ZORACook Torch Lighter Review 2026: Brass Blow Torch vs Handheld Butane Torch
If you love cooking at home and enjoy techniques like caramelising sugar on desserts, charring vegetables, or lighting charcoal for a weekend BBQ, a good torch is a genuine must-have. But with so many options in the market, how do you know which one is actually worth your money?
ZORACook makes two butane torches, and they are built for different people. This review covers both honestly: the Brass Blow Torch (₹219) and the Handheld Butane Torch (₹238).
Quick verdict
| Brass Blow Torch | Handheld Butane Torch | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | ₹219 (MRP ₹729) | ₹238 (MRP ₹789) |
| Body | Solid brass | Compact, ergonomic grip |
| Flame | Adjustable jet, ~1,300–1,430°C | Adjustable blue jet, ~1,300°C |
| Safety lock | No (adjustable valve) | Yes |
| Refillable | Yes, standard butane | Yes, standard butane |
| Best for | Kitchen + workshop, light soldering | Kitchen, desserts, homes with children |
They are only ₹19 apart, so the choice is about what you'll do with it, not budget. Buy the Brass Blow Torch if you also want a tool that handles DIY jobs. Buy the Handheld if you mainly cook and want a safety lock.
What is a butane kitchen torch?
A butane torch is a refillable tool that delivers a concentrated jet flame that reaches high temperatures within seconds. Unlike an ordinary lighter, that focused heat is what lets you caramelise, sear and char with precision.
Whether you want to perfectly finish a crème brûlée, get a smoky char on paneer tikka, or light a charcoal grill without lighter fluid, a torch handles it in seconds.
ZORACook Brass Blow Torch — ₹219
The differentiator here is the material. Most torches at this price are plastic or plastic-aluminium mixes; this one has a solid brass body, which is heavier in the hand, dissipates heat better and simply survives more use.
- Adjustable valve — a soft tip for crème brûlée, a focused jet for tougher jobs
- Fully refillable with standard butane (no proprietary canisters)
- Doubles as a light workshop tool — handles copper joints up to ~15 mm (½") for small soldering jobs
- Kitchen caramelising, dhungar smoking, BBQ char work and grill lighting
The honest caveat: it uses an adjustable valve rather than a push-button safety lock. If there are young children in the house, that matters — see the Handheld below.
For the full picture on what it can and can't do in a workshop, read our honest DIY plumbing guide.
ZORACook Handheld Butane Torch — ₹238
This is the kitchen-first option. Compact, ergonomic, with an adjustable blue flame reaching around 1,300°C and — the key difference — a built-in safety lock that prevents accidental ignition.
If you reach for a torch several times a week for crème brûlée, sugar glazing or browning a cake top, the grip and the lock are worth the extra ₹19. It is the one we'd recommend to most home bakers.
How Indian home cooks actually use a torch
Dhungar technique: Give dal tadka, raita or biryani that authentic smoky flavour. A torch lights the charcoal piece in seconds instead of minutes. Full method in our dhungar guide.
Caramelising desserts: Crème brûlée or caramel custard at home — that golden, crackling sugar top is genuinely hard to get any other way.
Charring and roasting: Char tomatoes for chutney, roast baingan for bharta, or put grill marks on paneer tikka without a tandoor.
BBQ and grilling: The fastest way to get charcoal burning evenly. Many people pair a torch with the ZORACook Arc BBQ Lighter (₹189) — arc for speed and wind, torch for stubborn or damp coals. See our home BBQ guide.
How these compare to ZORACook's other lighters
The Premium Steel Gas Lighter (₹149) is for everyday gas-stove lighting — long reach, stainless steel body, nothing to charge or refill. The Arc BBQ Lighter (₹189) is flameless and windproof, best for outdoor grilling, candles and diyas.
Neither of those can do what a torch does. A piezo lighter gives you a spark; a torch gives you sustained, directed heat. If you only light a stove, you don't need a torch. If you cook, you probably do. Full comparison: best butane torches under ₹500 in India.
Running costs
Both refill from a standard ₹199 butane can, and one can refills either torch many times over. That is the real argument against disposable lighters — you buy the tool once and top it up for years.
One thing to get right when you order that fuel: both torches refill from a cassette-type butane can, the same 225 g can that runs the ZORACook stoves. A threaded EN417 screw-on camping canister is a different standard and will not fit either torch. The two fittings are set out side by side, with a comparison table, in cassette vs screw-on butane.
Who should buy one?
Home cooks who experiment, anyone who hosts BBQs, baking enthusiasts who want restaurant-quality dessert finishes, and anyone tired of cheap disposable lighters. If you also do small DIY jobs around the house, the brass one earns its place twice over.
Safe use
Use only in ventilated areas, keep away from face, hair and anything flammable, and never leave a lit torch unattended. Let the nozzle cool fully before refilling or storing. Keep out of reach of children. See our step-by-step refilling guide.
Final verdict
Both are worth buying, and at ₹219–₹238 neither is a big commitment. Pick the Brass Blow Torch for durability and dual kitchen/workshop use; pick the Handheld Butane Torch if you cook more than you tinker, or if a safety lock matters in your home.
Free shipping across India with no minimum order. All payment methods accepted — cash on delivery, UPI, cards, wallets and net banking.
The brass model is covered end to end in the brass blow torch guide, and the rules for using either one safely indoors are in the torch lighter safety guide. Neither torch replaces a burner lighter: for the stove itself, the kitchen gas lighter range is the right shelf.
And if you are weighing up the gas rather than the tool — why these are butane and not propane, and where a propane or MAPP torch is genuinely the better buy for heavier copper work — that is answered in butane vs propane vs LPG.
Frequently asked questions
Which ZORACook torch has a safety lock?
The Handheld Butane Torch (₹238). It has a built-in safety lock that has to be released before the trigger will fire. The Brass Blow Torch (₹219) does not have one — its flame is controlled by an adjustable valve instead. If a lock matters in your home, that single difference decides the choice.
Does the ZORACook Brass Blow Torch have a built-in igniter?
No. The Brass Blow Torch has no piezo igniter — you open the gas valve and light the nozzle from a separate flame or spark. The Handheld Butane Torch lights from its own trigger. It is worth knowing before you buy, because torch listings rarely say it plainly.
Is the Handheld Butane Torch worth ₹19 more than the Brass Blow Torch?
It depends what you will do with it, not on budget. For kitchen work — crème brûlée, searing, browning — the extra ₹19 buys a trigger grip, self-ignition and a safety lock, which is good value. For workshop use and light soldering, the solid brass body of the ₹219 torch is the more durable tool.
Which ZORACook torch is better for a home with young children?
The Handheld Butane Torch, because of the safety lock — it will not fire if the trigger is knocked in a drawer. Whichever you own, store it out of reach of children, let the nozzle cool fully before putting it away, and use it only in a ventilated space.
Is a solid brass torch body actually better than a plastic one?
For durability, yes. Brass is heavier, so the torch sits steadier on a worktop, and it takes repeated heating without softening or deforming the way a thin plastic body can. The trade-off is weight — for long one-handed sessions over a pan, some cooks prefer the lighter Handheld.
Browse ZORACook torches and specialty lighters →
Both torches are refillable, so budget for fuel as well: the butane gas cylinders collection carries the 225 g cans they take, from ₹199.