NexTool – Arc – torch with plasma lighter (500 lumen)

A 6061-T6 aluminium torch with an electric plasma arc as its lighter: 500 lumens of light and a way to make fire without gas or matches, in one tube 140 mm long and 22 mm across. 200 g, recharged over USB-C.

Key specifications

• 500 lumens on high, roughly 2 uur of runtime.
• 20 lumens on low, roughly 15 uur of runtime.
• Plasma arc lighter: 5 seconds per ignition, roughly 180 ignitions per charge.
• 6061-T6 aluminium body, 140 mm × 22 mm, 200 g.
• Charges over USB-C in roughly 2.5 hours.

What you use it for

For bikepacking and trekking where you need both light and fire and would rather not carry two things. The plasma arc works where a disposable gas lighter gives up: there is no open flame to blow out, so you still get your stove or your fire going in the wind. The 20 lumen setting is enough to cook or pitch a tent by; save the 500 lumens for when you actually need to see a stretch of trail.

Charging and care

Charge it before you leave rather than out on the trail when it is already too late: empty to full takes roughly 2.5 hours. In cold weather expect less than the stated runtime — that holds for any lithium battery. Keep the arc contacts clean; soot from lighting fires is the most common reason an arc stops jumping, and a dry cloth deals with it.