Though I prefer the pipe insert, recently I've been lighting my pipe with a standard chimney Zippo, and found it actually works pretty well. Reading through a few Zippo threads gave me the urge to buy a few more so I have more Zippos on the way. A classic "street brass" Zippo with regular chimney, is just under $11 U.S. on Amazon as I write this. It's hard to come by useful products made in the U.S.A. with a lifetime warranty for that kind of money these days.
One thing I discovered this winter as an outdoor smoker is when the temperature drops to freezing and below, my Zippos are the only lighters that work with any reliability.