More Zippo Fails

I should have sent my Zippo Blue lighter back when its performance was well sub par for a butane windproof lighter. But I kept it in the back of a drawer and then I thought I would give it another go. So I topped up the butane and tried it out. Thank goodness the flint didn't strike properly, because the lighter exploded and release all the butane in less then quarter of a second covering my hand in liquid butane. It could have been a firery fireball hand. Seriously not impressed. I will now send this piece of rubbish back. I will request that they send me a replacement standard Zippo lighter instead. I already have a standard Zippo lighter, and it works as stated.

Which brings me on to another piece of Zippo failure; the Zippo Fuel Canister. Don't bother, it is rubbish. It constantly leaks fuel. Don't use it as intended, highly flammable smelly itchy genitals may result. It will also be sent back.

Edited for profanity!

I bought a standard Zippo a year ago and played with it for awhile. I took it back after a couple months. I don't understand why Zippos are ever brought up on survival forums. They are so unreliable that someone can easily put themselves in trouble if they're thinking it's reliable.

Wow, I inherited my Dad's Zippo: he got it in the mid 1950's. All it needs is flint and fuel and it lights every time.

That's the point. A Zippo ALWAYS needs fuel added because the fuel evaporates quickly. That makes a Zippo unreliable, and it's dangerous if you are treating it as a piece of reliable gear. You can carry around spare fuel, but then I'm wondering what's the point.

My all time favorite lighter so far is the Solo Candle Lighter. I like that it extends - makes lighting camp fire setups and stoves sooo much easier. And its easily refillable.

Here is a site that carries it so you can see it, but I'm not sure if I've ever purchased from this particular company.

http://www.survivalcampingstore.com/CampingLighter-Solo

I have never tested it anywhere but the midwest, so it may have problems at high altitude - not at all a problem here though.

If you have something like the U.S. Consumer Products Safety Commission over there, I urge you to report this to them. For that matter, report it to the CPSC as well. http://www.cpsc.gov/About-CPSC/Contact-I...rmation-Center/

A Solo lighter has been the main igniter in mycook kit for several years. I really like the extendable feature. Bics have also worked very well for me. Whichever I am carrying, I always have a supply of strike anywhere matches. Most of my diciest fires have been lit with them.

I have a standard Zippo and an 8 oz bottle of Robsonol fluid. But the lighter I always go to when needed is a Bic. Yeah, they occasionally fail, but that's why I have another and a couple more in another kit and a 6 pack in the closet. They work and they're cheap. Never had one leak.

Put a section of bicycle inner tube over the zippo. The fuel will last about a month that way. Plus the rubber makes a great emergency fire starter if needed.

I like a standard Zippo for EDC. But that is because I keep track of it and, like my Grandad, will fuel it regularly.

For perhaps the best butane lighter I have found, the Xikar Stratosphere has got to be it. The ones I've used have always performed, feel solid, and I like how visible the fuel tank is. Further research on-line suggests these are indeed suitably reliable and robust. The price point seems quite reasonable.

As usual, I have no affiliation with the folks that make these. Just passing on what I know.

I'm a big fan of the Numyth Tohil lighter from Goinggear.com. Fantastic lighter! It's a little bigger than your common peanut lighter but very well made. It's got a silicon O-ring to keep the fluid from evaporating on you (I filled my first one about a year and a half ago and it's still running on that first fill). The Tohil is also very very well made. I eventually bought four of them, all in orange. Hard to lose if you drop it. The bottom is flat so you can stand it up like a candle (note: they don't advise is as it can get pretty hot but if you need to do it to get a fire going it's an option). Overall a very well made bit of kit, and you can replace all the guts as you would a zippo.

I have peanut lighters scattered throughout my kits; a couple times a year I put a few more drops of fuel in them and after two or three years they need the O-rings replaced. Generally each kit has a Bic (with the button secured by a cable tie) and a peanut lighter.

The Tohil that Phaedrus mentions feels a LOT more well-made and seals up super-tight. I only have one but I like it a lot.

My favorite lighter is a Mini Bic. I personally have not had one fail. I have some Mini Bics that are 4 years old and still are full of fuel. They work on the top of mountains in Tahoe. I think they are over-engineered, but their low price and throw away status causes people not to favorite them.

My second favorite is my County Comm peanut. It does not leak fuel at all after I upgraded the O-ring and really hammer down on the tightening. The County Comm peanut has an upgraded shell over the cheap Chinese peanuts you can get from DX.com, but the guts appear to be the same. The shell upgrade justifies the added cost because the cheap Chinese peanut feels like it is liable to break if I drop it.

I do not own the Tohil linked above and frankly don't feel a need to own it.

I also tote a County Comm peanut and I like it a lot.To date I have just refueled it periodically. What is the nature of the upgrade you perform to keep it from leaking?

The peanut lighters are great, but I keep losing mine.

I purchased a peanut lighter from ebay and was less than satisfied. Initially, it worked great. It stayed filled for quite a long time. Unfortunately, the elastic gasket started failing and then it was pretty much useless.

I put this O-ring on my County Comm Split Pea Lighter:
http://www.oringsusa.com/catalog/product...it26noks59osvg3

They're only 20 cents each plus shipping. It's noticeably thicker and sticks out a bit. So, if you want your peanut lighter to look sleek and pretty, this O-ring is not for you. However, if you want the fuel to be in there for a year or more (assuming no use), then try this. Remember to tighten as hard as you can.

EDIT:

Note that the O-ring linked above fits my County Comm peanut lighter just fine. However, when I re-order, I will be buying this O-ring for a slightly tighter fit:
http://www.oringsusa.com/catalog/product...it26noks59osvg3

I also like Mini Bics and generally have one with me when out on trips. They do work just fine. The Tohil is a luxury, something you don't really "need" but it's like a Rolex- much higher quality than you need. To me that's just fun to own and use. In a world full of stuff cheaped-down to meet a price point it's pleasurable to use something that's solid and well made sometimes.

And the tabasco sauce bottles that come in MRE packs are excellent spare fuel carriers.
A Zippo is really an EDC item, use it, refuel it. Bic lighters etc are great for survival kits, however they do have a couple of weaknesses:
1) Not substained flame.
2) Can be problematic below freezing.

You can shove a zippo under a pile of damp tinder and be reasonably certain of starting a fire.

I found a Bic in a frost covered field one morning, so a Bic under that pile of damp tinder would probably work too. Morning of Jan 5th

The advantage of a Zippo in the "damp pile of tinder" situation is that it will stay lit without you holding it. Holding a lit Bic for a long time may result in a burn to you or over heating of the bic. . .the Zippo will sit there and burn until the fuel runs out. . .

Okay, I didn't have that picture in my head. I wouldn't have thought to start a fire with that technique.

The ability to place a Zippo lighter down there is an advantage. However, you need to carry spare fuel. In that case, with my Bic, the extra thing I get to carry is cotton balls with Vaseline. I can place that under other tinder to get a fire going. I only need a flame for about 10 seconds to catch the other tinder.

I really try to make sure I have plenty of tinder with me. If you're going to carry stuff in the first place it might as well be useful! My opinion is that you should be prepared to get a fire going with 10 seconds of open flame. To that end I always have ESBIT/Tinder-Quik/Tinder Card etc with me too.

Some models can be a bit small and fiddly. Small is great for EDC if you are a non-smoker, but fiddly is hard to use, especially if your hands are cold enough to destroy much of your manual dexterity, and if you can only use your left hand because your right hand got broken by the emergency that got you into this mess.

Because of these encouraging words I just had to order a couple of them today when I saw they are back in stock. Can never have too much of firestarting gear.

Quick service, too. Placed the order this morning (6 hours ago finnish time) and just received an email that the package is posted. Way to go, Going Gear!

Marshall and the gang at GoingGear.com are good folks. I'm anxious to hear how you like the Tohil when you get to try one. Can't wait to get out again and use mine!

Received the Numyth Tohil lighters a week ago. Bombproof and overall great little lighters. Very pleased I am!

It took about 2 and a half weeks for the lighters to reach me. Partly because finnish customs got hold of the package and wanted me to pay import taxes.

That's their story- I get customs was just playing with them for a week!

> My favorite lighter is a Mini Bic. I personally have not had one > fail. I have some Mini Bics that are 4 years old and still are > full of fuel. They work on the top of mountains in Tahoe.

I've found a mini bic will fit inside the zip compartment of the travellers belt I always wear.
At the moment Poundland in the UK are selling lighters with built in lights (and now they stay on constantly) at 3 for a pound.

Recommendations for lighters are in Dougs gear guide accessible from the home page.

qjs

UPDATE: I had my mini peanut lighter sitting for about 2.5 years with the o-ring I described above. I opened it up, and it lit up like I just put the fuel in there.

Thanks for the update, ireckon. I've started to see peanut lighters around here over the past year. I've wondered about their utility for a non-smoker like me. Refueling seems like more trouble than it's worth when my trusty BICs have been so dependable.



^^This. I love my mini BICs but most of my campfires happen once old man winter arrives. When it gets really cold and my fingers lose their dexterity, it can be a challenge to work the little things. My old reliables are a regular BIC, my Ronson Jetlite and, if it's really bad weather, storm-proof matches.



I picked up a few cheapo lighters with built-in LEDs a couple of years ago and really liked them. They seemed to work as well as a regular BIC and the LEDs outlasted the fuel even with frequent use. On the downside, they were more fragile than BICs and the fuel seemed to disappear quicker than in a regular BIC. On the flip side though, they were cheaper than BICs and the ones I bought had a clear body so I could see the fuel level and adjust accordingly. The fuel level was also higly adjustable. All that said, when it was time to buy new ones I went back to BICs and Ronson Jetlites.

And BTW - get thread to resurrect. I've been reading this thread and the links contained within for over an hour now! LOL! I've also stopped reading and checked all the lighters in all my kits to make sure they are still fueled. Thanks gang!!

Mini Bic is still my favorite lighter. But the mini Peanut is better for EDC on my keychain. I feel confident to put it there and forget about it.

Has anybody played with metal matches / permanent matches?

Haha! I've had one of those for years, Mark, but never knew how to use it until today! I got it in a package of tinder I bought but there were no directions included, so I just put it on a shelf. After reading your message, I Googled and found this:



I'm going to dig mine out and give it a try. Not so crazy abut needing to add fuel but we'll see.

THANKS!!

They work fairly good but they are not permanent. As long as the wick is moist it does not burn off much. A dry wick burns away. That limits the time you can use the flame. Most of them evaporate the lighter fluid quickly. Neither the ferro rod nor the wick are replaced easily (not designed for replacing).
I would prefer the peanut lighter where the wick and flint can be replaced and refilling id fairly easy.

Here is a visual comparison of the mini Bic and the mini Peanut. Again, I like the mini Bic better, but the mini Peanut stays on my keychain.

If anyone here is asking themselves what are "peanut" lighters and where can I get one -- CountyComm's Fire page has three different size Peanut lighters in stainless steel, titanium, anodized aluminum, brass and copper -- not necessarily all metals in all sizes. Brass and copper look great and are very traditional, anodized aluminum are great for EDC because they're relatively light, titanium is light & tough, stainless is simply durable. "Better" is a relative term.

As for size, I prefer the standard size Peanut lighter. The smaller "split" pea is too small to hold if you are cold and in need of fire "right now". With the XL you might consider a Zippo (except for that Zippo leakage issue discussed above). The XL kinda conflicts with the peanut term. But that's just my opinion.

Extra O-rings and flints are available in the service pack.

No affiliation other than as a customer.

I just tested some cheap peanut lighters that I got off of Ebay for a few dollars. They were also sitting around for about 2.5 years. They lit up just as good as the mini peanut lighter I bought from County Comm, and they have low quality O-rings on them. So, go figure. The peanut lighter design, in general, is just a winner I guess.

The only difference, as far as I can see, is the cheap shell of the lighters from Ebay. They look like some sort of cheap alloy that will bend if you step on it really hard. In contrast, the stainless steel shell from County Comm can allegedly handle a fire truck driven over it. I have not tested that, but the County Comm stainless steel shells are obviously higher quality. To me, the twelve dollars extra is worth the better shell. After all, the main reason I have this lighter is to have a bomb proof fire starter on my key chain.