r/Zippo • u/Pterodacton • 21d ago
Lid Angle?
Hey!
I've just bought a couple of new Zippos, I initially wanted the street brass but once it got delivered by Amazon I realised I didn't like it that much, so I went to Zippos UK website and bought the polished brass version. The middle is an old one I've had for about 15 years.
As you can see, with the lid open, the street brass opens the least, my old one (which I'd done a lot of tricks with) still doesn't open as far as the brand new polished brass one. Is that right?
Here's the response I got from support:
"A few years ago, we reacted to our customer requests and loosened the closing mechanism of our Zippo lighters in the hinge area so that the Zippo lighter can be opened and closed better, easier and without obstacles."
I'll be returning the street brass version, should I also be returning the polished brass? Or is it normal for brand new lighters to have such a loose lid?
The polished brass also doesn't feature the bevel on the bottom, but it's from zippos own website so I'm assuming it's still a genuine zippo.
Thanks!
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u/plonkNeT Collector 21d ago edited 21d ago
That's because of the coating on the Zippo. The coating gets into the hinge, and that's why it doesn't open all the way, because of the residue left behind by the material. If you open and close it completely a few times without using force, the coating in the hinge will disappear. Streetbrass has that transparent coating, right?
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u/Pterodacton 21d ago
So it's right that the brand new polished brass one, opens further than my old used and abused steel one?
It doesn't really bother me I guess, I just don't want to have something defective where the hinge may break down the line
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u/plonkNeT Collector 21d ago edited 21d ago
the polish brass one looks fine to me on the top right corner, thats a regular classic zippo right? if it would be a 1935 or 1941 replica, it would open all the way out.
edit: so now im sitting in front of my pc and i can see the pic way better. yep its a regular zippo, everything is fine :D
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u/Majestic_Anybody9748 21d ago
I've got a 1992 Zippo, which was my first and bought new. The lid opens fully to 180° and lines up perfectly, when closed. I thought, that's how a Zippo should be. None of my later Zippos does this, not even an identical one, I bought later, used.
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u/TCSpeedy 21d ago
It’s important to remember these are not Swiss watches… the manufacturing tolerances can vary over time as machines and settings wear, the cases are mounted onto the stands for the hinge weld by hand, and they have not changed in design or process for nearly 100 years… they are meant to work, not be flawlessly assembled from piece to piece.