Zippo Fans

craig94yj · Nov 24, 2013

I have been a fan of Zippo lighters since I was eighteen and was forced to trade my Bic for one at bootcamp in 1983. I have always loved the quality and variety and I have even been to the factory/museum in Pennsylvania. They also have their short comings and are not a recommended choice of ignition of pipe and cigar tobaccos. Then there is the fuel evaporation issues and for some people like me, the fuel would burn my leg right through the cloth of my pocket. The pros always out weighed the cons for me and during my 34 years of cigarette smoking it was my go to lighter. While cruising ebay last week I came across this interesting compromise and I was wondering if anyone else here has one of these? It is a butane lighter with flint ignition. ( I hate the quartz electronic ones. I seem to always have problems with them.)

I have only been using it for one day, but I am happy that I can use a Zippo again. It seems like good quality and I was wondering if anyone has used one regularly for sometime now? I was thinking about buying some more to put in some of my other Zippos. thank you in advance for sharing any opinions.

nobail · Nov 24, 2013

I've been using one for over a year and it is now starting to fail. I've cleaned it up with alcohol and Q Tip but there seems to be something clogging or restricting the butane flow. Perhaps if I find a small wire that will clear out the nozzle it will be OK. I found it very handy and good to use in all but the strongest of winds. I have a backup ready in case I cannot get the original back in shape.

escioe · Nov 24, 2013

With Zippo's low odor fuel, I see no reason why a Zippo with a pipe insert shouldn't be a fine choice for lighting a pipe.
I've lit 95% of my pipes with this for the last several years.

craig94yj · Nov 24, 2013

nobail, I think a year for $13 is acceptable. I have had more expensive lighters not last half as long. Thanks.

craig94yj · Nov 24, 2013

escioe, I was thinking about the pipe insert when I saw this. I have a couple more that I can experiment with. I think I will try the Zippo insert also just to keep it a Zippo. Thanks

andrew369 · Nov 24, 2013

I am with escioe on the fuel choice with the pipe insert. I was using any fuel I could get a hold of but then tried Zippos own fuel. Was far, far better. And his profile picture is Kant which is always a plus. 8) Was going to try getting hold of a Thunderbird insert, although since they are really hard to get here in Ireland and the reviews I have seen on them have been less than great think I will give them a pass for the moment.

leacha · Nov 24, 2013

I purchased the Thunderbird insert in June. It failed in October. Premium fuel, new flints, cleaned, etc. It will not light unless I use a match or another lighter. Now I use a Zippo pipe lighter. Let it burn a few seconds before lighting and no problems.

craig94yj · Nov 24, 2013

I just ordered one from ebay. New old stock from the Niagara plant. Less than ten bucks with shipping. Should have went this route first.

sfsteves · Nov 24, 2013

you should be aware that with this lighter, whenever the lid is open, butane is flowing out ... the act of shutting the lid is what stops the flow ... as a result, these do tend to go through more butane than you would normally expect ...

craig94yj · Nov 24, 2013

Steve, I watched a video on this lighter before I bought one, but thanks for the warning.

crazypipe · Nov 24, 2013

I'm a fan of these,

av8scuba · Nov 24, 2013

I've been using a Zippo with a pipe insert for years on all my pipes. I've never had one issue with the lighter or with it hurting the pipe or tobacco. Matches are okay if you are indoors, but I often smoke outside and the Zippo is nearly impossible to blow out in any wind. But that's just my experience. : puffy

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Strike Anywhere · Nov 24, 2013

I got one of these a long time ago but didn't care for it. I like the regular zippo pipe insert.

petes03 · Nov 24, 2013

That insert is pretty neat, and I wouldn't mind having one myself, but my Zippos work fine for me. I've used a regular Zippo for years, and recently bought one with a pipe insert which is working great. I still prefer matches, and I use a Bic on a regular basis, but I have a soft spot for my Zippos.

shutterbugg · Nov 24, 2013

I just ordered one from ebay. New old stock from the Niagara plant. Less than ten bucks with shipping. Should have went this route first.

Are you talking about the OEM Zippo pipe insert? Just call Zippo and they'll send you one free. They say you need to send the lighter in but the nice lady I spoke to didn't make me go through that bother.

And if you have a fake Zippo you can convert it to pipe with an electric drill in about 5 minutes. Just pull the insert, lay it against a piece of wood and drill starting with a small bit and work up to about a 7/16. There's even a youtube video on how to do it.
Btws even if those butane replacements were of decent quality, they aren't windproof, which is the main advantage of a Zippo.
Oh and to reduce leakage, don't overfill it. To reduce evaporation, get some silicone or moly lube from a bicycle repair shop and apply a thin coating to the insert. Acts as a seal. I recommend against using Vasline as I've seen mentioned on the net. Vaseline melts and runs at a low temp, like if the lighter gets warm from the flame or even in your pants pocket.

olewaylon · Nov 24, 2013

i bought one of thes on amazon it didnt work for me and exchanged it for another one that didnt work either. It sucks because its a great concept, i really wanted it to work.

anthonyrosenthal74 · Nov 24, 2013

Have you tried moving the lighter in an upward motion as you light it? For regular zippos this is the recommended way to light. They even used to put it on an instruction pamphlit that came with the lighter. This is because they would get what you call vapor lock or fuel lock. I assume this is caused by an air bubble or something along those lines, and probably because it has a closing lid. I'm not sure if thunderbird inserts are prone to this as well or not, but it's worth a try. Just move it upward from your hip while stricking the flint.

craig94yj · Nov 25, 2013

So far the Thunderbird is working quite well. I like it. It feels good to be using my Zippo again. At the very least I can use it to burn up the two large bottles of butane I have left from using my cigar lighter. I will use it until they are empty.
@ shutterbug; I did not know about the free insert. I will have to check it out. Thanks.

ssjones · Nov 25, 2013

I've been using the t-bird for over three years. I have two. One works perfectly and the other is erratic. They do have a lifetime warranty, I can't explain why I haven't sent the bad one back.
The insert works great, but not so much on windy day. When I know it's going to be windy, I put in my zippo pipe fuel insert (free from Zippo).
I travel a lot, so having a lighter that hasn't dried up is a big plus. My fuel insert kept leaving me stranded. I also like the adjustable flame and the cap on one side, which makes drawing the flame down into the bowl easier than with the pipe fuel insert (which is open to both sides).
When filling, make sure you completely purge all of the air from the insert. I use a fork tine to evacuate all of the air (takes 45 seconds or so). After that, you can get a good fill that lasts me for weeks.

barleynbaccy · Nov 25, 2013

My problem with the Thunderbird insert was, if the wind thought about blowing it would go out. I like my basic fuel pipe insert with a short wick.

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