I'm Very Tired of Matches. What Is the Best to Replace Them?

[Chasing Embers]

btw, Embers, is that nimrod lighter 2nd from the right on your pic?

That it is.
From left to right. Ronson Gem, IM Corona (dropped once and no longer works), Zippo, Bic, Nimrod, and Bowers trench lighter.

 

[bluto]

Light your pipe 'upside down'
I put that one out there earlier after I learned about it as an old timers trick , a lot of members poo-pooed the idea
But hey , it is real and it works

 

[scloyd]

Most often I use matches unless I'm sitting outside in the yard...then I use one of these from the dollar store (mini bbq lighter). Works for me.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

I have yet to figure out what benefit using the pipe insert has over just using a regular Zippo. They work exactly the same for me. I just use the regular inserts now, as getting a new pipe insert is a bother. If you hold the lighter half an inch over your rim, both Zippo types do exactly the same thing, and light the tobacco exactly the same way. That bigger hole in the pipe insert offers no advantage that I can see.

 

[bluto]

It's probably a cumulative effect
Nothing to get your panties in a twist about on its own , match , bic , zippo etc
The idea most people enjoy is getting everything perfected , just to their liking , including all the nattering minor details , creating the experience .
I think of a gourmet meal , served in nice surroundings , so the chef used fresh ingredients and carefully controlled heat using specialized cooking techniques and equipment. Each thing on its own probably doesn't change the outcome dramatically , but added together each small improvement makes a huge difference ... its like night and day.

 

[mau1]

I use matches but when I have the time, I do something a little different. I grab a wooden skewer you would use for the BBQ, and light it up, and then use it to light my pipe. It gives me more control of the flame, and you can go deeper in to the bowel when you're relighting without the concern of burning the rim. Yes, it may be a bit more time consuming but one of the pleasures of smoking is the ritual. Cedar strips are also great too, something I use to light a cigar. You might guess I'm not a fan of chemicals, gas, etc. Oh, and the skewer, it's sans shrimp or veggies.

 

[crashthegrey]

you can go deeper in to the bowel when you're relighting without the concern of burning the rim

Some people have really odd habits with their bowels. Moving on, you can always try hemp wick. Light it however you please and use the hemp wick to light the tobacco. It is quite handy and reaches deep into the bowel or bowl, depending on what you are planning to do.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

I occasionally will smoke toppers, over 3" deep "bowls", and holding a match or Zippo half an inch above the rim is plenty enough to light even the bottom of a chimney topper pipe. I am not sure why guys think they have to stick things into the depths of their "bowels" to get it to light. The flame doesn't actually touch the tobacco, just the heat. That's all you need.
And, I think that the torch lighters are overkill for lighting cigars also. I just use a match for those as well.

 

[jpmcwjr]

Bingo. Any source of flame can be used, adjusting the temp of the superheated air off the end of the flame by both distance and duration.

 

[bluto]

Cigars ignite best on hot air , don't need flame on

 

[cosmicfolklore]

Pipes ignite the same way... try it

 

[mrmachado]

I've never heard of pipe inserts here in Brazil.
And anyway, around here regular Zippos are as expensive as pipe-oriented Zippos, so it would make no difference really.
I think I'll stick with matches and try to use the Bic until next month when I'll have the money for the Zippo.

 

[lawdawg]

Buy zippo...buy zippo pipe insert. Walla and its done

Walla? :rofl:

 

[tslex]

Have you tried rubbing two pipes together?

 

[mopreme187]

i have plenty of zippos, where can you get the inserts from, not seen them whilst browsing online pipe sites,
I just got a pipe lighter with built in multi tool for £10, the lighter has a side angles flame to stop burning me fingers (but i think all pipe lighters probably have this)

 

[mso489]

machado, try thinking about matches as part of your pipe ritual, a bit like lighting candles at the beginning of a religious service, if that isn't read as blasphemy. The scratch of lighting the match, the flare of its ignition, the stabilization of the flame. If you think about it that way, it may change the annoyance to pleasure.

 

[jpmcwjr]

I just got a pipe lighter with built in multi tool for £10, the lighter has a side angles flame to stop burning me fingers (but i think all pipe lighters probably have this)

Butane or fuel?
Some of us avoid the angled flame religiously, and most great lighters do not incorporate that. But for ten quid, you have a workable solution.

 

[mopreme187]

just a butane lighter, normal flame (not a jet flame), it was so cheap and because it had the built in tamper i thought at the very least it was handy to have if im smoking away from home.
I'm gonna get some matches as well. so i can say i tried many ways and decide what i like best

 

[lavarockpuffer]

If I might suggest...I consider the lighter a required tool.

As with all tools, you get what you pay for.

I assure you, 5 lighters at$20 does not equal one good lighter at $100.

 

[mso489]

If you become more friendly about matches, and relax enough to take it as a sport, lighting your pipe outdoors with matches in the wind is a learning experience, using various wind breaks -- trees, walls, your cupped hands, etc. -- and learning to strike the match close to the bowl to keep the match lit. First it's trouble, then it becomes interesting.