Have smoked (everything), still smoke (tobacco) and always carry a lighter. Have for 25 years. Bics are far from my favorite, too.

It's bigger than a mini-Bic, but for about 5 years I've been buying the multi-packs at Walgreens of their store brand, which is stamped "Calico." Adjustable, visible fuel, generally reliable, cheap and a flame sufficient for lighting pipes.(If I do say so, i've got some lovely chunks of briar around the house.)

Hunting in the winter, I carry both a Zippo (checked for fuel, flint and wick before the hunt) and metal-bodied "torch" type of lighter that I picked up at a Gander Mountain a few years ago. It's been utterly reliable and can sit in my pheasant bag all off-season and still fire on the first try. Also has a fuel window. I'm pretty much a prairie sort of guy, so am not expecting altitude challenges.

Lately, grabbed a mini-Cricket at a gas station one day and found it had not the "push-button" ignition I expected on a Cricket but it has the "wheel" like a Bic and has an adjustable flame. Same size as a mini-Bic, but rectangular, not oval. If I see 'em again, I think I'll grab a few more for pre-deployment here and there.

The "Djeep" disposables aren't bad, either.

I wonder what I spend in a year on disposable lighters?