Free Zippo Blu Review

[foolwithnohair]

So Zippo asked for my thoughts and comments in return for a Zippo Blu - which they shipped to Canada for no charge - a very kind and considerate action on the part of Zippo. So here goes ... sorry Zippo.

The Zippo Blu
I have rarely seen so many negative reviews about a famous manufacturer's product as I have the Zippo Blu. Lots of people like Zippo lighters, collect Zippo lighters, pay big bucks for special edition Zippo lighters, etc. Not many people light cigars with Zippo lighters - thanks to Cigar Aficionado's story years ago stating that using a Zippo would cause a cigar to change taste. At one point Zippo even published directions on how to light a cigar with a Zippo lighter. (Light the Zippo. Wait three seconds. Start toasting cigar, etc.)

The idea that Zippo's are bad for cigars has become gospel over the years. Even Zippo seems to believe it now - at least the ad copy for the Blu gives that impression. Thus, cigar smokers have gone butane. More cigars are smoked outside now, so butane torches have become almost the default. Unfortunately, the worst type of lighter to use on a cigar is a butane torch, because a torch flame is so hot that it cooks/chars/destroys tobacco if the blue flame gets within a few inches (yes, inches) of the foot of the cigar. This results in a change in taste that seems to last for almost an inch of cigar. OTOH, if you're outside in a wind, getting the cigar lit is more important than losing taste nuances for the first inch - so a torch is a necessary evil. Alcohol lighters are the best because they have the coldest clean flame, but they definitely aren't useful outdoors ... but back to the Zippo Blu.

One thing Zippo does is make variations on a theme. Until the Blu was introduced, they had about four basic case styles that would look identical to the untrained eye, with each style available in billion different finishes and logo's - because the case was separate from the lighter mechanism. The mechanism itself looked like it was 1930's technology - because it was 1930's technology. It would take a discerning eye to see the differences between my Dad's WWII Zippo and a modern one - but not so with the Blu.

The Blu reminds me of a Rolex Quartz watch. Rolex took their iconic Oyster waterproof case design and "modernized" it so consumers could differentiate the Quartz from the mechanical chronometer that made Rolex famous. The number of people who wear Rolex Quartz, and the number of people who even know that Rolex Quartz exists, is evidence of the marketing folly of modernizing an iconic design. Zippo appears to have ignored this lesson - and they're in good company - remember New Coke? People buy Zippo's because of their unmistakable look, feel, and sound - not how well they work, or how easy they are to use.

All that to say that the Blu has a different, although derivative, design from the traditional Zippo. The obvious thing for Zippo to have done was to make a butane insert for their regular case design. They didn't do this, so other manufacturers have. Many people have these inserts - they get the traditional Zippo look and case-opening "flick-ping," with none of the idiosyncrasies of dealing with lighter fluid and 1930's technology. A perfect solution - which the Blu isn't.

Technically, the Blu is interesting. It has a unique, and patented, burner system that eliminates the need for flame adjustment. As for how well this works, well, 'net wisdom is not in Zippo's favour. Only time will tell me how the Blu performs. However, the rest of the technology of the Blu appears, well, to be bi-polar. Examples:

1. The Blu uses flint ignition. Modern flint-ignition butane lighters (by modern I mean designed in the last 50 years) use finger-friendly wheels on each side of the striking surface so that the user's thumb isn't rendered raw by the flint-striking surface - which is essentially a circular metal file. The Blu stays the Zippo course by using the traditional Zippo striker with no wheels. This works on a regular Zippo because the striker wheel is made in a larger diameter than found in other lighters, which reduces the force - and thus the pressure - needed to turn the wheel. In the Blu, however, one has to press down on the wheel to start the flow of butane - the entire striking mechanism has to be depressed against spring resistance, and then flicked. This is a common way to child-proof a lighter - my 99-cent Ronson "refillable disposable" plastic butane lighter does the same thing - but because there are no finger-friendly wheels around the striking surface, a sedentary office worker like me who doesn't work with his/her hands quickly develops a thumb callous. The force of the spring is sufficient to eject the entire flint mechanism if one is over-zealous with the flick. This is probably the only lighter marketed today that you have to practice using to keep it from coming apart (or read the instructions to comprehend how to work it).

2. The Blu uses the standard Zippo construction of having the case be a separate assembly from the lighter mechanism. This is necessary on a regular Zippo to get the fluid into the lighter. With the Blu, one advantage of the separate case/mechanism design could have been using the case to cover the filling nozzle - in butane lighters lint can get trapped in the filling nozzle area, which can cause leaks and a "broken" lighter. Zippo had the means to avoid this problem with their design - but instead made a hole in the case for the nozzle - and then secured the case and lighter assembly together with a tamper-proof torx screw. Thus, on the Blu, the separate case is totally unnecessary and just contributes to the weight and bulk of the lighter. Zippo seemingly tried to address the unnecessary weight and bulk by making the case out of very thin metal. Besides now feeling 'cheap,' the iconic Zippo 'ping' is now a character-less 'clink.'

3. One other traditional feature of Zippo construction is that it is all-metal - or rather, was all metal. The Blu appears all-metal - except for a jarring note of black plastic which one has to hold down to get the butane to continue to flow. Even the inserts from other manufacturers avoid the faux pas of having user's fingers touch plastic - the Blu forces you to feel plastic every time you use it.

4. Speaking of plastic, a final jarring note is the fuel level window. Whether a fuel level window is a necessary feature on a butane lighter is debatable - but the Blu's window is certainly large and visible. It also breaks up the design of the all-polished chrome case - one almost expects to see flashing LED's light up when the lighter is flicked open.

I really wanted to like the Zippo Blu, but, like the Rolex Quartz or New Coke, it just doesn't make sense to me. Sure, it works and is a quality American-made piece, but at $65 MSRP for the high-polish chrome version - new this year - I suspect that there are better choices out there. Xikar offers a better warranty - traditionally one of Zippo's strongest selling points - and even within Zippo, the regular brushed-chome Blu is $48 MSRP, and the traditional Zippo starts at $16. Myself, I think I'm going to dig up my Dad's Zippos and get some of that new-style minimum-odour Zippo lighter fluid.

Other CL review threads on the Blu:
http://www.cigarlive.com/forum/t2500...ers-zippo.html
http://www.cigarlive.com/forum/showt...794#post400794
Old CL review system:
http://www.cigarlive.com/reviewpost/...uct/226/cat/14

[baba]

I have a Zippo blue - have had some difficulities with it. It lights then goes out. Relight then it goes out. Tank was bled of air before filling.

[Smoke 'em All]

This is a very good review (maybe not for Zippo), and it seems to fit in with the other complaints on this site. I must admit that I've always enjoyed the Zippo (except when it leaked in my pocket and chemically burned my leg). Looks like I'll be keeping my Xikar. Thanks for the review!

[zion698]

Originally Posted by baldheadracing

Myself, I think I'm going to dig up my Dad's Zippos and get some of that new-style minimum-odour Zippo lighter fluid.

I would have to agree on your last point, that's what I did. The only negative is that the lighter fuild evaporates.