>>I was suprised to learn that they will run on gasoline.<br>Will a Windmill Waterproof Butane Lighter do the same?<<<br><br>Er, no. No butane lighter will.<br><br>I had an uncle who worked in the third world for many years and used gasoline in his even back here in the US. Personally, if I smoked the thought of inhaling burning gasoline wouldn't appeal to me. When I did smoke, I didn't care for the kerosene taste of lighter fluid either.<br><br>There's also a question about long-term use. Gasoline is fairly famous for gumming up in storage, whereas kerosene stores for much, much longer. One wonders if gum would build up in the stuffing and wicking of a Zippo over time.<br><br>The big disadvantage of this type of lighter is that the fuel evaporates fairly quickly whether you use it or not, which makes them pretty well unsuitable for an emergency kit that might spend years without use or attention. Aside from emergency kit use, this is a problem if you don't smoke, but sometimes use a lighter for gallant gestures- you're setting yourself up for embarrassment. I have butane lighters, disposable and refillable, that still have their original charge after 25 years of storage.<br><br>On the other hand, the novelty items sold as "permanent match" or sometimes "metal match" are smaller (flatter) and lighter than a zippo, use common liquid fuels, are easier to start a fire with, create lots of sparks even empty (piezo-electric butane lighters do not create enough, or the right type of spark to start a fire when empty), and store indefinitely full. I have a few in various kits. Quality varies a great deal between manufacturers, though.