My experience is just the reverse of yours. Virtually all of my Old Boys have lost screws or are no longer working. All of my Kiribis work just fine.
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Which Luxury Lighter?
- Thread starter wernerat
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Kiribis are notorious for screws falling out. SPC even has a care write up about them that involves occasional screw tightening. I've found many of the swing arm lighters like Kiribi and Corona to be cheaply made.
PM me. Send me your Old Boys and I'll send you 2 Kiribis . They do not leak and both will light.
I have half a dozen or more Old Boys, some with beautiful silver cases which I keep on display, that each cost several times more than the price of two Kiribis. I must, therefore, respectfully decline your offer. Nice try though.
I love IM Coronas and use them every day. My only beef with them is they boiled up with crap on the striker from the flints and then are hard to get a spark. I have yet to find a good way to keep the spark wheel clean. Any suggestions would be helpful. Other than that, they hold a lot of fluid and are very reliable.
Use a cotton swab with alcohol on the flint magazine tube where you see soot build up.
I don’t know what flints your using but zippo gold or red have never left any deposits on my striker wheels in 30 plus years.
Yes! Thanks for asking. (I’ll give you the story). I love that thing. It was one of those rare finds on eBay where I don’t think someone knew what they had during a week when not too many guys were looking. As a collector of antique books (many Morocco-gilt) I saw that humidor and bought it without hesitation, not knowing what shape it was in, but it didn’t look good. Fortunately, someone had stored it in a basement for a long time not an attic; it was musty and mildewy and dusty. (The attic as you must know destroys leather irreparably). But this thing cleaned up nice and is very supple, almost like new morocco. It is a Dunhill and as with everything they make it is well-made; the leather wrapping and gilt-work must’ve been done by an old-English bookbindery, or someone. The box closes with an ideal seal. The mahogany Tobacco compartment is still a little bit funky still but the stuff I’m keeping in it is inside Mylar or tin, so it has no effect. The duck was hand-painted on the porcelain cover by a guy named R Kuntzsch. He seems to have done this kind of painting on antiques, cocktail, glasses, etc. in the early 20th century. I have a duck-dog who loves mallard hunting, so the theme works. Thanks again for taking interest. It’s nice to come across somebody who might appreciate it. Nobody around here could care less.
I'd like to introduce you to @TheIronMonkey whom, if I recall, also collects antique and interesting books.
@Raisedbands
While I’m not sure if the books collected by @mawnansmiff go back as far as incunabula, the volumes in his areas of interest more readily qualify as antique books. Much of my collection falls under modern first editions—my books are more likely to sport dust jackets than leather bindings.
I have two Kiribi lighters, both as gifts. The first one worked and then stopped working. I suppose I could figure out why, but pipe smoking is a relax gig and don’t want to make it an engineering gig, not that i know a thing about engineering. I think I will head to IM Corona when this one gives out though.
The other main advantage of a Zippo is that they are usually available anywhere. If one tries to bring a nice lighter onto an airplane chances are good you’ve just donated it to TSA. So I forego that and head to a confirmation store at destination.I have Old Boy's, Kiribi's, and Dupont's. I find myself not using any of them because unless the is no air movement at all they are all but useless. I go for my Zippo 99% of the time. Also as lefty rollagas and side wheel lighters are nearly impossible to to use comfortably and reliably. My Zippos are ambidextrous, tough, and reliable. If you want luxury get a Zippo in a sterling case and put a pipe insert in it.
Brushed Sterling Silver
This windproof lighter has a Brushed Sterling Silver finish. Comes in a black velour hinged box. For optimal performance, fill with Zippo lighter fuel. Genuine Zippo windproof lighter with distinctive Zippowww.zippo.com
I fly everywhere with my pipe lighter (zippo) in my pocket, haven't had any issues with TSA in years.
IM Corona all the way, Fauxponts second for cheap and heavy lighters that work.
I laid off one of my Old Boys for a year, but it lit right up---- little if any fuel loss.
I laid off one of my Old Boys for a year, but it lit right up---- little if any fuel loss.
I don't need a luxury lighter when my Zippo's and my Bic's work just fine. The corona's and other similar lighter's look nice, but I can't justify spending $75 to $150 on a lighter. Especially when my lighters accomplish the same task at a fraction of the price. If I'm going to spend that much money on something pipe and cigar related, I'd rather just buy a new pipe, more tobacco or some nice cigars.
I have two fairly expensive torch lighters for my cigars. One I got on discount and the other I got free with a purchase of a box of cigars. Both lasted less than a year as they both stopped working. My $3 Ronson single torch lighter I got from Walmart about 13 years ago, still works like a champ and is one of my goto lighters that I use all the time. Between my Ronson torch lighter, my Zippo's and Bics; I don't need anything more.
I have two fairly expensive torch lighters for my cigars. One I got on discount and the other I got free with a purchase of a box of cigars. Both lasted less than a year as they both stopped working. My $3 Ronson single torch lighter I got from Walmart about 13 years ago, still works like a champ and is one of my goto lighters that I use all the time. Between my Ronson torch lighter, my Zippo's and Bics; I don't need anything more.
I wouldn’t classify an IM Corona Old Boy as Luxury, simply a good quality pipe lighter.
Anything to light a pipe is fine...
But, as an example, if you eventually started buying really expensive pipes, and wanted to keep them from getting the rims charred, you’d want to use a lighter designed for pipes with an adjustable flame.
I don’t think there is anything wrong with a Zippo or Bic, but you’d never catch me lighting an expensive pipe with them, given flame size, but then again, if they still make adjustable Bics, that would certainly be more helpful.
One last thing, I do notice the taste of Zippo fluid and in Bics too. I find really high quality butane cleaner tasting, which is the best reason to switch, if someone also notices this.
Thanks, metalheady- That's fine and all, but this is a thread about luxury lighters.