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The earliest use of the term “trench lighter” I’ve found was by Max E. Bernhard Co. (MEB) of New York. In the years immediately following the end of World War 1, MEB rebranded their non-liquid fuse lighters as “Bernhardt No.500 Trench Lighters”. These lighters are based on a design patented in Austria by Arthur Dubsky in 1911. Though this type of rope lighter was used during the Great War, there is no evidence Bernhardt No.500 lighters were actually used by U.S. soldiers during wartime. This “Trench Lighter” designation is an early example of invoking the military for marketing purposes to increase sales, a recurring form of value manipulation among lighter manufacturers and resellers still used today.

in 1925, Hans Silberknopf patented the design for the famous "Ifa" Sturmfeuerzeug. IMCO produced several storm lighter models based on this patent. The Silberknopf design was copied by multiple U.S. and Japanese companies, countless replicas have been produced and are still produced today. Frequently described deceptively as "trench lighters" by replica manufacturers and resellers, most consumers and many collectors do not realize this type of lighter did not exist during World War 1 and only has connection to the U.S. military during World War 2.

Bowers Mfg. began producing copies of these Austrian storm lighters in the United States during the 1930s, calling them "Slide Sleeve" lighters according to a 1996 article by Tom O'key. "Kalamazoo Wind Proof Lighter", "Bowers Windproof Lighter" and "Kalamazoo All-Weather Lighter" are other names Bowers used for these lighters advertising. Originally made from brass, Bowers produced steel versions of these lighters for the U.S. military during World War 2. Ironically, these Austrian-designed lighters first saw military use in the hands of American soldiers along side wartime models produced by Evans, Ronson, Zippo, and possibly other lighter manufacturers active during this era.