Not your friend and not the friend of a friend and other hear say.

You. Yourself.

Have you had a torch taken by airport personnel?
What kind?

No, not me. Not yet.

Yes. I lost my Ronson to the Heathrow guards, when trying to get to my connecting flight. I was unaware of then new regulations, and they let it in w/o saying me a word in the airport where I arrived from.
When I saw a table displaying forbidden items I knew it's gone. The Heathrow lady was very polite, she looked at it as I pulled it out in a vain hope to talk my way through and said she is sorry but she has to take it...

Yup, I lost one in Denver when I was heading to the OSU/K-state Fiesta Bowl game.

Yes, I lost an el cheapo Ronson in February. I was flying out of Halifax to Varadero. One of our travel mates was allowed to take her 2 bic lighters but my butane lighter was a big no-no. Although it may not be related, after I had the lighter taken I was told that I had been chosen for random screening. I was patted down and checked over pretty good. No rubber gloves though.

Lost one at BWI. One screener let me through, but a second took it.

No

No

I lost one at the airport in Colorado Springs as I was traveling to Chicago.

I just got my first torch and have yet to travel with it...but I'm not even going to attempt to take it in fear that it will be taken since by the rules they are not allowed. I have had several BIC lighters taken from me before the new rules were in effect. Now I plan to just travel with a BIC rather than a torch.

For Christmas, my wife bought me a Colibri TSA approved travel container for lighters.

I'm traveling to Colorado for a ski trip in a few weeks and am still hesitant to try taking a good lighter.

I thought I saw in an earlier thread that the airport screeners weren't familiar with these containers and confiscated the lighters anyway.

Does anyone have any experience traveling with these?

I had my very first torch lighter confiscated by TSA. It was a Prometheus and pretty nice, think I got to use it once. Anyway it was taken from my checked baggage and when I got home I found a TSA note informing me that illicit material had been taken when the bag was screened.

I also have looked into the Colbrini transpak but agree that I am hesitant to use it. If you decide to try it out SubChop, let us know how it went.

I guess if you really want to use it at your destination, you always can throw it in your checked-in bag, rather than have it on you or in carry-on. I wouldn't risk a good/expensive one, as encountering an ignorant officer is always a chance.
OTOH, losing the check-in baggage also is...

Wait a second, they take it even from check-in luggage?

quote:

Originally posted by V.O.:
you always can throw it in your checked-in bag,

Torches have been removed from checked in baggage.
That's the problem.

quote:

Torches have been removed from checked in baggage.
That's the problem

Now that really sucks... Never happened to me. I never had problems like that with my checked bags.
Even with pressurized butane fillers and liquid Zippo fuel.