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Last post 5 years ago by zody. 21 replies replies.
Zippo love?
zody Offline
#1 Posted:
Joined: 05-03-2005
Posts: 1,149
Any you old FOGs or noobs still favor Zippo in you lighting arsenal?
I like em for some soft flame lights, and touch ups that a torch seems to fug up the cigar if you use 'em.
I've got a Zippo armor brass that I just can't do without.
KingoftheCove Online
#2 Posted:
Joined: 10-08-2011
Posts: 7,600
Eh.........torch for me, almost exclusively.
If I’m in a spot that’s quasi indoors, or has zero wind, I’ll do some cedar strips..........................just to be cool.
Thunder.Gerbil Offline
#3 Posted:
Joined: 11-02-2006
Posts: 121,359
Mmmm love that taste of bbq lighter fluid in my cigars.... yum.
Salmoneye Offline
#4 Posted:
Joined: 01-18-2011
Posts: 163
Interesting that you posted this, as I was planning on doing a Zippo thread tomorrow...

Not only do I love my OEM insert Zippos for lighting briars, but I found a butane insert that works incredibly well for cigars...

The butane insert is called "Z-Plus 2.0 Extreme"...Think I paid around $12 off the Bay...

I know...Cheesy name, but a great dual flame insert that works well...
My only complaint (if I wanted to whine), is that a fill only lasts me about two days...

For touch-ups I have a pinpoint single flame Moretti butane lighter that I swear by...Bought it off CBid for $4, I think...

I have maybe half a dozen or more Zippos...Newest one is mid 90's...



Pudding Mittens Offline
#5 Posted:
Joined: 08-15-2016
Posts: 1,291
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Zippo has two problems that make it "meh" for cigars.

1. Adds naptha flavor to your cigar. This can be mitigated somewhat with their "low odor" fluid, but not fully.

2. Evaporation slowly steals your fuel.

Butane is the way to go, as it's odorless and flavorless and doesn't evaporate out of lighters over time.

For main lights, a triple inline jet with the outer two angled inward is my favorite (as seen on the Xikar Trezo and HP3, and Vector Drone), followed by parallel double jets (as seen on the Xikar Turrim double, Allume double, Axia, Enigma II, Tech double, etc.)

For correcting uneven burn lines, by far the greatest thing I've found, and the only thing I use now, is the Xikar Verano flat flame lighter. Why? Try one and you'll see, and you'll never go back to anything else.
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streetrod Offline
#6 Posted:
Joined: 08-16-2007
Posts: 2,110
I still have a few around from the 60’s & 70’s when I smoked cigarettes. I tried to use them on cigars but as Pudding said, they add that naptha flavor to the stix. I was however gifted a 50th anniversary lighted that I have never used, & display.
danmdevries Offline
#7 Posted:
Joined: 02-11-2014
Posts: 17,124
Used to have a few when I smoked cigarettes, actually liked the flavor they added. Same for matches, changed things up a bit.

But not for pipes or cigars. I've tried em but don't like the lighter fluid taste in a cigar.

I'll stick with my bic, or jetline when outdoors.
opelmanta1900 Offline
#8 Posted:
Joined: 01-10-2012
Posts: 13,954
I'm a tiki torch man myself... Little cumbersome in the pocket but it sho nuff do impress the ladies...
RMAN4443 Offline
#9 Posted:
Joined: 09-29-2016
Posts: 7,683
I use one of these...fog

http://dailyman40.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/fred-flintstone-winston-cigarette-ad-640x330.jpg
Ewok126 Offline
#10 Posted:
Joined: 06-25-2017
Posts: 4,356
I love my zippo!

That being said, I never ever use it to fire up my cigars. My zippo is used to light........ err umm... Other things. Anxious and with that it's time for prayer.


Dear Lord, We would like to give thanks for this bountiful and beautiful herb we are about to receive. It is through your good grace that we are given this to ease our pains and anxiety issues and pray that you keep it coming.

Amen!



Now where is my damn zippo. Think
nmsolo Offline
#11 Posted:
Joined: 12-03-2018
Posts: 6
Had to use a Zippo on a cigar once because there was no other way to light my cigar. NEVER AGAIN. Ruined half the stick for me. Absolutely disgusting taste gets into the cigar.
Zippos ain't cheap either. Why even use one for a cigar? Just get 2-3 butane torch lighters off Amazon for $10 and they will last 5 years...
Pudding Mittens Offline
#12 Posted:
Joined: 08-15-2016
Posts: 1,291
nmsolo wrote:
Just get 2-3 butane torch lighters off Amazon for $10 and they will last 5 years...

Or get a Xikar butane torch and it'll last the rest of your life.

Anytime it has any problem of any kind whatsoever, even if just cosmetic or your fault, slide it over the counter at your nearest authorized dealer and they'll slide you a brand new-in-box one, no proof of purchase, ID or other paperwork required. Waiting required: none. Postage required: none. Do this repeatedly whenever needed for the rest of your life.
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Ewok126 Offline
#13 Posted:
Joined: 06-25-2017
Posts: 4,356
Pudding Mittens wrote:
Or get a Xikar butane torch and it'll last the rest of your life.

Anytime it has any problem of any kind whatsoever, even if just cosmetic or your fault, slide it over the counter at your nearest authorized dealer and they'll slide you a brand new-in-box one, no proof of purchase, ID or other paperwork required. Waiting required: none. Postage required: none. Do this repeatedly whenever needed for the rest of your life.
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Get two, incase one has to go to the shop. My nearest dealer will send em in for you to be fixed and will call you to let you know when it is back but, will not give you a replacement. The arseholes leave that to Xikar.
Pudding Mittens Offline
#14 Posted:
Joined: 08-15-2016
Posts: 1,291
Ewok126 wrote:
Get two, incase one has to go to the shop. My nearest dealer will send em in for you to be fixed and will call you to let you know when it is back but, will not give you a replacement. The arseholes leave that to Xikar.

I know CI will do instant swaps at their brick-and-mortar stores, as will many other shops. But if yours sucks and won't, getting two is a nice idea, so there's no waiting, yep!

Or be like me and get a good number of them, just because they have so many different cool models!

Oh, and if you noobs are wondering "what if your lighter's been discontinued?", Xikar replaces it with the most-similar current model, which is itself eligible for replacements... therefore it's TRUE lifetime, regardless of models being retired over the years.

Also, if your model hasn't been retired but they've redesigned it to be better, when you swap you'll get the new and better version, so it's also free design upgrades too!

I bought an Enigma I, swapped it for a slightly-improved Enigma I, then swapped that for a major-improved Enigma II. My pair of Stratosphere I lighters were swapped for Stratosphere II lighters, and so on.
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GhettoNigFabulous Offline
#15 Posted:
Joined: 02-19-2018
Posts: 199
I really dig the image of a Zippo. Fits that image of a 70’s superfly player out there on the streets running hoes. Flippin his Zippo for a cigarette smoke while he figures out his next move. I never tried them with a cigar tho, so I don’t know if they ruin the flavor. I do know that the cheap BIC lighters work great..
zody Offline
#16 Posted:
Joined: 05-03-2005
Posts: 1,149
I rarely use them for a primary light, maybe .001% of the time, but I do use my Zippo for touch ups on some cigars. On some a soft flame seems to work better.
Got a handful of Xicar lighters that I need to send in, they did great for a long time then all the Xicars I bought turned into lemons really fast. Just a PITA to have to send in something you pay a decent price tag on.
Butane torches are my primary lighter, honestly Vector and Jet Line keep kicking when the Xicars have crapped out on me.
My real Zippo love was when I was a cigarette smoker, cigs lit with a Zippos just tasted better.
Figured Zippos would toss some strong opinions, like or love - most cigar smokes will never light a cigar with a Zippo, certainly seems the case holds true here.
Pudding Mittens Offline
#17 Posted:
Joined: 08-15-2016
Posts: 1,291
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I can't understand Zippos for touch-ups when a single jet is much more precise, and a flat flame (like the Xikar Verano) is much better than that, Soft flames are so large (hot across a large area) that they usually scorch the surrounding wrapper, and they move around with the slightest breeze. Something like a Verano is hot only in a very narrow line and nowhere else, and small breezes do much less to alter its position than they do with a soft flame.

You should call Xikar and ask for a list of authorized dealers near you that do instant, postage-free over the counter swap-outs. I take mine to CI, and wham-bam-new-lighter-ma'am in seconds. I've even exchanged multiple ones at the same time, no problem. $0, no paperwork, instant.

If that makes you think "hey Puddin, if Xikars are so great, why have you done multiple swaps like that?" keep in mind that I smoke a lot, and have a schittload of Xikar lighters that I use, and this has been true for many years now. They're very reliable and long-lived, but ALL butane torches WILL die at some point, including Vectors, JetLites, Ronson, EVERY one. That's when you want free instant eternal swap capability.

If Xikar says there are no instant-swap dealers near you, and you don't want to drive awhile or pay postage, then maybe go with another brand that's cheap so you can toss them when they die without too much loss. Otherwise, I'd go with Xikar, no question.

I've resurrected many seemingly-dead lighters by observing where their spark wires are, and where they're arcing to, then bending them back into a working position with teezers. I've resurrected many other lighters by holding them rightside-up and pressing a butane can upside-down onto them so that the butane can's filling stalk presses directly against the jet(s), then pressing firmly to give each jet a quick spurt of butane. Butane is not only a fuel, but also a cleaner, and when deployed under pressure at contact distance it's very effective at blowing gunk out of jets. Make sure no ignition sources are in the area, and that your finger can't accidentally activate the sparker. Never aim at or near your face or any part of your body, have no flammable objects in the area, etc., SAFETY FIRST! Wait 3-5 minutes before attempting to light, to let extra butane evaporate. Also make sure the butane can's stalk doesn't knock the sparker wire out of alignment, or as mentioned above, you may have to bend it back with tweezers or the like.
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Ram09 Offline
#18 Posted:
Joined: 11-05-2018
Posts: 26
Surprised nobody here uses just a plain old wood match or cedar spill!
Sunoverbeach Offline
#19 Posted:
Joined: 08-11-2017
Posts: 14,586
I tried early on but proved to be too much work, not to mention a tremendous waste of matches in the slightest breeze. After using my first torch I was in love
mjrburn Offline
#20 Posted:
Joined: 02-28-2016
Posts: 1,590
I keep a zippo fueled up, still smoke a camel occasionally so I'll get the zippo out for that. I bought a Bugatti triple flame, about 5 years ago, to light my stogies with and it's the only thing I use for cigar lighting and control now.
zody Offline
#21 Posted:
Joined: 05-03-2005
Posts: 1,149
'Course a Zippo is no substitute for a bonfire. Anyone ever see a real genius try that one?
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