The Exploding Lighter! | MythBusters | Season 4 Episode 26 | Full Episode

The duo explore the myth of the ‘Exploding Lighter’ where a small, disposable lighter can suddenly ignite with the force of several sticks of dynamite!
Using science as a tool, Hollywood special effects experts attempt to debunk rumours, urban legends and popular myths that have captivated the minds of many individuals.
#MythBusters #FactOrFiction

[@Gaatje-oe1xi]

Whoever is uploading this TV gold.... Thank you!!!! The nostalgia is so so good.

[@nickyoung9108]

That would be Banijay Science, who is also uploading another set of episodes near daily on their YT channel.

[@Koobko]

​@@nickyoung9108- they are a the owners of rights to multiple tv shows now, including Mythbusters. Finally Mythbusters are on YT. Not just by proxy of other youtubers just replicating their stunts

[@WwarpfirewW]

I don't really get why TVs don't repost old stuff, they would made even more money

[@gabrielv.4358]

They were on youtube before, they were deleted and appeared here.... BAD, but good

[@gabrielv.4358]

@@Hampsteri42 If it wasnt how can banjay let this channel upload it?

[@ichiroutakashima4503]

Ah, the good old Mythbuster days where the whole team is being friends with their neighbors, lmao.

[@trippycat]

Love when Jamie says they should put a bowling ball at 14:20, shows how much freedom and fun they have

[@joyphobic]

19:31 "The area's real estate value is dropping by the second!" is the funniest thing the narrator have ever said on this series, I'm crying laughing

[@Qwentar]

Disposable lighters initially were often left in pockets when doing laundry, and would explode when in the dryer cycle. The lighters were examined with... I think X-Rays... and a common trait was identified: poor O ring seals, which allowed fluid to leak. As a result of this examination and investigation, quality of disposable cigarette lighters has improved and the chances of one exploding in the dryer is drastically reduced.

[@user_unav]

I was gonna say 😱👀 bc I’ve definitely had a few lighters go thru washing and dryer 😬

[@scrivener68]

When I was a kid, my Dad had a whole buncha lighters with his company logo on them for promotional purposes. We'd take them out behind the garage and make them explode by throwing them down on the parking pad as hard as we could. I'm not sure whether the ignition spark was made by the flint or just metal sparking off the concrete, but they definitely blew up.

[@bokami3445]

I did that too.... that was until the cops showed up. (14:00)

[@panzerveps]

We used to take the metal cap off and turn the adjustment wheel one round up and put the cap back on. That was the shortcut to making them explode by themselves.

[@zsoltbartus169]

17:13 - that was savage and hilarious from Tori. 😂

[@leontanghe183]

They just keep coming!!!

[@chewy4641]

When I was a kid we found a lighter on the ground and obviously decided to play with it. I threw it on the ground to try and break it and it exploded, and my friends and I were absolutely flabbergasted. Never been able to replicate.

[@the_DeadEye]

I can believe I am finally seeing these on youtube, easy to watch at any moment!

[@gatovillano7009]

at 23:58, there is a technique where you keep your finger on the trigger and each finger of the left hand hits the hammer. It's the only way it can be done.

[@stevebrown4475]

I've had lighters blow apart sitting on the console of my car just from our Australian sun. It doesn't get melted it just blows apart.

[@Goalsplus]

Direct sunlight makes a difference.

[@AR-xy4jy]

It also happend to me here in Munich on a hot summer day. My lighter was one of those clear ones made from hard plastic.

[@stevebrown4475]

@@AR-xy4jy yeah them clear lighters are the worst ones for blowing apart

[@jraboi01]

had a few burst on me when I forgot them in my car in Florida. Burned strips into the headliner every time and then i'd find a lighter with a hole blown in the side.

[@Visvangmeneer]

Happened to me too in the netherlands😂

[@fnherzog]

28:01 one of my favourite Mythbusters moments

[@DK_1983]

Whats your second most favorite moment?

[@calumhughes2778]

My read of the silver dollar myth is that the dude would THROW the silver dollar in the air and then get 5 shots off before it hit the ground. Thats plausible.

[@EmilFranken]

yes those were my thoughts aswell. its a coin toss not just dropping the coin

[@bambae7669]

that's not a myth at all, anyone could pull that off with some practice if you just yeet the coin to the sky.

[@tujefaeslaroca3945]

kzbin.infoFjN3KLWUoFU?si=LrmOV00IhLNaKTpY

[@tujefaeslaroca3945]

Look at that short

[@tujefaeslaroca3945]

kzbin.infoercoZZzwA-4?si=gj6FUcNMDGzAuZ7M​@@bambae7669

[@JayJames-nl1cn]

18:55 👀

[@TysonJensen]

Electric dryer, modern lighter? Yeah, nothing. Old lighter (pressure buildup from heat would make them fail. like, burst open kinda fail). and a gas or propane dryer and... you could get some excitement.

[@Pawel_Mrozek]

The funny thing about this myth about lighters exploding from heat is that MythBusters proved that it's impossible, that when I was in Morocco in the Sahara a few years ago I saw it explode a few minutes after it was put on the table. It just popped from the heat and I saw this with my own eyes. By the way, a trip to the Sahara in July is an extreme sport. It's hard to say what the temperature was in the full sun, but in the shade it was over 40C.

[@kikixchannel]

They removed the direct sunlight from the equation which is far more dangerous than ambient heat. Put a bottle of water in an unfortunate way in front of a lighter? Have fun cleaning up after it. Sunlight itself is damaging to plastic, so a lighter that's regularly kept in a car exposed to sunlight will get more fragile from that alone.

[@alsternerd]

The thing with the rope is that it mostly was down to breaking your neck by falling down suddenly. Not the suffocation, that's when you don't fall enough and get stuck.

[@mizcs]

Thats kinda at the discretion of the hangman though(or how competent he was)

[@johansomeone1948]

Yea, I have heard of the hangman's jigg.🤭

[@KandiKlover]

@@mizcs or how much he wants to make you suffer. Letting the prisoners kick their feet a bit before expiring was always part of the spectacle. Also you're supposed to shoot the rope with a shotgun, that's why they couldn't get it.

[@Nagria2112]

if you throw a flintstone cheap fire with the right angle on the ground it explodes. but you need to hit the top part on concrete and if you aim just right there can be sparks. we did this is highschool with lighters that had almost no gas left---

[@gorgha3988]

Before even watching this, I'll tell you the exploding lighter thing is real. I had one explode in my hand as I was lighting a cigarette. Miraculously I somehow didn't get hurt, but my eyebrows took forever to grow back.

[@kikixchannel]

It hardly seems that energetic, so I don't think it can do more than just cause some pain and minor burns to softer tissue. Even if you gave it the best possible chance to cause any harm, I doubt there'd be more than just minor damage that would heal, maybe leaving some minor scar. It's more of a problem if there's a lot of flamable stuff around that could light up from even brief contact with a lighter. Or obviously...if there's a lot of them in a realitively small space. But you're more likely to lose an eye to a piece of the lighter flying into it than get anything serious from the explosion itself.

[@MichaelKingsfordGray]

At least they give emergency services some training.

[@StorymasterQ]

IIRC, with all their bomb myths, their local bomb squad is one of the most trained in the country.

[@pieterventer8212]

I'm from South Africa, it happened to me where I left my lighter in the dashboard and it exploded on my way to a golf game. I thought i was being shot at.

[@rohitraghunathan]

Adam: That's out car? Jamie, holding a toaster: That's our car. Adam: ... Adam(sincerely): That's perfect!

[@th3v1k1ngW4rri0r]

the hanging rope myth, they didnt leave the rope weighted for 24 hours to stretch it, which was something they used to do when hanging someone.

[@mareklewandowski829]

Look how happy Jamie is blowing up all these lighters 😆

[@julitoole]

So rare that main myth ppl help out on side myths love the scramble

[@donwald3436]

25:08 lol give up we all know it's a Bic.

[@spiralyahgaming4566]

11:18 That's not true. When i was a kid i used to throw used disposable lighters at a wall for fun. They didn't burst into flames but they exploded with a bang when hitting the right spot.

[@gabrielv.4358]

19:40 WHAT AN ##$#LE... I would LOVEEEEEEEEEE to have been a Mythbusters neighbor!!

[@quidquopro1185]

19:34 Lol, party poppers!

[@Peter_1986]

Back when they still played the original "MythBusters" title theme.

[@santiagopanes64]

18:57 nice shot

[@JackedDriverZ24]

"FORE!.....three, two, one.." - Jamie made a joke

[@johansomeone1948]

Taking notes just taking notes. I mean about the lighter experiments. 😄👍

[@TitusX49]

39:26 500 CIGARETTE LIGHTERS

[@rickyspanish492]

Bob Munden would have been perfect for this episode! Check out his videos if you haven't seen him before. What an elite shooter.

[@TheNukedNacho]

500 Cigarettes vs 500 Lighters

[@ajorngjdonaydbr]

Equals Cancer

[@marcellhegyi1363]

one thing about gunslinging they forgot was burst firing with fingers. There are people who can chain fire SA revolvers by holding the trigger and pulling their fingers back the hammer and it can result in a very fast burst of fire

[@gordonbrinkmann]

I would have liked to see what would have happened if you left a lighter on the dashboard and some glasses or sunglasses accidentally focusing the sunlight on the lighter 😁

[@goodsensimila9164]

The rims on the car doe ❤!

[@Lee-At-Green-Pheonix-Rc]

Grant turned a 1800s revolver and ads robotics and makes a machine gatling gun

[@thirdiprodigy3579]

Leave my clothes and other flammable items in the locker room when welding got it!

[@adamloadsman2133]

Did anyone else see the man on "Stan Lee's Superhumans" who could shoot two glass targets 6 feet apart and you only hear one shot fired? The slow mo replay proved he fires twice and hits both targets, but he was so fast you only hear one shot. He could do the 5 shots

[@evenjohansen4584]

Probably Bob Munden you're referring to!😎

[@ameries147]

oh man, my childhood right here

[@arruffosvk]

Once i forgot lighter in my car in the middle console and when i come back next day I found that lighter was scattered all over the car. Fortunately no damage to the car, but definitely this could happen. 28:30

[@cathyannespencer3690]

Can you please send some more of my favorite show

[@ShortStrokeArmoury]

The episode where grant builds a machine gun also happens to be when adam wears an ATF shirt 😅

[@potterj09]

Ahh the memories of rigging a friends lighter to blow or flame up when it was one of those ones with the little round slider.

[@danielk9316]

last month i had a nonelectric BIC lighter. after using it, it decided itself if it keeps burning or not. next to burned my beard with. worked like intended but had this dangerous new special feature. i used BIC lighters for over 20 years. first time this happened. not sure if i should consider them as safe or not. these little accidents with this one were frightening, but 20 years without a problem? guess that was the one out of a billion.

[@neilperry2224]

What a waste of a rare Toyota corolla 2 door!!

[@bradlyniminiken6339]

They wrecked so many nice cars, but back then these cars weren’t worth much

[@AubinZ]

Even weirder, it was a Toyota Corona! Maybe it being so uncommon made it easier for them to destroy... spiritually.

[@Big_Red_Wade]

OMG shooting a silver dollar from 1879 is like throwing away $15,000-$100,000 lol

[@dvvass]

I had a lighter pop inside my fishing bag this summer. Sun+heat was enough. It did not ignite. No spark or flame.

[@SenseiKreese]

Begs the question, would a silver dollar save your life? We need this show back lol..

[@stevebrown4475]

Gun fighters used to cut the barrel down to get it out of the holster quicker on them longer barrel guns.

[@BabyMakR]

12:31 It's been a long time since I was a kid and I did this dozens of times.

[@Jethro.Maloku-le.Rey.Kalsitran]

even in the old time, to avoid the guy moving like a fish on a hook, hangings occurred with a fall and sometimes a weight with the knot on the side so the neck cracked if you cut the rope after the hanging... it would have been useless anyway...

[@PandamoniuGaming]

The fact they destroyed a classic Toyota Corona thats extremely rare is actually pretty sad, it was in great condition and they set it on firw without thinking about the fact they've always been rare and are worth a pretty good amount (even during the time this was filmed, they were pretty desirable)

[@johngamer6255]

They've recently become a lot more expensive, but more than a decade back, you used to be able to get them a dime a dozen, at least here in New Zealand but with that all said it is a bit sad to see it burn

[@PandamoniuGaming]

@@johngamer6255 they've always been pretty rare over in the US which just baffles me as to why they'd use a corona instead of something like a cheap police crown Vic or something

[@nealmacdonald8191]

I saw e a show that said there never was any such thing as a "Showdown" in the 'Old West"

[@aivaraslabokas7172]

As kids, we were finding these lighters all over the block. Half full, half empty :) It didn't matter, even empty ones went off. We just loved to smash them right to the ground and hear the "bang". No need to ask about the plastic shrapnel and metal parts going all over. Was bleeding many times, with minor skin scratches or none at all.

[@Rolandas1982]

Scary as hell 😅😅😅😅😅 both dudes are engineers and should know very well what happens when a can of pressurised gas ( even as small as a lighter ) meets a solid object hitting it at high velocity and producing over pressurisation as well as heat.

[@TheTheNatona]

They do know it. But theory is not the same as practise. Also they have a show to make so they most definitely are gonna prove it one way or another 😉

[@BigCheeli]

28:00 peak comedy

[@KathySturak]

I once went to a festival,soundwave at eastern creek, it was a hot day walking around, all of. The sudden i thought someone threw a bottle at me only to discover my lighter ( cheap clear) blew in my pocket

[@henkneijer77]

Lighter explodes in hot car while driving - happened to me and I live in Austria - it's possible and damn dangerous..cowboy ropes, lassos are harder and tighter twisted

[@damoncracknell7789]

WELDERS FLASH LOOKING AT BARE WELDING?!

[@Ben0TheNeko]

Kari is 🔥

[@Smilies-hb3mr]

That you can not do it, doesn't mean there is someone that can do it. There are unique people out there wich are one of a kind with their skills. For example, ask a youngster now how to use a dialphone from the 80's. most don't know. or how to open a cassettape case.

[@RainOrigami]

no Kari, it's "Franklin"

[@thegoodsmiff2435]

"not used to a long gun"

[@Ransume]

Weird coincidence... 3 days ago I was at a cottage, I was sitting in the sun with a plastic lighter clutched I my hand when out of nowhere it exploded (no flame) from pressure somehow. It was the weirdest thing. Point of my story, apparently lighters can just explode for no reason in the sun lol.

[@MichelleUS66]

Beavis is watching this episode and taking notes.

[@somedude3443]

Heheheheh, fiiirrrrrrre, heh he heheheh...

[@warutait8346]

To save time no its not a big deal.if a lighter catches fire it will usually hiss then let the rest of the gass out n thats it. My mate was pinging one night and was chewing on a lighter and it exploded and he was fine. A lighter also caught fire on my couch and the couch melted the lighter. So it doesn't explode for or less just releases the gas

[@UmbraAtrox_]

yay my favorite walrus is back on tv.

[@chandranegarawirakusuma5778]

One of my uncle passed away because a lighter exploded inside his shirt chest pocket, it happened in front all of us while we're chatting in the driveway under the sun. His lighter explode, the liquid spread and in a split second his face and shirt caught on fire...after 2 weeks in ICU he passed away. So, yeah... that tiny lighter is deadly.

[@baylego]

Sucks to hear man, my condolences

[@chandranegarawirakusuma5778]

@@baylego thanks...

[@gavindron7511]

3:40 Freddie Mercury leaving the bathroom

[@Li_ska]

So I had a lighter explode in the back of a car. It just needs to be almost empty.

[@LuthienFelagund]

living in the middle east. it's hard to find a smoker that HASN'T had a lighter explode in their car during the summers. worst damage i've seen though was a slightly cracked windshield. it does seem to be limited to the cheap lighters though, normally those no-name transparent colored lighters. the opaque bic lighters never seem to go off, i'm guessing the plastic is too thick to weaken enough

[@Li_ska]

@@LuthienFelagund ye i agree

[@ajorngjdonaydbr]

​@@Li_ska I've been in a store in Spain during a heatwave and witnessed multiple full unused lighters exploding, simpky because they caught the direct sunlight

[@ShuraLionheart]

I kicked a simple bic lighter with the tip of my shoe after throwing it in the air and it exploded just a little bit. There wasn't much gas left in it but I remember trying to recreate it with other bic lighters and it never happened since XD

[@Visvangmeneer]

These early 2000 lowwaist🤤 jeans

[@lordj805]

Long ago, myself and a partner were working on a job on an hot summer day, my partner had left a lighter on the dashboard of the van we travelled in, on our return to the van, we found pieces of the lighter, having exploded. Yet no fire. I guess the heat was enough for gas expansion so the lighter exploded; but, there was not an flame or spark to ignite the gas. Indirect heat from the sun is enough to explode an gas lighter, but no where near enough for ignition of the gas.

[@user_unav]

I’ve seen this happen with a can of deodorant except it also blew out the front windshield don’t leave compressed gasses in hot cars 😅

[@Visvangmeneer]

You can just hit a lighter with a golfclub without danger. Just wear jeans jeanjacket and glasses

[@crazybuddha6602]

I have often forgotten my lighter in my pants and it ended up in the dryer. The only thing that happened was that the gas ran out or the lighter sneaked out of my pocket and got stuck between the drum and the frame.

[@brokenboy2423]

I had my lighter on the dash of my car and it exploded It was a clear cheap one And I think the glass magnifying the lighter made it blow lucky i was in the supermarket when it happened

[@Jamie_D]

Isn't he totally wrong at 11:15? Surely it's still considered an explosion if it bursts from internal pressure build up even if there's no ignition or ignition source?

[@Jamie_D]

Hmm yea they later correctly talked about explosions, saying explosion in the sunlight.

[@vivianzhang6987]

17:14 that’s what she said

[@thijsdeboer389]

When i was a kid i decided to smash a lighter with a rock once because i wanted to know what was inside Didn't try it again after😂

[@Oblivianna]

15:23 "white boy high-five!! :D "

[@bghoody5665]

Two questions 1) Who's the nekkid woman in the credits? 2) What kind of car was that they blew up at the end?

[@DoctorNemmo]

If I'm correct, that's the Goldfinger myth, in which case that would be Margaret Nolan.

[@majortom4543]

This guy questions the right things.

[@Quazzymon]

FORE three two one

[@kimsland999]

Actually lighters seem to explode when left in hot cars BUT they only explode when you open the door!

[@thomasjoychild4962]

Some kind of thermal shock effect from letting in the presumably-slightly-cooler outside air?

[@kimsland999]

@@thomasjoychild4962 It must be. I had this happen to me a long time ago, sudden cooler air makes hot lighters explode.

[@mycroftsanchez901]

Anyone else notice the continuity errors with Adam's T-Shirts?

[@user_unav]

They film different days it’s not a secret

[@user_unav]

Some of these experiments would take days to set up / film

[@user_unav]

It’s not like it’s a scripted tv show where scenes even though filmed days/weeks apart they try and keep continuity

[@Treviath]

The lighter in a car part is in my opinion missing an important ingredient: The lighter sitting in direct sunlight. While the insides of the car might not rise to high enough temperature, I'm sure surfaces can.

[@TheTrueBatBrain]

They placed it on a baking tray, that sheet metal is getting hotter than any car plastic

[@Treviath]

​@@TheTrueBatBrainthe tray isn't going to get hotter than ambient temperature.

[@ukuthulakhumalo6288]

@@Treviath especially if it isn’t in direct sunlight

[@TheTrueBatBrain]

@@Treviath your original comment said that the surface, not the ambient temperature, would be enough be hotter. The baking tray is the surface and as a metal conductor of heat they get hotter than the ambient temperature around them. In a hot car for example the metal clips on a seat belt can become scorching hot while the rest remains uncomfortable. If it wasn't going up on the baking tray in the oven, it wasn't going to go up

[@Treviath]

@@TheTrueBatBrain the lighter is a surface. On top of absorbing ambient temperature, it absorbs sunlight.

[@micha0001]

Anyone remembers James Garner shooting a hole in a washer in "Support your local sheriff"?

[@shaunlewis286]

State of that mig nozzle 🙄😀

[@patrikhjorth3291]

Yeah so, smoking is bad for you, 'kay.

[@Wanton110]

I would have aimed at the rope around the wood where it wouldn't move

[@pollutedcrimson]

Crazy they couldn't just hit the lighters with the golf club themselves. Did it all the time as a child. They could have had full safety gear?

[@glynwelshkarelian3489]

What's the car at 40:00 ?

[@TobiasJStrand]

Same question!

[@majortom4543]

its a Lada but if its past 1970s then its the Dacia Sandero that James May loves.

[@Killix_Games]

Isn't there a dude that can fan 4 shots almost instantly

[@xcoder1122]

What is the point of having to wait 10 days to buy firearms in California? What exactly is going to change in 10 days? How does this provide any kind of protection? In Germany, you need a license to buy firearms (just like you need a driver's license to drive a car), and you only get one if you fill out some paperwork, pass a background check, have no felony convictions on your record, and are considered physically and mentally fit to own firearms. Getting such a license can take some time, but that's just to do the checks and paperwork, and it's a one-time process, so once you have one, you can just buy firearms. Every purchase you make (including ammunition) is recorded on your license and also recorded with the authorities so that they know at all times what firearms you own and how much ammunition you have. You are not allowed to sell any of it privately, and if any of it is lost or stolen, you will be held responsible because you must ensure that your guns and ammunition are kept safe at all times. Also, officials are free to come to your house at any time and demand that you show them the firearms you have on record, and then you better be able to do so.

[@TheMrEvs]

dude you're european so you can't understand the mindset. it's to stop people buying guns on an angry whim. Americans are crazy man

[@almerindaromeira8352]

The principle is the same: you don't go home the same day with the gun

[@francesconicoletti2547]

Your wife can get out of the house, your depression can get under control, that dispute with the neighbour over the tree on property boundary might not look that important, those barking dogs might not be that irritating. In other words why would someone impulse buy a gun ? Why would they need a killing machine right now ?

[@kyuofcosmic]

It does provide protection if someone’s purchasing a gun for self harm.

[@victorcarlsson1415]

this is Season 4 Episode 23 not 26

[@majortom4543]

41:21 Who is that new helper, shes not kari. And since i had never seen her before, im going to asume its Jamies gf