Anyone still uses Zippo lighters?

[Rammer Jammer]

I use a Zippo daily. It's an old beat up model I bought back in junior high before I started smoking. I put it away for 20 something years and got it back out about 1 or 2 years ago and have been using it daily. Nothing fancy but a lighter that has lasted me 27 plus years is pretty good.

 

[MRB1]

The older Zips seem to be a little more robust than the new ones. They just feel different. Zippo owns Case Knives, and The same different feel exists with the new Case knives. There's also a quality difference between the old and new production knives.

 

[Xfuzz]

OP.... nice Zippo.
Had near 150 at one time.
Never smoked just collected Zippo's.
Made some decent change on Ebay when they
were pulling good bucks.

Mainly bought advertisers ...Oil companies, Coke, Disney..etc..
Some had great colors.
Likely still have 30-40....

 

[GypsmJim]

I had one years ago and don't remember what happened to it.

My Dad always carried one.

Funny thing...we recently befriended a guy who owns a farm in southern NY. He has been a Zippo employee for many years. The plant is just over the border in PA.

 

[llowry61]

This is one of those items that I can relate to by the smell. I never used one, but my uncle did and I can recall the smell of one being lit. Can't describe it, but you know it instantly. Like the mimeograph ink from when I was in grade school. Sorry for the drift.

 

[29aholic]

I think they changed the fluid formula somewhere in the past. It has always been NAPTHA but I think they used to add an aromatic to it.

Trivia Time. The Number 1 collectors of Zippos and the ones that have written most of the collector books on them are Japanese.

 

[Bullet Bob]

I had an old and good friend who died a few years ago; like many people who were never in the military, he was fascinated by that life. As a lifelong smoker (not what killed him) and Zippo man, he started collecting Zippo's used in Vietnam by various troops when eBay was first taking off, and things were cheaper and less likely to be a knockoff. He studied the subject thoroughly, and knew what to look for. He had a nice little collection in a neat display case, and I would have liked to have bought it from the estate, but his surviving brother is possibly the cheapest person who's ever lived, so I didn't even try. Ce la vie.

Here's one I bought and keep in his memory, since we saw the Stones together in 1972 at the Charlotte NC coliseum:

It's funny, the takeoff of the whole collecting thing has probably kept Zippo in business.

 

[Spurdann]

Haven't smoked for 27 years but I still carry one daily.

 

[Cdog]

I smoked and carried lighters from the time I was 11 or 12 years old. Finally quit at age 33.

I remember the red legs from old lighters leaking in my pockets.

Opening them by squeezing between my thumb and fingers.

Carrying extra flint inside the bottom of them.

I had several Zippo lighters but I remember an old Ronson best.

The one below could be its twin.

Thanks for the memories!

 

[Walter Rego]

I am not a smoker but I have a couple of Zippos. The Parkerized one was a promotional item from the movie Pearl Harbor. And of course I have the original boxes and papers for both of them

 

[SuperMan]

Yes - have a brass one in my pocket right now. For several years I never passed up a Zippo at garage/estate sales, so needless to say I have a bunch - mostly the cheap brushed finish ones, but a few have various military markings. Still looking for one with the S&W logo on it, but I guess they don't make one like that.

I carry one mainly because I camp a lot...and the one I carry has the S&W logo...so they are out there..

That said I equipped my lighter with a Z-plus butane insert...no more leaching fuel..

Bob

 

[wheelgun28]

My dad was a Zippo man, always carried in his dungarees watch pocket.

I despise the smell of cigarettes but the smell of a zippo cant take me back to childhood.

Also, recall him getting the occasional rash on his leg when it would leak fluid on his leg.

 

[DWalt]

Realistically, if I were a smoker today, I would probably carry one of the cheap BIC-type butane lighters instead of a Zippo, and not worry about losing it. Back when my wife smoked she always had a BIC in her purse. While I was working in the Persian Gulf area in the early 80s, I bought her a fairly expensive gold-plated Butane lighter in one of the Souks, some European make. It took her about two weeks to lose it.

 

[DeathGrip]

I got a few that are only valuable to me. I've been thinking about giving one away but I'm not sure if he really appreciates the story.

That's sad when you think about it.

 

[armenius]

65 years ago when I was invincible and in flight training I learned from my instructor who flew P-51’s off Iwo Jima in WWII and in Korea, to fill my Zippo with 100 Octane when we drained the fuel sumps under the wings when doing the preflight. Saved a lot of money and was kind of “cool” to light up with it when having a cigarette and beer in the bar at the end of the day.
That came to an end when advancing to jets because JP-4 didn’t work.
I will have to find it and keep it on hand for emergencies .

 

[JohnRippert]

I used to have a few from back when I still smoked. My favorite was a coated brass model that started losing the black finish. I took Dad's wire brush wheel to it and then polished it out. It developed a wonderful patina over the years. Don't have any use for one any more but would love to have that one back.

 

[birdshooter]

I’ve got two or three here. Don’t smoke other than a cigar or two a year. The one I really cherish is one that has my Grandfather’s signature on it. He was a truck salesman and I assume it was a promo giveaway type item. Still in its box. Pretty cool.

 

[31FordA]

I’ve never smoked, but I have managed to accumulate a couple of dozen Zippo’s. Most are new in box, but I use my first Zippo, a gunmetal blue model, whenever I need a lighter. Among the collectible one’s I have a Model 19 Zippo. The Model 19 on it looks identical to my 4” 19-7 service revolver, even has the Uncle Mikes grips

 

[wood714]

I've got maybe 25 laying around. All mine are brass except for a couple.

I got the Marlboro one back in the 80's, sent in pack tops or something to the company and picked stuff from a catalog I think. It's never been used. I have a couple Marlboro money clips that came on cartons of smokes back in the day too. One's still in the package.

One of the Harley Zip's has never been used. The other was given to me by someone years ago. I switched it out for another brass Zip a couple months ago.

 

[Dougaz]

After being a chain smoker for about 40 years, I gave up all my Zippo lighters, and cigars, and expensive crystal ashtrays and so forth but a found memory was high school, smoking Lucky Strikes, and snapping a Zippo against the leg of your jeans to light up. Yup, me and James Dean.

Sure glad I quit. I have more money to buy S&W revolvers!