Pipe Lighter Comparisons: Colibri, Old Boy and Zippo

I recently received my new IM Corona Old Boy and am now able to compare it to the other lighters I've tried. I thought it might be helpful for others who are in the market to compare the three.
The three lighters I will compare are my Zippo (with pipe insert), a Colibri Connaught II, and a IM Corona Old Boy. All of these pipes have a soft flame (as opposed to torch lighters which no one should use with a pipe) - but even still, not all are equal in that category.
Colibri Connaught II

There's lots to like about this lighter. One is the fuel window that lets you know how much fuel you have left. It has a built-in tamper (which I find very useful). It never needs flints since it uses a quartz ignition. Also the flame is angled, so it drops right into the pipe bowl. It has a bit of heft to it, definitely a good solid feel in the hand.
And even though this lighter broke on me recently, it did go almost 2 years with nary a problem and I intend to send it in for repair since it comes with a 2 year warranty (same as the Old Boy).
IM Corona Old Boy

Having used the Colibri for a while, I've noticed that there are some (minor) drawbacks with the Old Boy. No fuel window is one. And being an old style lighter, you need to raise the cap to allow the fuel to expel. This means that it stays lit even if you drop the lighter. Not a big deal I suppose, but the Colibri only stays lit if you depress the lever - so if you drop it, it immediately goes out.
But I have to say it has one *major* advantage. The flame is extremely gentle, more so than the Colibri. At first I wasn't sure just why, but I believe it's because the fuel vapor only "leaks" out whereas the Colibri "gushes" out and creates a hotter flame. It is also angled like the Colibri so it goes straight into the bowl and won't scorch the rim.
It also has a built-in tamper that works very well (a big plus in my book).
Zippo

This lighter is a favorite for many and there's good reason. These lighters were the mainstay for many people back in the day. They're inexpensive and still come with a lifetime warranty. My Dad had a zippo when I was growing up, so there's definitely a bit of nostalgia when I use this lighter.
But for me, they are not the "ultimate" pipe lighter. It has no tamper. The fuel has a strong odor and I can taste it when lighting my pipe. Not that objectionable, but it's there. Filling it is a bit of a pain compared to a butane lighter and it ran out of fuel pretty quickly (seemed to be more from evaporation that use). One other drawback is that it has a fairly large wick and so the flame is a bit unwieldy compared to the butane lighters.
Outdoors: All three lighters performed the same. None of of these is very easy to stay lit in a breeze, but none performed better than the other.
The Verdict
Out of these three, for me personally, the winner is the Old Boy and mainly for one important reason - the direct, yet very gentle flame. It doesn't over heat the tobacco like my Colibri did and it's more direct and in control than my zippo.

Thanks guys!

The drawback is that eventually all quartz ignition systems fail. So far though, I have had my Pipemaster almost two years. It has been dropped countless times and is scarred and blemished, but so far has kept on ticking. I got mine for $80, and to be honest, if it gave up the ghost now I would still consider myself well served and would buy another immediately.

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That's how I feel about my Colibri (spent $40 on it). It has taken a lot of abuse and while it did break recently, performed very well otherwise. However, the flame was overly hot - something I didn't really mind until I rec'd my Old Boy. Now I see a big difference.
Curious, in your opinion, does the Pipemaster run hotter like my Colibri did or is it about the same as the Old Boy?

numbersix - I haven't noticed any difference in how hot the flame burns. It seems the same to me. I just fired up both and I don't see a difference.

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Thanks Peck - nice to know. Everyone sure seems to like the Pipemaster.

I did watch a man at one of the pipe shows spend 10-15 minutes trying to get his expensive lighter full and working. It looked fidgety to me.

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From my limited experience, this lighter is a little bit more work than the Colibri, but less work than my zippo. Still - no matter what, I think every lighter brings positives and negatives.

Butane burns at 1977°C, regardless of the brand of lighter you select.

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Eric, on a technical basis, I can believe it. And maybe I am kidding myself, but I honestly feel the Old Boy burns a lot cooler. With the Colibri, on multiple lights my tongue would feel scorched and I don't find this at all with the Old Boy.

In my experience, Colibri is Italian for "beautiful junk". My wife, a cigarette smoker has had several. Each dies a quick death. I've spent enough time in local pipe shops to hear more complaints than I care to remember.

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I have to admit, most people say the same so it's worth noting. I can only speak to my experience which was (surprisingly) very positive. In fact, for $9.50 they will replace the one that broke. So I will see how well the next one does.