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jpmcwjr

Moderator
Staff member
May 12, 2015
24,568
27,070
Carmel Valley, CA
Please tell me there’s something out there for maybe <$30 that lights as reliably as a $2 bic. I’m 0 for 2 so far - zippo side insert and a $12 Promise side flame, each just north of worthless.
From the Page featuring the Promise:
"fuel type""Liquefied Petroleum Gas"

That doesn't sound like butane nor naphtha. What fuel do they recommend?
 

bullet08

Lifer
Nov 26, 2018
8,932
37,913
RTP, NC. USA
I'm not getting people who torches the rim. I get it if you just started smoking pipes and trying to shove the whole lighter into the chamber. But if it's been awhile, it would have dawn on you that you can let the flame 1/4" above the chamber and gently pull the fire on to the tobacco. This works for all the light sources, including matches. To use the matches in the wind, you face the wind and cup the fire and top of the bowl. It's just like cigarettes, but needs little more practice.
 
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Chasing Embers

Captain of the Black Frigate
Nov 12, 2014
43,248
108,347
I'm not getting people who torches the rim. I get it if you just started smoking pipes and trying to shove the whole lighter into the chamber. But if it's been awhile, it would have dawn on you that you can let the flame 1/4" above the chamber and gently pull the fire on to the tobacco. This works for all the light sources, including matches. To use the matches in the wind, you face the wind and cup the fire and top of the bowl. It's just like cigarettes, but needs little more practice.
You can still put the lighter into the pipe without burning it. Just remove the lighter while still drawing and the flame won't touch the rim.
 

WildTurkeySurprise

Can't Leave
Oct 23, 2020
362
6,907
48
Mt Juliet, TN
From the Page featuring the Promise:
"fuel type""Liquefied Petroleum Gas"

That doesn't sound like butane nor naphtha. What fuel do they recommend?
Mine calls for butane, as does my zippo side-flame insert. It occurs to me I’m filling them both from the same can of Lucienne butane. I wonder if that could be the source of my problem. I may try some different butane and go from there.
 

DotAndBang’sPipes

Starting to Get Obsessed
Jun 27, 2016
217
465
43
Orlando, FL
I hate to tell you this but, in the words of Bono, “I still haven’t found what I’m looking for.” The closest I’ve come to a very reliable pipe lighter is the IM Old Boy I paid $140 with a gift card I had been saving. It has been virtually flawless. But the expense!?!?!? I also have a knock off old boy from EBay that is still working after 2 years, although doesn’t light as predictably. I occasionally return to my ZPipe insert for @&&$ and giggles. And about once a month I get a real kick out of my actual zippo pipe lighter (with fuel)... which works Every. Single. Time. I let the smell of the fuel burn off for 3 seconds and then taste nothing but tobacco. So, in summary, I have an arsenal of dependable pipe lighters and I use them all, and enjoy them all. The Old Boy IM was worth the investment if you can swing it, and don’t drop it.
 

pipesmokersg

Lurker
Dec 28, 2020
19
166
Singapore
Did not have good experience with a Kiribi Kabuto. Needed too many strikes and a little wind would put out the flame. Old boy knock off from Aliexpress and a original Zippo insert has been my goto for a few months now!
IMG_1946.jpg
 

EA-6B

Starting to Get Obsessed
Feb 22, 2020
178
564
For pipe-smoking, I stopped looking when I started running a Dupont Line1 with the barrel-style flame adjuster & a Pipe-Flame nozzle.
You'll spend the same & more as you continue to buy $30 junks, or something better & more expensive than a junk - but still nowhere near as good as the Line1 Dupont. Dunhill Rollas are basically in the same arena, but good luck finding a Dunhill Rolla with a Pipe Flame nozzle, or the part. They exist, but they're much more scarce. Personally I like the form-factor of the Dupont Line1 over the Dunhills anyway, so that's what I went with from the start. I also had one of those fake Dupont Line2 Talls, & I found that the fake Duponts are overweight by about an ounce compared to an authentic L2 Tall, they have cheap & thin gold or chrome plating (no silver), & they make a really loud noise when you open them. I ran one of those fake L2s for a day & then got rid of it because it simply was not pleasant to use. I tell people who ask me about them to buy one for $20 & see for themselves. If they like them, so be it, but I got tired of it after about 20 minutes. Also keep in mind that with any fake or genuine Line2 you can't adjust the flame one-handed at all, or very easily with two hands, which is why I find the Line2 model - fake or real - to be less than ideal for pipe-smoking. WIth all of that being said, I do have a Line2 Gatsby (shorty) Pipe-Flame as a back-up, but my Line1 is the one that I carry daily & the one that I want for easy pipe-smoking, mainly due to the barrel-style flame adjuster.

Still my Daily Dupont (Line1 shorty + Pipe Flame) :
49610563347_5cde3e6a63_c_d.jpg

?
 

mikethompson

Lifer
Jun 26, 2016
11,292
23,325
Near Toronto, Ontario, Canada
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MidnightPuff

Starting to Get Obsessed
Dec 6, 2020
267
4,172
25
Ohio
Zippo with pipe insert is my favorite. I was out of fuel recently and picked up a Bic ez reach. Work good enough.
 

GlassMan

Starting to Get Obsessed
Jul 13, 2020
105
245
Tempe
I have a kiribi kenshi (I believe is the model)

not gonna lie, it started getting very fussy after 12 months. I’m about to send it in for service. I love it otherwise. But not $30.
 

select565

Starting to Get Obsessed
Mar 2, 2020
115
502
why is it that zippo is a no go for cigars because it imparts flavor but ok for pipe smoking?
 

ahinesdesign

Lurker
Jan 4, 2021
23
117
NC, USA
As much as I love the look and feel of high-quality lighters, the plain ol’ Bic works far more reliably than just about anything else. Specifically for pipes, I like the Bic EZ Reach line, even if not quite as reliable as the original Bic lighter. Keeps your fingers away from the flame, but the EZ Reach isn’t nearly as long as the candle/multi-purpose versions.
 
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