick Lagreid

I strive to capture the essence of a cigar and the people behind them in my work – every cigar you light up is the culmination of the work of countless people and often represents generations of struggle and stories. For me, it’s about so much more than the cigar – it’s about the story behind it, the experience of enjoying the work of artisans and the way that a good cigar can bring people together. In addition to my work with halfwheel, I’m the public address announcer for the Colorado Rockies and Arizona Diamondbacks during spring training, as well as for the Salt River Rafters of the Arizona Fall League, the WNBA's Phoenix Mercury and previously the Arizona Rattlers of the Indoor Football League. I also work in a number of roles for Major League Baseball, plus I'm a voice over artist. Prior to joining halfwheel, I covered the Phoenix and national cigar scene for Examiner.com, and was an editor for Cigar Snob magazine.