A cigarette lighter makes a flame that can be used to light cigarettes. Usually cigarette lighters are small devices held in the hand that contain an amount of lighter fluid (which can be liquid butane or naptha) and a simple device on the top that makes it possible to start the flame and choke it off at will. There are other kinds of cigarette lighters, however: a cigarette lighter socket is a socket in the dash board of a car that contains a heating element. A cigarette can be pressed against this heating element to light it - usually the cigarette lighter in the dash is activated by pressing a removable buttonlike heating element into the dash then taking it out and applying it to the cigarette (a motorcycle cigarette lighter is similar). A cigarette lighter can even be plugged into the hole for the cigarette lighter and use the current of the heating element to power an electronic device.

There have been many variations on the cigarette lighter over the years. Since the basic design of the cigarette lighter is so simple, all kinds of shapes have been developed to make the cigarette lighters on store shelves sell better. On some cigarette lighters female images and other kinds of artwork are drawn, such as on a Betty Boop cigarette lighter from the early twentieth century. Other kinds of cigarette lighter novelty products and antique cigarette lighters exist such as a green glass cigarette lighter or 1950's cigarette lighter shaped like a car.

You can also find other types of cigarette lighters and cigarette lighter style devices such as a digital voltmeter with cigarette lighter plug (one of the devices that can be run on the power from a cigarette lighter socket in your car or on your bike) or an AA battery cigarette lighter. If you need to get a cigarette lighter repaired, you can take it to a cigarette lighter repair place - certain people specialize in vintage cigarette lighter repair and can return a vintage cigarette lighter to fine collectible or even usable condition. Because of the great variety of styles and devices used for cigarette lighters, the field of cigarette lighter memorabilia and cigarette lighter collectibles is a very large one. If you are interested in learning more about cigarette lighters and finding various cigarette lighters for starting a new collection, you can easily begin finding what you need today by touching base with other cigarette lighter collectors.