Silva Helios Storm

R_Mac
Reviewed: 25 May 2009

OVER PRICED TAT IN A FANCY BOX

It works (like a €4.99 Storm Lighter)

Cheap and Nasty, what looks like a metal body with rubber is in fact a plastic housing for a cheap plastic lighter with cheap plastic armour.

I looked at the Silva Helios when looking for a Butane Storm lighter but opted for a Turboflame instead due to the cost of the Helios. However I found a Storm lighter that looked similar to the Helios on the ASMC website but only costing €4.99

http://www.asmc.de/en/Lighters/Gas-Lighters/Lighter-Outdoor-p.html

I added one to an order I'd placed and sure enough when it arrived it was a bit cheap looking. However it worked reliably for a while.

I was in Cotswold Outdoor today and decided to treat myself to a Silva Helios at £16.99, it came in sealed packaging but when I opened it I discovered that not only was it pretty tacky looking with cheap looking plastic Armour and a poorly made plastic housing (with a wobbly lid) but when I removed the tiny screw under the base cap and removed the actual lighter part it was identical to the €4.99 'Outdoor' Lighter!!!

This is just the type of cynical marketing that makes me sick, in effect I paid £12.50 for a tin box and the Silva brand name.

Do yourself a favour, if you want a butane lighter buy a 5 pack of Ronson disposable's and save yourself £10-15

One more thing, the Silva header card mentions that it has a "Built in Fuel Gage*) Their spelling not mine. Yeah right the fuel tank is clear which I guess means that a Ronson disposable has a built in Fuel Gauge

Imperial Dave
Reviewed: 19 July 2007

A ROBUST, HIGHLY USEFUL BUTANE LIGHTER

Initial impressions of the lighter were that it came in a nice presentation box, feels nice and solid and has a detachable wrist strap. It has some really great little features like a "window" to see when the butane is running low and a safety clasp that mean the lid can be held shut against accidental opening. The lighter is solid but not too heavy and fits nicely in the hand. Some of the interior furniture is a little plasticky but overall the lighter feels well made and should last a while. It produces a small focused blue flame jet about a centimetre in length and is very easy to use. A full load of fuel in the lighter's reservoir seems to last for ages and should provide at least 50 uses per refill.

The only down side to the lighter that I found was that when completely inverted, it sometimes cuts out. This tends to happen when the fuel reservoir is nearly empty but also sometimes annoyingly when full. I suppose that lighters dont generally like being used completely upside down. I overcome this little issue by using the lighter at a small angle and therefore have no problems at all in this respect.

The Silva Helios lighter is a well made bit of kit that I always take with me on trips now. I havent tested it in a real howling storm so cant make a comment about the stormproof aspect claimed. Some might be put off a little by the price as you can get other butane jet lighters for about half the price. However slight niggles aside, I think this lighter will last me a longtime and I am pleased that it comes from the Silva family of equipment. I am very pleased with it and can recommend it to others wanting a surefire way of lighting up their stove when out and about.