Ronson lighters have many hundreds of models; some are smaller variations of the same base design while others are unique and iconic in their looks. Ronson not only made pocket lighters but they also made table lighters and sculptured lighters.

Ronson were the number one developers of lighters and the technology we find in most disposable lighters today was invented by Ronson Lighters.

Below I have mentioned a few of the (in my opinion) most important lighters designed by Ronson.

The Ronson Banjo

This was the first one-motion lighter ever marketed by Ronson, and the first of its kind in the world. The Banjo was marketed in 1927 and brought great success to the Ronson Company, laying the foundation for their future focus on lighters and lighter development. T

he Banjo was only produced for a few years before other models took its place. This makes the Banjo lighter very rare and a sought after collectible.

After the Banjo lighter, a more slim and simple design was marketed as the “Standard” and the Junior Sport lighter. These lighters were based on the same mechanisms as the Banjo Lighter.

The Ronson Rondette

The Ronson  Rondette lighter was marketed in the early 1930’s and was made in a popular art deco design, which was the thing for that period.  The Ronson Rondette was available in only a table or pocket version.

The lighters from this early period were marked with the company info of the Art Metal Company which was the original company of Aronson prior to the founding of the Ronson Lighters company. This lighter is a “must have” for vintage lighter collectors.

The Ronson De-Light

This was the key design for Ronson lighters from the start of the 1930’s up until the 1950’s, and despite competing with newer models this design was continued by Ronson up until the 1960’s.

This made the De-Light technology design one of the more available lighters from Ronson, and it come in a wide variety of looks and tweaks.

The Vanguard

The Ronson Vanguard was a short lived predecessor to the Varaflame  gas lighter and it provided the gas lighter technology that would later become part of the ever popular Varaflame lighter. The Vanguard itself proved to be more unreliable and faulty than the Varaflame, so production of it was halted after the introduction of the Ronson Varaflame.

The Varaflame

The Ronson Varaflame Lighter entered the market in 1957. To this day the Varaflame lighter is the most famous of the Ronson pocket lighter series. The Cadillac tail design of this lighter was the look of the time and the design was copied by other companies numerous times.

The Varaflame lighter (meaning variable flame) was the first marketed gas lighter ever and the Ronson company saw huge sales numbers, not only from the lighters themselves but also from the refill gas cans which are a Ronson trade icon.

In the beginning they only sold the Premium Varaflame in a chrome design with a golden V embedded on it.

Later on they expanded the range of designs and even made a smaller variation for woman called the Varaflame Adonis.