Zippo's and Cigars

[Nickerson]

I still think the Zippo is the best looking lighter that has ever hit the market. Love that flip open top, plus they come in so many varieties with different materials, colors, engravings, logo's, etc.

The problem is that the normal kerosene type fuel isn't the best for cigars. Can absorb some of the flavor if you have keen taste buds. How they usually work is they insert is filled with cotton balls and a long wick. The wick absorbs the kerosene so when you spark the flint it lights the wick. As many people think, Zippo's don't actually put out a fume gas that ignites. Its lighting a rope like wick that burns until you close lid and then it takes a few seconds to self extinguish.

There are a couple of solutions to this problem. The first is the Zippo Blu. Its a new model of the Zippo made to use butane fuel. Butane burns clean and doesn't effect the taste of your cigars. Butane fueled lighters, more commonly known as "torch lighters", are now probably the most common type of lighters used in the cigar smoking world.

I find the Zippo Blu lighters ugly though. They aren't squared like the normaly Zippo's and have a wavey lid. They also don't come in many varieties yet. Below is a comparison of the Zippo Blu and the standard Zippo.



There is one other solution. The standard Zippo's inside comes out. It is removed so you can poor in the fuel in the bottom and replace the wicks and other stuff. These inside containers are known as inserts. Recently a company made a Zippo insert for normal Zippo lighters that uses butane fuel. Unlike the Zippo Blu, it uses any normal sized Zippo case. It doesn't have that ugly shape and design to it, and can be used in any normal sized Zippo. It also doesn't need to light the fuel stream with a flint. Just click a button and it lights and works like a charm.

Zippo Lighter
Zippo Z-Plus Torch Insert

Now you have a cool butane lighter, that you can personalize by selecting from tens of thousands of different cases so that it best suites you.

[htran1023]

If you prefer soft flames, Vector also makes the butane Thunderbird lighter which is the same size as Zippos. They come in standard and angled (for pipes) and the insert can be removed and placed into a Zippo.

[Toulouse]

Here's the Vector link:

Vector KGM–Official Website of Vector lighters and Cigar Accessories

Never used one, but it looks to be of all metal construction.

[danmcmartin]

I gotta admit, I can't get over the Zippo aesthetic. I mean they carried Zippos across the channel and landed with them on D-Day. They are classics. While they may be better at lighting cigars, butane lighters that shoot blue flame just seem to modern. The butane Zippo inserts are pretty cool though. A good compromise.

[Tarks]

Love Zippos. I have the z-plus insert and it works pretty good. The only beef I have is it is hard to fill. Seems i waste a lot of butane with it.

[Cyber]

I have the zippo blue as well as normal zippos. I think the flint on the zippo blue is a big plus, those little spark/clickers on most butanes just quit working after a few years and you have to replace the whole lighter.

I do agree that they need better case designs!

[nativetexan_1]

I'm not so sure about the "works like a charm". I have one of those inserts. It worked great until the first refill. Since then, it just won't light. I can take the insert OUT of the case, and it will light. I put a couple of match sticks under the insert (inside the case) to raise it up, and it lit for a while. I called the Z-plus people who promised a replacement that was never received. The Z-plus has been a disapointment for me.

Finally, I bought the Ronson Jet lighter at Walmart. No more problems.

[fuente~fuente]

Originally Posted by nativetexan_1

I'm not so sure about the "works like a charm". I have one of those inserts. It worked great until the first refill. Since then, it just won't light. I can take the insert OUT of the case, and it will light. I put a couple of match sticks under the insert (inside the case) to raise it up, and it lit for a while. I called the Z-plus people who promised a replacement that was never received. The Z-plus has been a disapointment for me.

Finally, I bought the Ronson Jet lighter at Walmart. No more problems.

Da troof!!!

I bought a really expensive (for a Zippo) leather wrapped Zippo about 6 months ago... Bought a Z-plus for it, & now I got an expensive POS that never lights on the 1st try....or 2nd usally, as a matter of fact.

Gonna stick it on Ebay & hope to God I get almost half of what I paid for it.

[Bermac]

I love my zippo. I have had the same one now for 15 years. I use a low odor fluid that doesn't impact the cigar. At least I cannot taste a difference.

Welcome to the official Zippo® online store

[danmcmartin]

I have a couple of butane lighters, one cost me 70 bucks. Neither light anymore. They worked for a while, but then became difficult to light and finally just stopped working. I'm sure I can perform some complex and tedious procedure to bring them back to life and continue doing it monthly or weekly. No thanks! Zippos are cheap and they work. Honestly, I doubt I have the pallate to detect any taste they might leave.