I was just out shopping for a torch lighter yesterday and I spoke to one bloke in a shop who said he had had his own (brand unknown) for 15 years or something, which he used for cooking. I said mine always seem to break quite easily, the advice he gave me was to

1) spend more money (not relevant with the Arc, is expensive!)

2) Clean the head with petrol (naphtha?) and a cotton wool bud (Q-Tip) to remove carbon build up.

I haven’t tested this but may be worth a try…