As a fellow nonsmoker I thought I would tell you several of the reasons that I EDC a Zippo lighter. First I should tell you that I carried a disposable lighter while hiking as a kid for years so I am familiar with them and yes they do work (most of the time).

As with any of you equipment you should become familiar with its strengths and weaknesses before you depend on it. In my experience I have found that the Zippos are less affected by cold or altitude than the disposable lighters. I also have never had a Zippo fail to strike a spark for me when needed. I have had several of the disposables striker mechanism fail before the fuel was expended (they were pretty old). I keep extra flints under the felt in my Zippo just in case any of my flints wear out or fail on me.

You will hear people always complain about the Zippos fluid loss due to evaporation but they never think about what you are gaining for this small loss. Having a non-sealed container is what makes it so that it is unaffected by all but extreme altitudes. This is also the reason that they are unlikely to blowup on you. There are several work environments that will not allow a disposable lighter because of safety reasons that do not mind their people carrying Zippos.

The Zippos will take the cold as well as the other environments mentioned better than the other lighters I have been around. I do not carry my stuff for the easy or good times I want to know that I can depend on it during the worst times I am likely to encounter.

The small down side of the fuel evaporating is easy to overcome. All fuels are not equal so do some testing to see what works best for you. I have tested Zippo’s Regular and Premium fuel but found it lacking in ease of use and evaporative characteristics. I find that the Ronsonol works much better for me. I am sure it is not the best fuel out there but it is the best of the easily obtainable fuels in my area and is pretty good too.

I am not sure how long a Zippo will go with out refueling since I never run mine dry. I have had some stored that would light several weeks longer that most people think. I avoid the problem by topping my lighter up every week. It takes about 30 sec. and I do it every week before I slip it into the pocket of my dress pants to go to church. I know it is a silly memory trick but it works and hey if it is dumb and works it is not dumb.

You will have many people crowing about their favorite flavor of the month lighter that next month or in six months will be replaced by something else. Me I go with what I know works and one that has more than a few months of R&D behind it. I of course have several backup plans but my EDC will be my slim brass Zippo for a long time to come.