I guess it depends on your feelings about lighter fluid. If it doesn't bother you, you can't go wrong with a Zippo pipe lighter (personally, the smell doesn't bother me as it's short-lived, and I can rarely taste it, and never for more than a couple seconds).
If it does, there are lots of high-end butane lighters, but they always seem to have some sort of issue [ETA: not every single lighter, just every type/brand/model of butane lighter I've seen] so you'll need to find one with fewer issues and a good warranty.
FWIW I think the lack of issues with BICs has more to do with the fact that they are disposable, and therefore don't get any real wear-and-tear, than with actual quality.