Match vs lighter

[rayje589]

I've been using wooden matches but after a few dud matches and one snapping in half and almost catching the house on fire I've been considering switching to a lighter. Do you recommend a lighter or a match? Or maybe a brand of matches. I use diamond but I've heard to stay away from them.

 

[madmurdoc]

For my first 2 lights, and sometimes my third I use small matchbook from Western Family, as the ash gets lower I switch to diamond wood matches to avoid hot fingers. I haven't used a lighter for my pipes, so I don't have an opinion on that.

 

[photoman13]

I am one of those people that feel there is a time for matches and a time for lighters. If I am sitting outside relaxing and there is a breeze or at a location that isn't my house then I will use a lighter. If I am relaxing in my house then I will use matches. I just use Zippo pipe lighters and don't feel there is any taste difference. I just like matches better because I feel there is more control and not as much chance of burning the rim of the pipe.

 

[madmurdoc]

How much do zippo pipe lighters cost? The primary reason I use matches exclusively, is that most of the lighters I see online are anywhere from 50-800 dollars. :S

 

[matchstickman]

Murdoc, you might do well to get a Xikar Scribe pipe lighter. Great functionality, lifetime warranty, great angled flame that will easily go down into a pipe bowl, refillable, holds a large amount of fuel, adjustable flame, and one can be had for under $40. I dont work for Xikar or have any affiliation, but I do love the hell out of that lighter: Xikar Scribe Lighter

 

[madmurdoc]

Thanks! I'll definitely check that out, match boxes tend to pile up waiting to be used.

 

[matchstickman]

I use the little "penny" matches when I can, but for my bowls that are really deep I cant get a match all the way down to the bottom, so the lighter does the trick for those "bottom of the bowl" relights. I have a couple of other lighters too but none get used as much as the Scribe.

 

[cajundad]

The pipeline by that same company is a great lighter too , I have one and love it .

 

[winton]

Here is a link to Amazon selling the Zippo pipe lighter that I use. $13.79 or you could go cheaper by searching ebay. If you find a Zippo ligher in a style you like, you could send it to Zippo and they will exchange the insert to a pipe insert for free. Some people complain about the taste of Zippo, but if you let the flame burn for a few seconds, you won't have the problem.
Winton
http://www.amazon.com/Zippo-200PL-Pipe-Lighter/dp/B001OYLC6C/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1356181474&sr=8-2&keywords=zippo+pipe+lighter

 

[simnettpratt]

I'm definitely a match guy unless I have to smoke outside in the wind, and I'm getting a custom engraved Zippo for Christmas from my sculptor brother-in-law. I believe I get it tomorrow and will post pics. But then, I know apparently the only place in North America that sells the ultimate matches: MAYA matches from Mexico. They're not wood, but cactus thorns, so they don't break but are bendy. You can fold them in half and they don't break. The box only opens from one end so they don't fall out, and the tray is half covered by a flap so they don't fall out. Plus, each box has a reproduction of a landscape painting on the back, which makes them light better
If anyone wants to try them, you get them at the HEB grocery store in Cleburne TX, 40 miles south of Fort Worth. If you want me to send you some, PM me. I'll send them for free, but accept baccy samples. You do NOT have to send me as much baccy as folks have been sending me!

 

[zonomo]

My first few bowls was with matchs that came with my "starter set" but being new, i burned through them (no pun intended) pretty quickly.

 

[instymp]

zippo

 

[gmwolford]

I like matches for the first two lights. After thar its Zippo time for me. :puffpipe:

 

[captainprophesy]

If I dont use matches (which I almost always do when at home) then its a zippo for me.
But if I had to choose... a match will always win out for me.

 

[martiniman]

+1 on the Scribe, just make sure the lighter is a soft flame and not a torch.

 

[shawn622]

Well I guess I'm the only one that uses a plain old Bic. I use matches too, but honestly could never tell a difference and a lighter is just easier.

 

[cigrmaster]

I use pipe lighters that have built in tampers exclusively. I love the convenience of having my tamper attached to my lighter. I use my Corona Old Boy in the briar finish and a Lotus 1140 Gaucho in the brown marble finish. I have had the Old Boy for over a decade and the Lotus is fairly new. The pic of the old boy is a stock photo, mine has darkened quite a lot over the years.
Old Boy

Lotus

 

[joeahearn]

I used an Old Boy for several years, but then it broke. Then I used matches, a very good alternative, until my wife objected to finding burnt matches that had somehow escaped the ashtray. (Burnt matches are extremely devious.) Now I use a Zippo with a pipe insert and keep a box of matches around as a back-up. Zippos are the bomb. Cheap, reliable, and a cool, controllable flame.

 

[vaboatbuilder]

ive had two pipe lighters

the first one worked great till i lost it but the Vertigo is the worst lighter ive ever used it only lights a third of the time. now im just using a bick and shopping for a new one.

 

[jbbaldwin]

Well I guess I'm the only one that uses a plain old Bic.

I use a Bic in the car or outside the house - I'd rather spend any cash I have on tobacco. (Inside, I like matches. The Diamond ones work for me.)