Vertigo Glock

Released in January 2015, the Vertigo Glock tried to wedge its way into the crowded lighter marketplace by offering a lightweight, low-cost, triple-flame lighter packaged into a thin profile that would fit conveniently in a pocket, bag or travel humidor. Measuring 3 inches tall, just under an inch and three-quarters wide and about five-eighths of an inch thick, it is one of the more slender lighters of its class, a size which is complemented by its light weight, coming in at just about two ounces.

Regular users of triple-flame lighters know that there are two configurations for such devices, either with the jets in a straight line or in a triangle configuration. While at first the Glock may appear to fall into the former category, there is a very subtle but important difference about how this lighter is constructed. The Vertigo Glock is a triple flame, inline torch lighter that combines the power of three jets to create a wall of flame nearly an inch across, a distinct difference from similar-looking lighters where the flames are angled in to create a more pinpoint flame that can handle a variety of ring gauges despite packing plenty of firepower.

The lighter uses a single action ignition; pressing the black button first releases the metal lid, then starts the butane flowing and finally fires the piezo ignition to ignite the jets. Three decently sized ridges on the ignition provide traction for your thumb so that it doesn’t slip off, while the internal mechanism provides a nearly ideal amount of resistance.

Adjusting the flame is incredibly easy thanks to an oversize wheel on the bottom of the lighter; in my usage I found it easiest to just crank the lighter all the way up and then dial it back a third of a rotation or so. Were you to start all the way down and crank the lighter up, you’ll find that there is quite a bit of adjustment needed to get the Glock to an acceptable level of flame production.

As you might have interpreted from the description above, the Vertigo Glock isn’t a lighter that will give you pinpoint accuracy, and nearly two months of daily usage has confirmed that. When used on cigars under a 50 ring gauge or so, the width of the flame was too much for the cigar, scorching the sides more times than I would have liked.

Conversely, however, the Vertigo Glock seems almost perfectly designed for the 50 ring gauge and up set, as the lighter provides an almost perfectly even toast to the foot of a cigar, and you can easily see the tobacco beginning to burn while touching up any spots that may need a bit more encouragement. While I don’t smoke many cigars over 60 ring gauge, the Glock worked incredibly well on vitolas that came close to that size.

Those who like to know exactly how much butane is left in their lighter will appreciate the translucent body of the Vertigo Glock. The capacity seems on par with most of the other lighters in its class, though seems to be sacrifice a bit of tank size for the sake of saving space. It will easily make it through several cigars, though I did seem to be refilling it a bit more often than other, cylindrical lighters in the sub-$20 price range.

While I haven’t tested this myself, Doug Kaufman, national sales manager for The Lotus Group/Integral Logistics, said that the lighter works perfectly at 12,000 feet above sea level, having tested it along with all of the company’s products. So if you find yourself smoking at extreme elevation, the Glock should certainly warrant consideration.

For a primarily plastic-body lighter, the Vertigo Glock has also shown impressive durability, resisting scratches and never having a misfire. While it didn’t take an abnormal amount of abuse during my testing, it performs as well as it did when it first came out of the box.

While I’m a bit disappointed that the Vertigo Glock doesn’t handle smaller ring gauges as well as I would like it to, it does excel with wider cigars, making quick work of getting a big stick toasted up evenly. The lighter’s light weight was a plus to me as I don’t like being weighed down by heavier accessories, though that is ultimately a matter of personal preference and some might find it too light for their liking, preferring something with a bit more heft in the hand and pocket. The slender design is also a plus, fitting conveniently in my pocket, humidor and hand.

The Vertigo Glock has an MSRP of $18 and is available in several colors, including clear, charcoal, amber and red, and comes with a lifetime warranty when registered on the Integral Logistics website. It’s an impressive lighter that works better with big ring gauge cigars, but could certainly be an everyday lighter for many cigar smokers.

The lighter for this review was purchased by halfwheel.