New Pipe Lighter advice

Hi there folks!

I'm in the market for a new pipe lighter: I'm donne with burning the brim of the pipe and scorching my fingers (and eyebrows/eyelash) form time to time; this will be my first "real" pipe lighter

I'm pretty sure that you all have something to add to the conversations, so please just go ahead and shoot me a name and a seller, or just a name, or just a seller... well, you get the idea.

I'm considering the Peterson lighter, the classic Old Boy and some Xikar lighter; but I'm not married to any of those alternatives.

Please gents, convert me and show me the way of the flame!

Personally I've had an IM Corona Old Boy for years , well worth it , mine's pewter , I love it . I think Barley was sold out at the time , but if I bought another , Briar would be the one . Clean it occasionally as needed (simple alcohol and Q-Tip) , discharge all the air before filling . In filling count 1000 , 1001 , 1002 ... 1005-6 , stop , shake , fill three more seconds 1001 , 1002 , 1003 , Stop and don't over fill ! Adjust the flame as you prefer , it's perfect , well made and will be an heirloom . If you figure up all the disposable lighters you'll use , loose , and the cost , you save a lot of money in just a couple of years they pay for themselves . Once you learn to fill it correctly , a fill lasts months .


Pewter , Barley , and Briar ...
or Whatever strikes your Fancy . They're Great !

I own a IM Corona, the one with the smooth briar finish. Beautiful and the Rolls Royce of quality. I have owned my Corona since last summer and still on the initial tank. I've used a Xikar (4 different ones because they all are terrible mass produced junk in my opinion), book matches (a timeless classic), and a zippo pipe lighter.

Here is what I think is the true best pipe lighter ever made. So simple and yet makes so much sense. No need to baby it and worry about scratches or dropping it or even losing it.

http://www.hemplights.com/products.htm

I went with the Kiribi Ohgi, very similar styling the IM Corona Old Boy. One thing for sure, I'd say to find one that is styled/functions pretty much like either of those... UNLESS you smoke outdoors more often than not. In those cases, I'd say go with the good old Zippo with the pipe lighter insert.

Thanks to all for the comments!

I'm mostly an outdoor smoker, not like in the wilderness while hunting down a moose with a knife; but a lot of backyard/deck smoker.

I do own a zippo (a regular one, not with the pipe insert though); but I don't like how fast it loose the fluid: I tried the vaseline trick and sent it to the zippo guys for an adjustment; but still seems to abandon me after a couple of days.

For what I've read the problem with the Coronas is how it performs on the open (once again backyard/deck smoker here), is there anything out there that you'd recommend?

Cheers!

I picked up a couple of Scorch Torch Dominators from Amazon that I've been happy with. I gave up on the built-in cigar punch, preferring the cutter and the lighter usually lights on the second try but they work well for me. They came in gift pouches that are large enough to put a cutter in with the lighter.

I only smoke outside, usually on the back porch and these work well in the wind and have a directed three jet flame so you can angle the flame only where you want it.

Scratch that last post, those lighters are for my cigars, not my pipes. Sorry. I picked up a soft flame lighter from a local pipe store that I've been happy with, a Jetline G in black / chrome.

I have a Kiribi Kabuki that I like. No problem with it out on the deck but I haven't tried it in real windy conditions. My Dad has a Tsubota Pearl and apparently that's worked fine outdoors for him as well. I sometimes wonder about the claims of the Old Boy going out in the slightest breeze.

yakster said:

Scratch that last post, those lighters are for my cigars, not my pipes. Sorry. I picked up a soft flame lighter from a local pipe store that I've been happy with, a Jetline G in black / chrome.

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jazzguy said:

I have a Kiribi Kabuki that I like. No problem with it out on the deck but I haven't tried it in real windy conditions. My Dad has a Tsubota Pearl and apparently that's worked fine outdoors for him as well. I sometimes wonder about the claims of the Old Boy going out in the slightest breeze.

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You caught my attention... I was pondering to get some thunderbird inset for my Zippo; but the ones you mention look amazing... how do you compare both of them?

Shave_Rat said:

I went with the Kiribi Ohgi, very similar styling the IM Corona Old Boy. One thing for sure, I'd say to find one that is styled/functions pretty much like either of those... UNLESS you smoke outdoors more often than not. In those cases, I'd say go with the good old Zippo with the pipe lighter insert.

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How is the Kiribi holding to the use?

jazzguy said:

I have a Kiribi Kabuki that I like. No problem with it out on the deck but I haven't tried it in real windy conditions. My Dad has a Tsubota Pearl and apparently that's worked fine outdoors for him as well. I sometimes wonder about the claims of the Old Boy going out in the slightest breeze.

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Landri said:

How is the Kiribi holding to the use?

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The Kiribi is holding up great so far, I don't have any complaints with the quality and function of it at all. I will say that the few times I tried to use it out on the porch, if there was much breeze, it did not want to stay lit very well. I don't know about it going out in the slightest breeze, but I do grab the ever trusty zippo for outdoor adventures, since I know that won't have any issues.

You said you already have a zippo, you can send the zippo into the company, requesting a pipe insert, and they will send it back with the pipe lighter insert for free, btw. Typically, they also still include the original insert in the return packaging, as well.

One thing that is nice about the kiribi lighters is the dual flame. That should give a more wind resistant flame and one that is definitely more useful at pipe lighting.

Shave_Rat said:

The Kiribi is holding up great so far, I don't have any complaints with the quality and function of it at all. I will say that the few times I tried to use it out on the porch, if there was much breeze, it did not want to stay lit very well. I don't know about it going out in the slightest breeze, but I do grab the ever trusty zippo for outdoor adventures, since I know that won't have any issues.

You said you already have a zippo, you can send the zippo into the company, requesting a pipe insert, and they will send it back with the pipe lighter insert for free, btw. Typically, they also still include the original insert in the return packaging, as well.

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I checked with my local Zippo dealer and the answer was a big nono for that request, should I just send it over to the US office?
Glad to hear that the Kiribi is holding up for you!

DC_MPA said:

One thing that is nice about the kiribi lighters is the dual flame. That should give a more wind resistant flame and one that is definitely more useful at pipe lighting.

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I've seen pics of them and it doesn't seems like they do... the Tsubota the double "mouth" is clearly visible; but in the Kiribi is not that clear.


Thanks to all for the opinions! I'm narrowing my options to the Kiribi and the Tsubota (men they look pretty).
Any extra comment or opinion to help me take the leap would be highly appreciated.

Cheers!

Do NOT buy the Xikar clone of the Old Boy (Xikar calls it a Pipeliner, I think). I had to apply so much pressure to get good spark that the whole top end loosened up. I took it back to an authorized dealer and asked, since it costs about $5 less, could I trade it for a Resource (with built in pipe tools). He said no problem. Some say the tank is too small on the Resource, but I don't find that to be an issue.

oc_in_fw said:

Do NOT buy the Xikar clone of the Old Boy (Xikar calls it a Pipeliner, I think). I had to apply so much pressure to get good spark that the whole top end loosened up. I took it back to an authorized dealer and asked, since it costs about $5 less, could I trade it for a Resource (with built in pipe tools). He said no problem. Some say the tank is too small on the Resource, but I don't find that to be an issue.

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I've read about your adventure

Landri said:

I've read about your adventure

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I really like the Resource, especially since I lose Czech tools a lot. I just top it off once a week. Some say to purge then fill butane lighters, but I haven't noticed the need for it. Were it to appear that I was all of a sudden losing capacity then I would do it.

Landri said:

I checked with my local Zippo dealer and the answer was a big nono for that request, should I just send it over to the US office?
Glad to hear that the Kiribi is holding up for you!

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Absolutely send it into the factory for that service. Many of us did it when we had the B&B Essentials zippo. I sent in that one and one of my older zippos, asking for a pipe lighter insert, they replaced both inserts no questions asked. I downloaded a form from the official website meant for returning items for repair, and I wrote on it the request for pipe lighter inserts.

Shave_Rat said:

Absolutely send it into the factory for that service. Many of us did it when we had the B&B Essentials zippo. I sent in that one and one of my older zippos, asking for a pipe lighter insert, they replaced both inserts no questions asked. I downloaded a form from the official website meant for returning items for repair, and I wrote on it the request for pipe lighter inserts.

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Will do for sure!


I've seen some videos, check some reviews and I'm going for the Kiribi Kabuto... and while I'm shopping for it I'm adding some corncob pipe to the cart, just because I've never tried one and because they are dirty cheap.

Thanks for all the tips, opinions and experiences. I'll update this thread once I get the lighter in order to add my experience to the community knowledge.

Cheers!

One more vote for the zippo pipe insert. Best outdoor pipe lighter, hands down, IMO. Sure, you have to fill it every week or so, but it's not really that big a deal.

Price said:

One more vote for the zippo pipe insert. Best outdoor pipe lighter, hands down, IMO. Sure, you have to fill it every week or so, but it's not really that big a deal.

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Make a mark on your calendar every Friday "Fill the Zippo". Takes about 15 seconds. Zippo gets it done outdoors.