Anyone ever seen a review of a Zippo here or anywhere else? Something along the lines of how it performs (if at all) after being submerged in water and how many lights you get out of a standard-sized Zippo with a full tank of gas as well as other similar criteria. I have seen lots of equipment reviews both here and other places but none on a Zippo. Considering the the popularity of Zippos and how long they have been around, I imagine the reviews are out there but I'm just not finding them. I only own one good quality Zippo. I used to own many but gave all but my favorite one away a couple years ago when I quit smoking. I really don't want to beat up my one and only (and favorite) Zippo to test this stuff myself when I presume many people have already done this before me.

Mr. Brian-

While I have no comprehensive review to offer, I will say that my mini Zippo has performed flawlessly backpacking, rock climbing, lighting the occasional cigar, and for all other uses I've had for it. Just today, driving down I-459 to pick up our take-out dinner, with the driver's and rear sliding glass windows open in my Frontier, I lit my Zippo as a test. It burned well for 30 seconds (a little more than half a mile @ 80 MPH). I don't know what other lighters everyone uses, but I'll take my Zippo any day. I've heard reports of mountaineers using them @ 14K + where fancy Bruntons and the like failed. I do keep a few WP-WP matches and strikers in my wallet, EDC, and truck kit, but my Zippo is my main fire source in time of need. I refill once a week, BTW.

Hope this helps.

Never had a problem with a Zippo, they just work! As for number of lights on a fill up, about a week for a pack-a-day smoker. A flint lasts about a month at that rate, maybe longer. As for waterproof, if you submerge it for long, it will not work, the water will get into the packing and soak it enough that the fuel is useless. I carry a Scripto butane for stove and fire lighting. Strike anywhere matches in an old, old matchsafe and a Swedish Firesteel. Never failed to have a fire, if I needed one. One way or another! As for the butane at altitude, used it to light a stove at over 14,000 ft, worked fine. Cold can be a problem, but if it is in your pocket, it stays warm enough. The beauty of the butane, if it gets wet, let it dry and it will work again. Cheers!

I'm a dedicated Zippo user. I've got three right now. I've never gotten one wet enough to kill it. I go a week on a fill at two packs a day, a month os so on a flint. The only think I've ever had go really wrong was to mangle one enough that I had to put the top in a vise to get the sleave off it. That one went back to the factory, and came back better than new -- for free. All they asked was for me to tell them how it happened.

In searching for some performance data (found nothing indepth), ran across this interesting Zippo-trivia on Zippo.com:

-Over 400 million sold since invented in 1932.
-Highest price paid for a Zippo...$18,000...a 1933 model.

Not really much statisically, but to add to the anecdotal data, here ya go:

Grandad always used Zippos. He smoked every day, so for him it was not any extra effort to remember to recharge the lighter once a week. When he bought cigarettes, he would be sure to buy his lighter fluid or his flints if he needed any. There were a couple times he'd gotten it wet and the flint wouldn't strike a spark for a bit. As for me, I don't smoke anymore, and so sometimes I remember to resupply the zippo, sometimes I forget. Since I don't use it much ( I have a refillable butane lighter that gets the most use), it consequently isn't always usable for me. If I am mission oriented, then the lighter, like all my other gear, is ready to use at any time.

I've had a few cold weather failures with Zippos, but that was due to my fingers being too frozen to crank the striker. Eventually I got it to light, but it was a lot. I doubt I could've done much better with other conventional ignition systems either.

Somewhere in the Zippo museum is one of mine...stopped a grenade fragment from poking a hole in my leg. Sent it to Zippo, told 'em what happened, and they asked if they could keep it <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> They sent me a new one.

That definately qualifies as something a plastic butane lighter could never do. <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

I had my stainless steal Zippo for a couple months before it was stolen with the rest of my gear. It never failed me while I had it. I never got it soaked but I got wet and it was safe in my pocket.
<img src="/images/graemlins/confused.gif" alt="" /> How does the fuel evaporate? Does it seep out from the sides or just the chimney? <img src="/images/graemlins/confused.gif" alt="" />

I imagine the fuel vaporizes thru the wick. The wick is obviously "charged" with fluid (or vapors) when you hit the striker wheel so it stands to reason that the "wet" wick is evaporating when not in use.

I wonder if different brands of fuel have different evaporation speeds. I use Ronsonol mainly because that's all that Wally World sells in my neck of the woods. I have seen Zippo brand and Red Devil brand. There are probably others. Anyone with an opinion on this? I tried Coleman lantern fuel once and it didn't work so well. Must have had a different flash point than lighter fluid.

TIP: One drop of lighter fluid on a tick will dispatch him to that great parasite heaven in the sky. Definitely not recommended for more private parts of your anatomy unless you want to get shot down over Hong Kong on the first orbit! <img src="/images/graemlins/smirk.gif" alt="" />