Colibri woes

[Cameroon-swoon-cl]

Man, I think Colibri has people duped. They're stuff works great for a year or so (give or take) and then crap's out. I have had a number of Colibri's and I am always really happy with them initially, but then they always end up having ignition problems. I take very good care of my lighters, use 5x filtered fuel and keep the ignition systems clean, but always end up having the same problems.

To boot, Colibri doesn't have a lifetime warranty! Does this piss any one else off besides me? Xicar not only has kick-butt lighters (just got an Enigma dual-torch), but they also have a lifetime warranty; just register your device. I know other lighter mfr's also offer this.

So, is it worth getting my Colibri fixed? I don't know - to find out I have to send it in then call them within 2-3 weeks to get a "quote". The particular lighter I speak of is a cool lighter- I've always liked it and it was a gift from my sis, but what a hassle. Men's accessories (lighters, knives, cutters, pens, etc.) should have lifetime warranty's. PERIOD!

[BeerAdvocate-cl]

This is just me, but I have never heard anything good about a Colibri lighter. Even my B&M bad mouths them and they carry them. Always the same complaints. Works for awhile then no more. Then it costs an arm and a leg to repair.

[LkyLindy]

Vik--we.ve talked about this before

Send $6 and the lighter to collibri and they will fix it BUT the lighters are GARBAAAGE

http://www.cigarlive.com/forum/showthread.php?t=13825

[madurodave-cl]

Agreed. Their lighters do not last..imo. Was like pulling teeth to get them to repair a cutter my son got me for Chirstmas.

[FN in MT-cl]

Several years ago I had my 2nd junk colibri in for repair as it would NOT light. Long story short they replaced it with a slightly different but current model.

That one worked about ten times and had to be sent back. They told me I had used "unfiltered or poor quality" fuel. I had used Colibri fuel that was included with the lgither.

Got it back, tried it a few times and it lit fine. Went surf fishing north of my Moms in Barnegat NJ with a buddy. Get out on the beach, far from the truck, and guess what? The F'in colibri will NOT light.

There's a like new, hardly used colibri sitting no more than 50 yds out in the Atlantic just off Island Beach? Beach Island? Anyway...it's out there. Free for the taking.

Colibri is I believe the French word for JUNK.

FN in MT

[jim@mindofmen.com]

I'm glad to hear that other people have the same experience. I always complain about them and then have to listen to people telling me how I'm not maintaining my lighters blah blah blah when I know all about cleaning and purging.

I hate Colibris and am done with ever buying those pieces of junk again.

[Cameroon-swoon-cl]

Originally Posted by FN in MT

Several years ago I had my 2nd junk colibri in for repair as it would NOT light. Long story short they replaced it with a slightly different but current model.

That one worked about ten times and had to be sent back. They told me I had used "unfiltered or poor quality" fuel. I had used Colibri fuel that was included with the lgither.

Got it back, tried it a few times and it lit fine. Went surf fishing north of my Moms in Barnegat NJ with a buddy. Get out on the beach, far from the truck, and guess what? The F'in colibri will NOT light.

There's a like new, hardly used colibri sitting no more than 50 yds out in the Atlantic just off Island Beach? Beach Island? Anyway...it's out there. Free for the taking.

Colibri is I believe the French word for JUNK.

FN in MT

FN - that is hilarious!!! I totally agree. I know this thread has been discussed before - I even weighed in on it once. But I'm sitting here looking at this stupid thing thinking it is $45.00 down the tube. I agree - Colibri is junk - you have to wonder about a company who starts making knock-off jewelry too. Xikar and Blazer get my vote for the best lighters.

[FN in MT-cl]

CameroonSwoon,

Your pkg should arrive today I'd imagine. Let me know what You think of the #7's.

One of the best lighters I've EVER had was a flint sparked, butane lighter the Army issued in the Aviator survival vest. Others thought they were junk,but I have one thats a dozen years old and still working fine. They are aluminum, very heavy duty and just seem to work no matter what.

Need to look into them and see if they are available as surplus, who made them, etc.

FN in MT

[robisjebus-cl]

i've never owned a colibri, but i'm a member of a few forums and i always hear the same thing about them... JUNK!

i had a tiger triple flame that went dead on me after a year or so ($17), so i took mtmouse's advise and got a ronson at walmart for $3. after the first herf, i lost it. i thought "hey, it's only $3" but eventually i found it again, and it works great.

i have used it at 4 or 5 herfs already, and not had to refill it.

[Lighthouse]

Originally Posted by jim@mindofmen.com

I'm glad to hear that other people have the same experience. I always complain about them and then have to listen to people telling me how I'm not maintaining my lighters blah blah blah when I know all about cleaning and purging.

I hate Colibris and am done with ever buying those pieces of junk again.

I'm with you on this one! Since that last thead ran on this topic I lost another Colibri. So now I'm down to 2, and one of them is on it's last leg. Too bad there is no market for the scrap metal! Sending in the 6 bucks, plus postage is like throwing good money after bad. You'd be better off torching the 6 bucks, at least you could use the flame to spark a stick. Never again will I purchase a Colibri product!

[leafandale]

Colibri has a new CEO at the helm as of about 10 months ago. They allegedly have revamped all aspects of operations, including production. Seems the Chinese were cutting corners at the factories (ooohhh there's a suprise!), using cheaper parts than was specified, and crappy fuel instead of the Colibri brand.

We had such bad luck selling Colibri that we kicked them out for over two years. Now understand, what I am about to say is from my Colibri rep and not my words. They have revamped the production process, with people form Colibri overseeing operations, and the lighter warranties have been improved (I can attest to this, as we are selling them again). We are what is called a Premier Partner. What that means is I can replace ANY Colibri lighter I sell with a brand new one, regardless of the warranty the lighter may carry. It is a lifetime deal for the buyer. If the customer chooses, I can send the lighter back for repair and Colibri picks up the cost.

Since we started carrying them again in November 07, I have only had 2 lighters come back. One we adjusted, refilled and sent the dude on his way. The other I replaced over the counter and Colibri credited my account. I also encouraged 3 or 4 other customers to bring in older models for me to send back. Colibri fixed those as well with no charge to me or my customers.

Yes, in past years these guys sucked. Same for Prometheus. It does appear that Colibri has made a serious effort to get back in the lighter game, especially from a customer service angle. Only time will tell, but most of the damage probably has already been done. JMHO

If you have a bad lighter, find a B&M that is a Premier Partner and ask them if they will handle the repair for you. You have nothing to lose. And it shouldn't cost you anything.

[jim@mindofmen.com]

Hey Mike,

thanks for the info. If Colibri really wants to make things right, they should offer previous customers to ability to return any colibri lighter for a nominal cost - $5-$6 whereupon they would replace or repair the lighter and offer a proper warranty on it. Heck, if colibri would be willing to offer a longer warranty, I might be willing to pay as much as $10 for a couple of my colibris to have them replaced with something that is not junk.

Otherwise, Colibri can forget about ever having me as a customer. I have owned a number of colibris over the last 10 years and they have all failed. At this point, they need to buy themselves back into the market by trying to replace the goodwill that they squandered. I don't buy the Chinese story entirely because this problem has been going on for years and while the Chinese might be to blame, Colibri quality control should have caught this years ago.

I say to Colibri, buy my loyalty back or go away and I will be very vocal telling everyone who wants to listen how much their products stink.

[Lighthouse]

Thanks for the info Mike. Unfortunately there has been a fair amount of goodwill that has been destroyed at the consumer level. And as you point out, it went on at the dealer level too. I assume it took a fair amount of work for the rep to get you to carry their products again, as it should. It's a very tough and long process to restore a brand's image in the marketplace. It can also be costly. Colibri needs to be as aggressive as they can to make amends with existing customers, and they must deliver on their promises of performance and quality to gain better recognition in the marketplace. Just my two cents worth!

[BrianEE93-cl]

I must be the odd man out. I have had two Colibri lighters and my Dad has had three. The only complaint I have had is that they don't seem to light on the first click but always do on the second. My Dad wasn't bleeding and filling his with it set on low and it quit working. He sent it to me and I bled it and refilled on low and it worked but flickered. I saw the burners were trashed. I held the lighter upside down and hit it with WD40. It works great now. My first torch I ever bought was a single flame Colibri about 10 years ago and it still works fine.

I just bought a Perdomo logo Vector table top from the Devil site and it seems very nice and lights on the first click. I have always used either Colibri or Vector fuel.

[boomerd35]

Originally Posted by jim@mindofmen.com

Hey Mike,

thanks for the info. If Colibri really wants to make things right, they should offer previous customers to ability to return any colibri lighter for a nominal cost - $5-$6 whereupon they would replace or repair the lighter and offer a proper warranty on it. Heck, if colibri would be willing to offer a longer warranty, I might be willing to pay as much as $10 for a couple of my colibris to have them replaced with something that is not junk.

Exactly. I still have a couple of DOA Colibri lighters that didn't work for very long before croaking. I don't know why, but I can't bring myself to throw them out,even though I know they are pieces of sh*t. Probably cause I bought one when I was young and thought I was buying something nice. And the other was a gift from my wife, so it had sentimental value. But if I would even think about buying another Colibri, it definitely wouldn't be until they'd fix or replace the ones I still have. Where was Cigar Live back in the early 90's? I could have read up on Colibri's and avoided these lemons!