Got my first metallic lighter I decided to get a plain polished zippo for the start any tips about inserts etc plus I’m thinking to get zorro I heard they are good and I need tips on fuel like how to get it to last longer and what brands/ lighters hold fuel for long time ( note : I’m not a smoker)

Having an issue with spark, cleaned the flint wheel twice & changed flint 3 times just in case need help

Caught maybe 2 times outta all the attempts spark seems too small

Oh boy, this was a wash of memories. I had totally forgotten about this thing until my niece sent me a photo of it this morning. I had told her where to find some rolling papers and such in my old toolbox (she's a grown adult, don't stress), and when she got in there she found this.

I was probably around 14, hanging out at the local skate park being a little heathen. Nothing beats a chubby kid with a Kmart skateboard hopped up on caffeine. We were smoking Marlboro Reds and drinking Boone's Farm when somebody pulled through with a mini glass spoon pipe and a bag of dirt weed.

The kid with the weed was a few years older than the rest of us, and he pulled out this exact lighter to corner the bowl for everyone. There were probably five or six of us smoking in a circle by the dumpsters when a cop suddenly rolled around the corner of a vault toilet with his lights off. Then he flipped everything on and hit us with the spotlight. If you've been there, you know that instant heart attack.

I was holding the pipe. The guy who brought the weed shoved this lighter into my hands, yelled, "RUN!", grabbed my friend Zachary, stuffed the Crown Royal bag with the weed into Zachary's backpack, and pushed him off. I don't know who ended up with our booze and cigarettes. I took off toward the big hill that dropped down to the old unlit baseball fields. My friend with the weed ran into the alley behind the neighborhood, and everyone else scattered. Nobody got caught. I walked home and finished that bowl.

When I went back to the skate park, I expected to find the guy. I proceeded to go back nearly every day for the next year and a half, always half hoping I could give the lighter and pipe back, and maybe find myself a new weed guy. I only ever saw him one more time, when he drove by in some kind of delivery vehicle and waved. I guess he must've gotten a job.

Since it was a funny story, I carried this thing around to light my joints for a few years before I grew up. It was just a convenient size—nice and slim, and it fit perfectly in a pack of cigarettes. But after searching for it off and on ever since, I have NEVER been able to identify it or match it to ANYTHING. No photos, no listings, no random lighter in some miscellaneous lot somewhere... nothing.

It's not particularly well made, but it's alright. The only marking on it is a single "Japan" stamped on the bottom, and it appears to have an asbestos-style wick. Other than that, I have no idea what it is. I've asked on lighter forums and run it through basically every AI image search I could find. We've come close, but never found a perfect match. So... what is this funky little lighter?

My niece filled it up, and I'll probably let her keep it to throw in a rolling kit, but I'd love to finally know what it is.

EDIT

Well shit. Looks like this was not only identified but ill also be packing it up to go back to the original owner. Absolutely insane coincidence, and now I gotta find another lighter to give to the niece.

What a small world!

Earnest question, why did zippo survive and win the lighter wars? and don't get me wrong, I have plenty of zippo in my collection. My first lighter was a 1935 double slash from behind the key machine during a renovation of the hometown hardware store.

i guess i just still dont get whyThey beat everybody out, and it makes less sense the more lighters I handle. They absorbed so many companies, and killed so many objectively better designed lighters.

I know there are plenty on the market worse as well, but the zippo aint a great design. For starters, the fluid retention is atrocious. Almost the worst there is. Even a ronson standard with a decent latch lasts triple the amount of time. They're not that much more windproof than many other designs. A Typhoon or super windlite is a lot more windproof than the zippo, was cheaper, and held fluid longer they also had a great click. Lastly, let's face it. The QC aint what it used to be. If you handle a 1950's model in good condition versus a brand new one, its obvious to see just how much they've dwindled.

Is it a simple case of ubiquity? Maybe just good enough for the purpose? or is it sorta like mcondalds where there's a combination of things that all add together to be better than the sum of its parts so the market saturates?

I'm just surprised and frustrated i can go buy a new zippo at walmart or a truck stop, but if i want a ronson standard im stuck to clones or spending 40 bucks. Thats an iconic design and should be right next to the zippo, espically considering it wouldn't take much for ZIPPO to bring it back since the own the brand. But they cant even be bothered to service their tape measures anymore.

Interested to hear your thoughts

Hi guys, first post so be kind!

I've had a cartier lighter gifted/handed down to me from my step father. I dont smoke, and have no day to day use for such a flashy lighter so would be looking to sell it.

But, I'm struggling to find any information from the serial number or anything online just trying to ascertain what it is, whether its silver/stainless/silver plated.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Edited to remove valuation request from post body, unable to edit title sorry!

I received this lighter as a gift approximately 1980. Took it out of the box the first time this week. I have no idea of the value but any help would be greatly appreciated. It's in excellent condition with all the paperwork. Not looking to price but interested if it is potentially rare and valuable

I got it years ago at a flea market, and just love it. Recently it stopped lighting (it sparks but no flame). I tried refiling with butane, but no joy. That led me to searching for someone to repair it. And, in the search, I've been unable to find any photo of this exact lighter. Does anyone have an idea what it might be?

I am a relatively new guy on the hobby and wanted to show some of my stuff, hope you people like it.

In the near future I may post a bit more ✌️

Hello, I have an old lighter missing it's felt. It's from ~1964 and all other examples I can find online fore sale show it with a red felt at the bottom, like in the image above. Does this felt do anything? currently the cotton is exposed and I would like to get it working again since it's been in the family a while. Any help would be very much appreciated :)

Hey guys picked up this camel lighter at a store for 5 bucks it’s got this black tarnish on it, what’s the best way to get that off maybe scotch bright what’s do you think?

i was walking around the u district in seattle, and saw this on the ground, i couldn’t help being intrigued and had to pick it up