Not only that, but in general I find them to be more fragile than a Bic or zippo. The piezo(?) ignition system they use seems to either go bad or break under hard use.

With that said, Zippo has a version called the "Zippo Blu" that is supposed to be better than the average torch style lighter, but I haven't used one so I can't comment. Also, I believe it still requires the button to be held down (unlike a regular zippo).

With that said, an old fashioned zippo and ferro-rod are my most common fire starting methods, but I also have Bics stashed all over the place. Between the three of them I've never had a problem getting a fire going.