Ask a person for a cigarette lighter, and learn something about her or his personality. Granted, cigarette lighters are usually a staple for smokers, but it is not surprising that also nonsmokers carry them around. When it comes to gadgets, nothing beats the usefulness of a cigarette lighter. It is interesting to note that in the history of antique cigarette lighters, it was the lighter that came before the match. Thus, the first in depth feature of this little device leads to the astonishing recognition that there is more to the humble lighter than could possibly meet the eye.

When it comes to preferences in smokers, those cigarette lighters female smokers will use are generally both sleek and slim, or the generic cigarette lighter that is for sale at the dime store. The cigarette lighter novelty product is most often observed in the hands of male smokers, who also enjoy the green glass cigarette lighter. Perhaps somewhat of a misnomer, the green coloring refers not to the outside of the cigarette lighter but to the color of the flame. As such, this little gadget is one of the quintessential manly tools that works a bit like a Bunsen burner and has a million uses.

Of course, for the ultimate convenience there is the cigarette lighter in the car, which enables the driver to light a smoke while driving without having to strike a match or operate a regular lighter. Utilizing the same technology that powers the in-car cigarette lighter, nowadays there is a host of gadgets that can be powered with the help of the cigarette lighter socket.

Take a stroll down the hardware aisle of the local big box store, and you will be surprised to spot a digital voltmeter with cigarette lighter plug, a cigarette lighter adapter kit to be used for anything from cell phone chargers to power tools, and of course the ever present coffee cup warmer that derives its heat from the same source.

While for the lighter aficionado there are a host of different kinds of gadgets available, the AA battery cigarette lighter never really caught on. The same is true for the cigarette lighter repair shop, which was supposed to take over the repairs of the higher end models. Yet with lighters being extremely cheap, there is generally no need to repair them. Thus, if your motorcycle cigarette lighter breaks, or if the Betty Boop cigarette lighter suddenly gives up the ghost, you will just have to purchase another one. Yet there is still a market for vintage cigarette lighter repair simply for the fact that some of these are true artifacts of an era gone by. A 1950's cigarette lighter will speak of fast cars, pinks, and teen idols and as such many an aficionado will not want to part with it when it breaks.