Matches or Lighter

Anyone familiar with the old Roald Dahl short story, The Man From the South? It was one of the best episodes of The Alfred Hitchcock Show (with a young Steve McQueen and an old Peter Lorre), and was reprised by Quentin Tarantino in Four Rooms.


Something to think about before purchasing a lighter.

No matches for me (unless I absolutely have to ). My wife bought me a beautiful Colibri 3 flame cigar torch for our first anniversary many years ago. It is still the best thing to light any of my cigars.

-Jeff

rhett121 said:

Zippo for pipe, butane blowtorch lighter for cigars.

I don't like the sulfur taste of matches and if you wait until the initial sulfur burn is over, the match usually gets blown out. That and cigars should be initially lit without sucking them, so it takes longer to get them started. The blowtorch speeds things along.

Click to expand...

+1 Love the blowtirch

I use whatever the hell it takes to get the things alight.

Matches
Disposable Lighters
Other peoples lighters (rarely returned)
The gas hob (at my house)
The electric hob (girlfriends house)
Rub 2 sticks together
My zippo when I can find some unleaded to put in it.
The electric lighter in the car
Logs from the fire
Magnifying glass and sunshine (really!)

Whatever it takes.

I'm useless at keeping hold of lighters so I would never buy a decent one. It's much easier to 'borrow' other peoples disposables.

Mat

For this bad boy ...





I use this lighter and my home made tampers...

icemncmth said:

For this bad boy ...

I use this lighter and my home made tampers...

Click to expand...

Very nice! Who makes the pipe and lighter?

Here's some of what I use for pipes and cigars.

Patrick D said:

Here's some of what I use for pipes and cigars.

Click to expand...

Of the bunch, what is your favorite?

ouch said:

Anyone familiar with the old Roald Dahl short story, The Man From the South? It was one of the best episodes of The Alfred Hitchcock Show (with a young Steve McQueen and an old Peter Lorre), and was reprised by Quentin Tarantino in Four Rooms.


Something to think about before purchasing a lighter.

Click to expand...

Whadda great flick !
Wouldnt bet anything on a Zippo
**************************************
Paper matches only for my pipes
Cedar planks for my stogies

PZBarber said:

I use whatever the hell it takes to get the things alight.

Matches
Disposable Lighters
Other peoples lighters (rarely returned)
The gas hob (at my house)
The electric hob (girlfriends house)
Rub 2 sticks together
My zippo when I can find some unleaded to put in it.
The electric lighter in the car
Logs from the fire
Magnifying glass and sunshine (really!)

Whatever it takes.

I'm useless at keeping hold of lighters so I would never buy a decent one. It's much easier to 'borrow' other peoples disposables.

Mat

Click to expand...

You forgot flint and steel.

ouch said:

Anyone familiar with the old Roald Dahl short story, The Man From the South? It was one of the best episodes of The Alfred Hitchcock Show (with a young Steve McQueen and an old Peter Lorre), and was reprised by Quentin Tarantino in Four Rooms.

Click to expand...

I never saw the Tarantino film, but the Hitchcock episode is fantastic! Another episode that I really like is "Lamb to the Slaughter", where the lady kills her husband with a frozen leg of lamb. Anyway, I use a Zippo, and I still have all my digits! It works well and is easy and cheap to refill. Also, a friend with a butane torch had trouble getting it to light while hiking in the mountains, which I don't believe would be a problem with a Zippo, so that might be something to keep in mind.

qhsdoitall said:

You can comment on any other "special" equipment you use for your habit such as a favorite cutter or tamper.

Click to expand...

I always bite my cigars, I never use a cutter. I had to learn in college when my dunce friends would never have a cutter.

I've now found that I can do a much better job biting than I can with any cutter, bullet included.

For my cigars nothing beats my triple torch butane lighter. I have a couple of torch butane lighters. I never use matches because the sulfer in the head will ruin a cigar. The same can be said about a lighter that burns lighter fluid. Butane leaves no taste.

For preparing the head of a cigar I use a punch. Nice clean opening without damaging the wrapper. It also virtually eliminates any little tobacco pieces from getting in your mouth. I will use a double bladed cutter for a cigar that doesnt have a rounded head, or if the draw is tight with just a punch cut.

The more expensive the lighter, the more quickly I lose it. Same with pocket cigar clippers. So now I just use Bic disposables. Oddly, they light my stogies just as well (or better) than Dunhills, Duponts, Collibris and vintage Ronsons that I have owned and lost. I love a V-cut, so at home I keep a nice big Donatus cutter. After losing 3 or 4 pocket v cutters, I have learned to just cut my cigars at home in the morning, and put them in a cigar pouch for the day...

MartyW said:

I never saw the Tarantino film, but the Hitchcock episode is fantastic! Another episode that I really like is "Lamb to the Slaughter", where the lady kills her husband with a frozen leg of lamb. Anyway, I use a Zippo, and I still have all my digits! It works well and is easy and cheap to refill. Also, a friend with a butane torch had trouble getting it to light while hiking in the mountains, which I don't believe would be a problem with a Zippo, so that might be something to keep in mind.

Click to expand...

In the Taratino version, the lighter fails on the first try, and bellhop Tim Roth whacks off the guys finger in 0.001 second. Hysterical!

I only smoke cigars and it is always a butane torch of some sort. Never a "lighter fluid" (ala Zippo) lighter.

TimmyBoston said:

I always bite my cigars, I never use a cutter. I had to learn in college when my dunce friends would never have a cutter.

I've now found that I can do a much better job biting than I can with any cutter, bullet included.

Click to expand...

Sorry Tim, but that's the ultimate "uncool" way to set up a cigar. Save your money and buy a Zino guillotine and you'll be set for life. The biting the end went out with the Eastwood Spaghetti Westerns.

tim8557 said:

Sorry Tim, but that's the ultimate "uncool" way to set up a cigar. Save your money and buy a Zino guillotine and you'll be set for life. The biting the end went out with the Eastwood Spaghetti Westerns.

Click to expand...

Try a culebras- they just beg to have the end bitten off.

Biting is the last resort. A cheap ($1.50) combo cutter can suit any cigar. V-cut and guillotine in one compact package. That's my checked luggage travel clipper. The Xicar X1 resides at home.


Wayne

qhsdoitall said:

Very nice! Who makes the pipe and lighter?

Click to expand...

The pipe is made my Juffery Suter

http://www.ripplingbrook.com/Ripplingbrook_com/Welcome.html

And the lighter is

Corona Old Boy..I have a bunch of lighters but the Old Boy is a great lighter..

Most of my friends who smoke cigars have bought one..