Zippo Pipe Lighters...Opinions Please!

[warren]

I have to suck really hard just to get the flame down into the pipe.

I try to avoid doing that. Not a fan of charred briar.

 

[paulfg]

I actually hate the Zippos lighter made for pipes with the hole on the side. I have to suck really hard just to get the flame down into the pipe. I don't have a lot of experience sucking hard though. I just prefer using a regular zippos and tilt it into the pipe and think it works better.

I though it was only me that has that problem.I too can’t get the flame to draw into the chamber

 

[paulfg]

Especially on relights, you usually don't need to get the flame into the bowl; just the heat off the tip will ignite the tobacco.

I agree on relights but try lighting something like SGawith 1792 flake ,forget it.

 

[Chasing Embers]

I agree on relights but try lighting something like SGawith 1792 flake ,forget it.

Fully rubbed out and dried its easily smoked.

 

[didimauw]

Just saw another video of someone doing "Zippo Tricks".

Dont.

Just don't.

All I could think of was " all that fluid being wasted....and THOSE POOR HINGES "

Last time I loaned my zippo to a friend, he slammed it into his leg 15 times before he got the thing to light.....Ugh...

Just use your thumb. Works great.

 

[Lucro]

When I started piping I hated using matches and picked up and inexpensive $20ish I think zippo pipe lighter. I love it. Worst thing about it is refilling it weekly. No other complaints

 

[MartyA]

I only smoke outside, and a fuel Zippo is the only thing I can get to work in the slightest breeze. The fuel evaporates, but I just squirt a little more in each time I come in and clean my pipe.
I've got my "roofing nail - dowel pin" tamper taped on. Very convenient.

 

[ophiuchus]

Zippos are my favorite. I’ve gotten a new one just about every year since the ‘80s, not that I ever had to replace one; all reliable for their purpose.

A couple of them over the years were the pipe lighter variation. They worked well, but don’t hold up to the wind as well as the regular Zippos, and over time carbon would build up in the chimneys that takes some effort to remove. The regulars work as well for pipes for me.

I’ve noticed that fluid doesn’t leak/evaporate quite as quickly with the brass Zippos. They don’t have t be refueled as often.

 

[BayouGhost]

I have had better luck just tilting my head down and using the standard zippo. The pipe lighters work well, but the top “cap” can tend to come loose and they can suffer in the wind. My standard zippo recently got me through a week of gale force winds in Alaska.

 

[AroEnglish]

Love my zippo with pipe insert and wouldn't use anything else if there's even a slight wind.

 

[AreBee]

As a long-time cigar smoker I swore off Zippos with traditional naphtha fuel because EVERYBODY said that it imparts an odor on cigars. I did this without ever lighting a cigar with a traditional Zippo.

When I began smoking a pipe a few months ago I noticed that many pipe smokers used a traditional Zippo, so I tried it, and now my traditional Zippo has become my preferred method of lighting my pipe over my Vector Thunderbird butane pipe insert (which already failed after three months) and the Zippo butane soft flame insert. I recently bought the gaskets to curb evaporation and we'll see how that goes. I'll still use my torches for cigars but if I got caught without one, I wouldn't hesitate to use a Zippo with the traditional fuel.

 

[Joe H]

I think the Zippo pipe insert is the best system for outdoor smoking. I use whatever lighter I happen to have on me, but if I know pipe lighting is on the agenda, the one on the right comes along. The other three are also very handy. From the left: The Japanese Zenith was designed for pipes and cigarettes about 20 years before Zippo marketed their version; a Zippo Slim with enlarged chimney holes; and a full-sized Zippo modded with a large hole in the chimney (makes for a very good all around lighter). If the OP has trouble keeping a lighter working, Zippo would be a tough choice to beat. Most of these are around 60 years old and work perfectly.

 

[Pipeoff]

I only smoke outside, and a fuel Zippo is the only thing I can get to work in the slightest breeze. The fuel evaporates, but I just squirt a little more in each time I come in and clean my pipe.
I've got my "roofing nail - dowel pin" tamper taped on. Very convenient.

Danger : don’t carry in front pant pocket, your voice may go up a few octaves.

 

[lestrout]

I have been especially fond of the Z-Pipe butane insert for my Zippo. The cartridge is clear so you can see fuel level. It handles well outside and the flame is adjustable. I've used it daily for 5 years with no issues at all. The Z-Pipe has the rep of being more problem-free than the Thunderbirtd. My setup is wonderful for relighting while driving: one hand operation and eyes still on the road.

 

[bullet08]

Zippo. Finest lighter. Includes the pipe insert.

 

[rob moore]

Hell yeah, ol skool Zippos, gotta have them, luv them

 

[rob moore]

 

[Professor Moriarty]

I though it was only me that has that problem.I too can’t get the flame to draw into the chamber

Same issue. Especially with broken flake tobacco which is often more difficult to light than ribbon or shag.
I started using kitchen matches when lighting deep in the bowl, but I have also found matches superior when lighting at the top of the bowl -- more control and just easier for some reason.
So now I use my zippo to light my matches cuz I find it difficult to get the darn things lit off the side of their box.

 

[MartyA]

I have been especially fond of the Z-Pipe butane insert for my Zippo. The cartridge is clear so you can see fuel level. It handles well outside and the flame is adjustable. I've used it daily for 5 years with no issues at all. The Z-Pipe has the rep of being more problem-free than the Thunderbirtd. My setup is wonderful for relighting while driving: one hand operation and eyes still on the road.

You mention that the Z-Pipe handles well outside... Is it actually somewhat windproof? I'd like a butane lighter so I could quit squirting fuel into my Zippo every day after I smoke, but so far I haven't found a soft flame butane lighter that will work in the slightest breeze.

 

[Reggie]

I actually hate the Zippos lighter made for pipes with the hole on the side. I have to suck really hard just to get the flame down into the pipe. I don't have a lot of experience sucking hard though. I just prefer using a regular zippos and tilt it into the pipe and think it works better.

+1 for THIS!