Jetline Rubanno Single-Flame Lighter Review

2026-07-05  Buy Again My Money

Verdict: Buy Again... it's a keeper, just not the one my hand grabs first. I bought this because half the cigar reviewers I watch rave about it, and more than one says it's the lighter that lives on their desk. Big tank, a single flame you can dial from tiny to big, solid build for cheap money. It's also top-heavy, the grips are loose plastic, and the top runs hotter than I'd expect. None of that stopped me from keeping it.

The Setup

• What it is: single-jet butane torch... a brushed gunmetal metal top half sitting on a smoked, semi-clear plastic tank that's basically the whole bottom half (mine's lightly tinted, not crystal clear). Flip-top cap, an ignition paddle down on the body with the Jetline "J" on it, a shallow cigar rest molded into the top, and a big adjustment knob taking up the entire base
• Model: Jetline Rubanno
• Street price: $21.95
• What I paid: $17.99, my own money — nobody sent me this
• In service: had it a while now... not long enough to call it on durability yet

Why I Bought It

I kept hearing about it. Several of the cigar reviewers I follow rave about this thing, and more than one says it's the lighter that lives in their office... the one they actually reach for. Jetline's got a solid name for quality at a fair price, and they sit on the cheap end of the torch-lighter scale. I've already got a couple of their lighters and they've all held up for the money, so at this price I wanted to see what everybody was on about.

What It Gets Right

The flame. It's strong, and the adjustment range is bigger than I'm used to... you can run it from a tiny pinpoint all the way up to a big aggressive flame. Even as a single torch you can pull a real amount of fire out of it. Grain of salt, I've only played with a dozen or so lighters, but that wheel gives you more room than anything else I've handled.

Big tank, long runs. Half the body is fuel. I couldn't tell you exactly how many cigars I get per fill, but with a tank that size and a single jet, it's going a long while between top-offs... one flame just isn't burning through butane the way a double, triple, or quad does.

The bottom knob. The flame adjustment is a big knob that takes up almost the entire base. Easy to grab, easy to turn, easy to see where you set it. I really like it.

Where the button sits. The ignition sits down on the body with a big lip for your thumb, so it's dead easy to hit... and it keeps your fingers down and away from the flame and the parts that get hot up top.

Tight cap. The spring on the flip cap is tight... snaps open, snaps shut, no flop to it.

Slim and pocketable. It's decently slim and light for its size. The metal up top gives it enough heft that it won't vanish in your gym shorts, but you could drop it in a jeans pocket and forget it's there for an afternoon.

Construction. Solid. Nothing wrong with it anywhere, and the metal parts feel good in the hand.

What I'd Change

The grips move. The two grip panels on the sides are plastic, not rubber. That's a trade-off... rubber grips better but wears out faster... but the real issue is they don't sit perfectly tight. Grab the lighter and they shift a hair in your hand. They don't click, but you can hear the plastic move a little.

It's top-heavy. All the metal is up top and the whole bottom half is the plastic tank, so the weight sits high on you.

The cigar rest is more idea than feature. There's a rest built into the top, but the lips on the sides are shallow... I wouldn't trust a cigar on it unless it's sitting on a rock-solid, perfectly level surface, and even then only for a second or two while I do something else. I've had it a bit and that's about all I've used it for.

What would actually fix it. Give me more metal and a big viewing window to add some weight, and make the rest lips taller and wider so it's a real cigar rest. Yeah, that'd make the lighter bigger. Right now it feels like they went halfway on light and halfway on metal fit and finish.

It gets hot up top. The top metal gets hotter than I expected when I'm lighting a cigar. Not burn-your-hand dangerous, but very noticeable... you would not want to hold it up there, and it's a good bit more heat than I'd have guessed. Pocket it right after and you'll never know.

So Far

I haven't had it long enough to call it on durability... that's a check-back-later thing. But nothing's given me a reason to worry. Construction feels solid, the flame's been strong and lit clean every time I've grabbed it, and the gripes above are the gripes... none of them are dealbreakers.

Bottom Line

A strong, seriously adjustable single flame with a tank that runs forever, built solid, at a price that's easy to say yes to. The knocks are real... top-heavy, plastic grips that shift in your hand, a cigar rest I don't trust, and a top that runs hot. None of it makes me sorry I bought it, and it's not going anywhere. It's just not the lighter I reach for first.

Would I buy it again? Yes... as a solid second lighter, not my primary grab. It's a keeper.

Best for: anyone who wants a strong, highly adjustable single-flame torch with a big tank at a fair price... and isn't counting on it to double as a cigar rest.

Gear gets the same one-question treatment as the cigars... would I buy this again? This one's a yes... just not the one I'd grab first.

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