Metal Pixiu Totem Lighter

A lighter made into a pixiu is a sensible pairing. A lighter is used every day and comes out of a pocket more often than a wallet, so having something to look at on the body beats a plain slab. A metal shell has weight in the hand, and that heft does not lie when you light up. The body is usually stamped in one piece or die-cast: die casting gives rounded edges, stamping leaves hard corners, and one touch tells them apart. The weight is both the virtue and the problem, since a metal lighter drags in a shirt pocket.

The pixiu totem is cut into the body, usually in relief and sometimes etched. Relief costs labour, and the light and shadow come slowly, so you have to look at it from an angle; etching is flat, the pattern clear, and at a distance it looks printed on. This one takes the totem route, the pattern spread wide with little blank space at the edges. Totem patterns most easily blur into one mass. There has to be a difference in depth before it reads as a beast rather than a knot of ornament.

A metal body fears two things: a fall and damp. Drop it and the hinge deforms first, the lid no longer closes tight and the gas escapes; damp and the surface spots, and the spots come back after wiping. Keep it in a pocket away from keys and never in with coins. The lid should close with a crisp click. A dull click means the seal has aged, the gas will not hold and the flame will not steady. The seal is a wear part that costs very little to replace, so do not swap the whole lighter over it.

Travelling with a lighter takes planning. It cannot go in the cabin or the hold on a plane, and it will not pass security at a railway station either, so leave it at home before you set out rather than surrendering it at the checkpoint. That is not a scare tactic; someone asks every year. A metal shell conducts heat fast, and a day in a hot car makes it too hot to pick up, so do not leave it on the dashboard. Where the body is carved, dust collects in the corners, and a dry soft toothbrush takes it out.

As a gift it suits almost any occasion: a smoker will use it, and a non-smoker can keep it on a desk as an ornament. With a pixiu on it the wording comes easily, a good omen without going mystical. Ask before buying whether it is flint or arc, because the two work quite differently, and the depth of the engraving affects the feel as well: too deep and it digs into the hand, too shallow and it wears smooth in a few months. A lighter is something used every day, and working well matters more than looking well.