EARLY DAYS
Always building
Long before the Airlighter, curiosity and hands-on invention were already part of the story.
FROM RURAL ROOTS TO REINVENTING THE FLAME
Built by fire.
A lifelong love of making things and bringing people together around a flame became the Bison Airlighter.
WARWICK, NEW YORK
Where making things was a way of life.
When something broke, we fixed it. And when evening came, we gathered around a fire.
Growing up in Warwick, NY in the 1980s was wild. We were only an hour from Manhattan, but it was rural, hands-on living. Our entertainment came from building things, and we were on a first-name basis with every local hardware store.
I loved the sense of control, the focus on safety, and the way a simple flame brought people together. In college, I became the guy grilling on dorm rooftops in the middle of winter. My love of fire never faded.
A LIFETIME OF MAKING
Curiosity came first.
FIRST INVENTIONS
An idea in motion
A propeller-powered bicycle—dreamed up long before e-bikes became part of everyday life.
MAY 7, 2015
Retailers took notice
The Bison Airlighter wins the Retailer Choice Award in Las Vegas.
THE PROBLEM WITH THE CORD
Freedom was the missing piece.
Fifteen years later, I took a huge gamble introducing electric fire lighting to America. People had never heard of using a hair dryer to light charcoal, but I put my life savings behind it and built a market from scratch.
Along the way, I learned firsthand what worked and what didn't. I dealt with customer returns and personally replaced units with barrels that had melted during use. That experience taught me that a great fire starter needed more than powerful heat. It needed to be durable, practical, and designed around the way people actually use fire.
But one problem lingered: the power cord. People wanted to light fires anywhere, whether at the grill, fire pit, campsite, or fireplace. My push to go cordless created friction, and eventually I was forced out of the company I had poured everything into.
THE FIRST SPARK
A wedding, a grill and a rough prototype.
A month later, at my cousin’s wedding on our family farm, I was asked to light the charcoal grill. I could have grabbed lighter fluid and a Bic, but that’s not how we do things in Warwick.
My dad, my wife and I built dozens of prototypes. Eventually we lit our first fire with a cobbled-together invention made from a Coke bottle, hair-dryer parts and blow-torch components. We secured our first utility patent and worked with a local engineer to refine the design.
A different approach to fire.
We weren't interested in simply removing the cord from an electric fire starter. We wanted to rethink the entire process.
From my experience with electric fire starters, I knew firsthand the problems that could arise from using aluminum near intense heat. I had seen barrels melt with virtually no warning. Everything appeared fine until suddenly it wasn't. I was determined not to repeat that mistake.
That's why we chose stainless steel for Airlighter's barrel. It withstands much higher temperatures than aluminum, and combined with our air cooled design, gives us the durability and practical performance we wanted.
We also took a different approach to starting the fire itself. Instead of relying on sustained electric heat, Airlighter uses a short burst of butane flame to ignite the fuel, followed by a powerful stream of air to build the fire.
The goal was simple: create a better way to start a fire, with more freedom, more control, and none of the limitations that inspired us to invent Airlighter in the first place.
That rough prototype became the first Airlighter and it worked unbelievably well.
WHY BISON EXISTS
From first spark to final embers.
We make fire management tools that light faster and cleaner and give people real control over the flame.
STILL JUST GETTING STARTED
The next fire is yours.
We’ve come a long way, yet it still feels like we’re just getting started. To our knowledge, we are the only company in the world dedicated solely to the enjoyment of lighting fires and taming the flame.
I sincerely hope you enjoy your Bison experience and become part of our story.
StJohnFounder & CEO
EVERY FIRE HAS A STORY
What’s yours?
Tell us about a favorite gathering, a memorable meal or the fire you finally mastered.
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