I have to say, I am decently pleased with the Xikar Pipeline, which was apparently revamped earlier this year. I suppose this post will act as a review.
Overall it feels pretty solid. It's not a $100 lighter, and doesn't feel like it, but it's close. Close enough for $50. It feels good in the hand, has some heft to it and is not slippery like that goddamned Colibri Pacific. The tamper is wide enough so that you don't feel like you're pecking at your tobacco to try and tamp it down, and so it performs well in this regard. I was apprehensive about the little half moon shape of it, but it honestly doesn't affect the tamping - even I am not that picky. It stays snug in the lighter when tamping, yet easily comes out with a twist, and the tamper, while deployed but still inside the lighter, is also decently long, and reaches the bottom of all but my deepest bowls, which is nice. This also makes for a decently long pick to aerate if you so choose. The flame adjustment screw is a bit tricky to get to if you don't have long fingernails (as a massage therapist I can't have nails), but I can still do it if I have to, and I simply use a knife I carry on me all the time anyway.
As for the flame, I can't get it to large enough to soft light my cigars at the highest setting, but this might be from filling it incorrectly. I love the nice, soft scratch of the flint ignition, and the flip top retro look is really classy and wins over the ladies
The flame nozzle is situated a little oddly and I can't point the flame as accurately as I would like to burn the tobacco at the sides of the bowl, and I have to pull harder on the pipe to help direct the flame to those areas, but so far this isn't really that big a deal. The flame sometimes heats up the flip top flame cover, so you have to close it quick, but honestly I like that now, it makes things interesting. I love the dexterity aspect of wielding this lighter. So far it also has a decent fuel capacity, and I can live without a gauge.
All in all, a great lighter. If you want to step it up from the cheapo $15 lighters that come as bonuses from P&C special bundles, this is a great mid range lighter if you don't want to go all the way and buy an Old Boy.
4/5 stars.
Overall it feels pretty solid. It's not a $100 lighter, and doesn't feel like it, but it's close. Close enough for $50. It feels good in the hand, has some heft to it and is not slippery like that goddamned Colibri Pacific. The tamper is wide enough so that you don't feel like you're pecking at your tobacco to try and tamp it down, and so it performs well in this regard. I was apprehensive about the little half moon shape of it, but it honestly doesn't affect the tamping - even I am not that picky. It stays snug in the lighter when tamping, yet easily comes out with a twist, and the tamper, while deployed but still inside the lighter, is also decently long, and reaches the bottom of all but my deepest bowls, which is nice. This also makes for a decently long pick to aerate if you so choose. The flame adjustment screw is a bit tricky to get to if you don't have long fingernails (as a massage therapist I can't have nails), but I can still do it if I have to, and I simply use a knife I carry on me all the time anyway.
As for the flame, I can't get it to large enough to soft light my cigars at the highest setting, but this might be from filling it incorrectly. I love the nice, soft scratch of the flint ignition, and the flip top retro look is really classy and wins over the ladies
The flame nozzle is situated a little oddly and I can't point the flame as accurately as I would like to burn the tobacco at the sides of the bowl, and I have to pull harder on the pipe to help direct the flame to those areas, but so far this isn't really that big a deal. The flame sometimes heats up the flip top flame cover, so you have to close it quick, but honestly I like that now, it makes things interesting. I love the dexterity aspect of wielding this lighter. So far it also has a decent fuel capacity, and I can live without a gauge.All in all, a great lighter. If you want to step it up from the cheapo $15 lighters that come as bonuses from P&C special bundles, this is a great mid range lighter if you don't want to go all the way and buy an Old Boy.
4/5 stars.