Thank you. As a leftie, I'll give that a miss.
I think I’m done with Zippo Butane Pipe Insert
- Thread starter AreBee
- Start date
I'm basically a lefty and never had a problem striking any lighter that I can think of. In fact most of the lighters I've run across over the years seem ambidextrous by design. A manufacturer would have to be daft to exclude the "sinister" from its target audience. 
The two Ronsons I bought must have both been made on Mondays, neither lasted more than a week…
I have three of the flip top Ronson lighters and all are good.
Of the pipe lighters, two of mine work great and one has gas and spark but it just won’t light.
Back when I walked forty feet to get in my Mustang to drive to school, uphill both ways, a butane lighter was a novelty.
A real Zippo was maybe three dollars, a Storm King was a dollar, and Scripto came out with a five dollar view butane lighter, to compete against the Ronson View Lighters that had nekid girls and dice and such in the visible tank.
The five dollar Scripto was a wonderment until the thing clogged up or the valve failed and you could no longer fill it.
Zippos are forever.
The rest, not so long.
A brand new Scripto View is disposable and five times cheaper than fifty years ago.
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Oh trust me, I’ve got zippos that are older than my grandchildren’s parents, and remember the nekkid lady view tanks
Back as a teenager I helped my older brother (RIP) with his fledgling painting company. As is done with many apprentice/helper types, I got the “put a rag wet with thinner in your back pocket to clean drips through the day” treatment. The resulting strawberry on my arse let me with a disinclination towards carrying any solvents in my pockets
Since I quit smoking cigarettes, and always carry a leatherman and another both on my belt already, so naphtha lighters aren’t my choice.
Plus I don’t like the flavor…
Oh trust me, I’ve got zippos that are older than my grandchildren’s parents, and remember the nekkid lady view tanks
Back as a teenager I helped my older brother (RIP) with his fledgling painting company. As is done with many apprentice/helper types, I got the “put a rag wet with thinner in your back pocket to clean drips through the day” treatment. The resulting strawberry on my arse let me with a disinclination towards carrying any solvents in my pockets
Since I quit smoking cigarettes, and always carry a leatherman and another both on my belt already, so naphtha lighters aren’t my choice.
Plus I don’t like the flavor…
I can remember when a buck was still silver, and you never saw any. My great aunt would give me a silver dollar each year on my birthday. Otherwise people used paper dollars.
Before Butane, only my Uncle Ben the truck driver had a real Zippo. Other men might have a Storm King. Dr Robinson used a fancy lighter, for his cigars that had real bands. Ordinary grown ups used penny boxes of matches, and young people “gimmie” books of paper matches.
The first cheap butane lighter I ever saw was a Scripto Match. The first one cost a dollar, and you twisted it open and hit the spark wheel, then twisted it closed. Refill tanks were two for a dollar.
Then came the Gillette Cricket. Refillable and it worked. It cost two dollars. They guaranteed the flints to last the life of the lighter or they’d replace them free, I’ve seen kids mail in Crickets they’d intentionally worn down the flints to get a new lighter.
Then last the same BIC we know today, minus the child safe wheel and all the do gooder stickers.
BIC lighter - Wikipedia
Bye and bye the penny matches died about the time they were two for a nickel and the paper book gimmie matches lasted a lot longer.
Yes, I’ve burned my thumb and have more than once cursed at its design, but it’s been dependable as me not wanting to finger bang a bobcat.
I’ve been thinking about an upgrade, but being in a windy area, I have that invisible force of nature to contend with.
Enjoy not having to refill as much and do enjoy the tasteless butane, even though those old
Zippo’s remind me of grandpa.
The one caveat, I do get to keep my original Niagara Falls OnTario CANaDA Zippo.
I’ve been thinking about an upgrade, but being in a windy area, I have that invisible force of nature to contend with.
Enjoy not having to refill as much and do enjoy the tasteless butane, even though those old
Zippo’s remind me of grandpa.
The one caveat, I do get to keep my original Niagara Falls OnTario CANaDA Zippo.
I've been using these guys. They're not fancy and you probably wouldn't want to carry one around in your pocket. But they keep my fingers away from the flame and the button is easy to press. There is an internal plastic sleeve near the flame and it will melt if you point the lighter down very long. I had one that developed a leak. They don't hold a lot, but they're super easy to reload and the flame is adjustable.
My only gripe is that it doesn't take much breeze to blow them out. Is there a better butane lighter for that?
My only gripe is that it doesn't take much breeze to blow them out. Is there a better butane lighter for that?