Thought I would share my latest experience with this (these) lighters. First let me say that I'm not proud of the fact that it's made in China, but this is the only pipe lighter I've found that works for me (and I've tried several)...and it is the only one I've seen of it's shape and design. I REALLY wanted to use my Zippo pipe lighter originally, but alas, I had to give up on that a while back because it just doesn't work for me...I guess I'm just not skilled enough in that respect. And I'm just not willing to pay $100 plus for a lighter for other choices that are out there.
Back to the Scribe: It worked fantastic for about 2 months or so and then quit working. I promptly sent it back to Xikar, and they very quickly sent me a brand new one to replace it free of charge. Time will tell if this one lasts longer, but I suspect it will because I can tell that the mechanism is much stronger than on the other. I had bought the other at a local B&M, and it was a display model. I suspect that it had been toyed with a bit too much at the store. We'll see. But I am impressed with Xikar's customer service.