Craighill launches Swingtop Lighter
Craighill's new Swingtop Lighter is a refillable stainless steel pocket lighter with a swinging snuffer, inspired by historical designs.
Brooklyn design studio Craighill has launched the Swingtop Lighter. It is a refillable pocket lighter made from die-cast stainless steel in the brand's own workshop. The design rethinks an everyday object by looking to historical mechanisms for inspiration, moving away from contemporary disposable models. The lighter features a unique swinging snuffer to extinguish the flame. Two colour variations are available. The launch was done in collaboration with the Whitney Museum of Contemporary Art, a notable fixtures in the cultural calendar for design enthusiasts.
Design and mechanism
The Swingtop Lighter operates via a pressed lever. This action activates the flint mechanism while simultaneously lifting an integrated snuffer. The flame remains lit on the wick until the user swings the snuffer back over it. The design allows users to refill the fuel well, wick, and flint themselves. Craighill co-founder Zach Fried stated the object, like many of the studio's redesigned products, is meant to last for years. He described it as a pursuit of material quality in a moment of planned obsolescence.
"We want to bring things forward that feel timeless," Fried said. The studio's aim is to execute designs in a surprisingly satisfying way. They see daily interactions with common objects as often disappointing.
Two colour options were created for the project.
Marketing and prototype
The company is known for its explanatory videos. For the lighter, it posted videos on Instagram featuring a massive prototype. These videos explain each design feature and critique problems with contemporary lighters. Co-founder Hunter Craighill said this approach provides an inroad for people to connect with design. He noted they focus on commonplace objects and zoom into specific interactions the design team obsessed over.
"It's such a ubiquitous object," Hunter Craighill said. He clarified the brand's work is not merely reimagining everyday objects but is a bit more expansive than that. While rigorous in design, the studio prioritises playfulness. The marketing videos carry a sense of whimsy with their oversized prototypes and personal engagement.
"I feel like we are like very rigorous in a lot of the design work, and then oftentimes there will be some kind of like wink or twist," said Hunter Craighill.
Audience engagement and debate
The video comment sections see people engaging with and sometimes critiquing the designs. Some point out the datedness of the mechanisms. Both founders said they welcome this debate. They note many people resonate with the attention to detail.
"And sometimes the purists do come for us on the internet to say 'this already was a thing'," said Fried. "We know that. We're adding to it, hopefully, and are in conversation with an idea that we find really compelling." Hunter Craighill agreed, adding that he knows when it's "time to exit the comment sections." This level of direct audience feedback offers a unique stats on public reception, distinct from traditional product reviews.
Other everyday objects rethought by designers include an exhibition of future-looking cutlery during 3 Days of Design and a capsule collection by Massproductions.
