Product description: If you would be able to do magic, what would you do? Fire and magic have a close relationship, flash paper, torch to rose etc.. With Light It Up, you are able to automatically light a zippo without touching it, which will add a touch of mystery to your performances. The idea is simple and I won’t reveal much by saying it’s an electronic device hidden in a zippo case, which gives you a timer of 5 or 10 seconds before lighting by itself. But Sansminds is known for half finished and not working products so let’s go into this review !
Price and where to buy it: This is sold at $120 for the black one, $150 for the classic walnut and $180 for Vigor Maroon and you can find them here : www.magicdream.fr
What you get: The packaging is simple yet quite cool, usual from Sansminds, white and elegant. Inside, you’ll find the zippo which is a “regular” zippo case with leather housing and inside the electronic module. It’s well made and can be taken in and out from the metallic housing. What I like too is the way you can change the heating coil, which is the weak point of all device like this so you can change it if it gets damaged. You’re also supplied with a US charging plug and a usb cable. Of course, you get access to an instructional video which teaches you everything you need to know, from refilling the device, to charging it and using it. Overall, this is a nice piece of kit, it seems well made and works as advertised.
The pros and the cons: Here is the core of my review, let's begin with the cons, as I will usually be doing, I prefer to keep the good things for the end.
THE CONS:
It’s an electronic device and it’s from Sansminds so I’m a bit worried about whether it will work in 3 or 6 months.
The on/off switch is quite small and several friends of mine told me they broke it. So it’s a bit fragile.
You can’t really feel the button through the leather.
THE PROS:
It works as advertised, the heating coil is heating and trigger the wick which is full of zippo fluid. There is a small red glowing light, due to the heating coil, which is showing before the lightning of the wick but nothing weird.
The heating coil is something you can plug in so you can switch it easily if it gets damaged.
You get a 5 or 10 seconds delay before it lights up, which is, I think, enough to pull out some flash paper to ignite.
Your hands are free and away from the zippo when it lights up which is a really nice feature, you have nothing hidden or a remote to carry around.
Overall rating: It works as it should, it’s a bit pricey but the electronic does all the work for you. If you like what you see in the trailer, you won’t be disappointed with Light It Up, but it’s not my cup of tea, 3/4 hearts.
As for the difficulty level, the hardest part is to feel whether or not you pushed on the button, but it’s something you can train to get the right amount of pressure, 2/5 stars.
Similar products: I have nothing in my minds which looks like this, maybe a self igniting candle but that’s all.