Best lighter for a pipe

[sajgre]

For me the purest pipe "experience" is using matches.

Corona is beautiful and very reliable but useless in any wind.

I have always thought about Zippo as wearing lumberjack shoes for a dance but since I gave it a try I use it most of the time. You can light very gently, it works every time, lights whole area and I can light to the bottom of the bowl.

 

[natenice1]

IM Corona Old Boy inside and a Nimrod or Zippo outside.

 

[phil67]

Pipemaster , Corona, no flint, used mostly indoors as it is not that great in wind.

++1 on that. Fantastic lighter. Breezy day... Zippo (flint) pipe lighter.

 

[ravkesef]

I have and love them all. For social occasions, I have an Old Boy (not a knock-off, but the real one.). I also have the range of other nice, and in my judgement, entirely functional butane lighters of various brands. Then I have a Nimrod Commander, Nimrod Sportsman, and two Zippos. The newer Zippo fuel in the black can has the sulfur removed, so the smell is not obnoxious, and if you can tolerate a very transient whiff of naphtha, the smell isn't at all intrusive. And--as we all know--the Zippo is the only one that will work in a stiff breeze. At home I use either matches or wax-impregnated hemp string, lit off a candle.
And then, there's the matter of temperature. Matches burn at about 650 degrees Celsius, the hemp string slightly cooler, and the Zippo slightly hotter. Butane burns at 1977 degrees Celsius, so that's quite a range. Just be careful when using butane not to scorch the wood or overheat the tobacco, because it will prevent the tobacco from toasting at a nice temperature, bringing out the full flavor of the tobacco. A torch, of course, should never be used, because it burns at a mind-boggling 2677°C, dangerous for both pipe and tobacco.
Then there's the most useful of all, the Bic, functional, inexpensive, and disposable. I remove the child safety feature from mine, but if you have children or other short people running around, leave it on. Just remember that it's still butane, and turns over 1200°C hotter than a zippo.

 

[hawke]

I dont have a favorite. I use em all here. The hemp lighter is pretty neat, part of my special smoke ritual. You have to light it with something else but its a tiny flame and fun to use. The other end of the spectrum is a torch lighter with pipe tools. Most discourage their use. You must be careful with it as to not burn a briar bowl. At times it just the ticket for a quick intense burn. Another pipe tool lighter I use at times has a soft flame but doesnt do well in windy situations. The others pictured are antiques: A Beattie Jet Lighter form the late 40's or 50's, a Scripto from 1958 with a IBEW logo of which I am a member, and a nimrod pipe lighter.

Of course I use matches and a bic from time to time too. Different situations call for a specific lighter to me and plus I just like to change up. Same thing with tampers.

 

[goinslow]

Thank you all for the input.... I also was debating what lighting device to get. I went with the Zippo as many have had good results.

I don't know if it is a pipe lighter or not.... not sure what the difference is between a regular and pipe lighting zippo?
Anyway... remains to be seen whether I have the sensitive taste to detect fluid or not. 3 second prior burn a must!
Thanks for all your input folks!

 

[tslex]

Xikar Scribe.
Best ergonomics of any pipe lighter, hands down.
LOL. Just realized it's an old thread and I sad the same thing upstream.

 

[danielplainview]

Xikar soft flame. Love it. Never any problems after everyday use for over two years.

 

[philip]

I think there is no lighter as good as a match.
I've had a number of inexpensive lighters over the years and they all work great for a year or two... then develop problems. My Xitar Scribe was good for about two years before it quit. Now I have an Old Boy Corona. I've been using it for less than two years, but so far, so good...
If it quits, I'll go back to Old Reliable.

 

[ravkesef]

I don't know if it is a pipe lighter or not.... not sure what the difference is between a regular and pipe lighting zippo?

A pipe-lighting zippo has a pipe-lighting insert. It's a chimney affair that allows you to hold the zippo horizontally and draw the flame into the bowl. The regular zippo is a cigarette lighter and is harmful if used on a pipe because it will certainly scorch the rim in time. By the way, they cost the same. It's just that one is designed for cigarettes, the other for pipes.

 

[misterlowercase]

Some people seem to ♥ the ping sound of ST Dupont lighters,

many ping vids out there,

I don't understand why they are so $$$ ???
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b8AtAw9uBvs

 

[groovesmith75]

1st light (false light) is a match if I can. Then a zippo.

 

[hawke]

For the ritual smoke on that special occasion I like my homemade hemp lighter best.

 

[andystewart]

LOL I remember reading this thread first time around. + 1 Cosmic way up - pipe Zippo floating over the bowl and suck the flame down onto the tobacco. Brilliant in the wind, easy to direct, and saves your rims. I don't get the smell or taste but it is heavy on fuel so I have to remember to give it a 5 second squizz every day. IMCOs have piqued my interest though...
Andy

 

[johnnyreb]

I have the Xikar Pipeline and a Zippo with the Thunderbird butane insert. I like them both. I would like to find some more Zippo's to convert but now that everyone thinks every Zippo ever made is a collectible they are hard to find worth the money.

 

[tinkertank]

Newbie to this Forum, but hey I've been smoking a few months now.
I've had to experiment and learn the ropes (and ribbons and flakes) of smoking a pipe by myself. Burned a couple rims at first and smoked a little hot, but I've gotten better.
So, my preferred method now is to char light using a match, hold the match upright to save it, tamp lightly with my finger, then first light the pipe using the match. Using a pipe Zippo for relights.
I smoke outdoors in all weather.

 

[ravkesef]

You use up a lot of fingers that way. :roll: hi, and welcome to the forum. My opinion is that using a wooden match to light your pipe is the best method. I use a tamper instead of a finger, but otherwise I light my pipe the same way. Used judiciously, wooden matches minimize the risk of burning the rim or overheating the tobacco. I also concur that a Zippo is great for relights, and the only one that an be depended upon outdoors. The Zippo with the pipe insert is less likely to singe the rim.

 

[tinkertank]

Oh yeah learned that lesson, that's why I like a match to start. Gives me greater control of the flame, and I also stopped over packing my pipe. I noticed it curls when lit and can touch the outer rim. Also I like to wet my finger with spit and moisten the rim before lighting as insurance.
I bought a cheaper pipe insert Zippo, took it out of it's outer case and stuck the insert in my thicker brass armor case. Works like a beaut and is a real workhorse.
As for the tamp. I have one.. though the little bastard likes to find inconspicuous places on my person to piss off to, when I need it. so most often than not I just use my finger, since I've burned it working in a kitchen so much, I don't even feel it any more. I'll find my pipe tool in my back pocket a week later.. which I had checked four times that day.

 

[shaintiques]

I have various lighters but the one I like the best is the Xikar scribe. It is narrow and has an angled flame. I can put it down into my larger pipes and really helps me prevent rim burn.

 

[super8mm]

I have been through 3 Xikar Pipelines in 4 months, one the nozzle would turn around about a 1/2 turn with one strike and 2 of them the tanks would leak all the gas out in a hour or two
Guess I will go with a Zippo?