I recently bought a new (inexpensive) soft-flame pipe-lighter from Ebay. (it has the pipe-tools on the side) It only lit one out of four tries. First, I changed the flint to a Colibri; no change. I noticed later that the side igniter wheel spun a little too easy. I took a half-used flint from another lighter and installed it behind the Colibri flint, then (carefully) loaded the tension spring behind them. The side wheel has noticeably more tension, and now gives reliable sparks every single time.
It seems kinda lame and obvious now as I write this, but this tip may save someone from the immediate urge to just chuck an otherwise good instrument.
It seems kinda lame and obvious now as I write this, but this tip may save someone from the immediate urge to just chuck an otherwise good instrument.