lighters

I bought one of those IMCO triplex lighters off of epray, and from what i gathered, the ones on there were all made in China. I`m thinking they might be designed in Austria, but made in China. And unless someone posts pictures of a triplex lighter that states otherwise, i`m gonna go on believing this.
It`s not a bad lighter however, but the fuel does evaporate just as it does from an ordinary Zippo. (At a slower rate, mind you, so it could be something to keep in mind.)

I also jumped on the band-wagon of modern things, and got myself a Zippo-Blu lighter.
And, first impressions was that it`s a good lighter. I bought some butane gas, filled the lighter up, and tried it out. (I couldn`t get my hands on any proper Zippo butane gas, and as such, this might be the reason for the flame acting "weird". Jumps up and down, goes out without taking my thumb off the tab that lets out gas.)
However, i found out a different use, more in line with survival and primitive things, for the flint container in the Zippo-Blu. It`s removeable, and is infact like a brass/steel version of the Spark-lite, where you can easily replace the flint.
(I had a spark-lite, which i wore out after playing with it for a while. Then i tried to "open" it up, to see if i could put in a new flint. Didn`t work. Well, now i`ve got a "spark-lite", that i can easily load with new flints! Works like a charm to throw a few sparks into something that burns aswell. Lights tissue paper, Tinder-Quik, ordinary vaseline-soaked cotton. Just fray it slightly, and off it goes.)

I tried emailing Zippo about purchasing a few of these flint containers, but living in Norway, i just got a reply that said i had to contact the nordic importer. Could possibly be something to check for one of you fellas closer to their home base.

(For daily lighter-duties, i carry a Bic.)
 
tabeeb762 said:
Someone on this forum once made a post about the IMCO triplex lighter from Austria.
I've been on the lookout for one ever since.

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I prefer a Doan mag block or a good fire steel, but since redundency never hurt anyone I also carry a disposable lighter
Click to expand...

I did (posted about an Imco from Austria). I've had an Austrian Imco lighter for 30 (?) years. Don't waste your money. They don't light near as reliable as a Zippo. Buy a Zippo and put a ranger band around the joint - that stops the evaporation fairly well, also, the ranger band works as an excellent fire accelerator.

In the winter, I carry the Zippo, in milder weather, a Bic. I also always have a Doan tied to my belt.

Doc
 
I always have a peanut lighter,a ferro-rod, one of those small spy capsules (filled with cotton-balls and petroleum jelly), a AAA fenix and a vic classic on my keychain. Oh yeah and keys, lol! They are all hooked onto the ring with small u-clips so i can remove them easily.
I have another peanut lighter, a large ferro-rod, a film cannister of cotton-balls and petroleum jelly and a pack of wooden matches in a waterproof container plus some other stuff packed in a nalgene bottle in my back-pack.
I'll probably get a fire-piston and a magnesium firestarter before i do any camping this summer.
I'm tempted to try that "convert a mini-maglite into a fire-piston" mod i saw on youtube.
One of the forumites here made the video actually.
They are supposed to try that process on a Maglite solitaire next.
Now that would be cool, a key-chain sized fire-piston!
 
I place a zip tie under the button, around the lighter, so they dont accidentaly leak out all the butane.
 
I always carry fire steel, Bic,and mini Bic,and two shotgun shell cases with matches,and stool specimen container(just remove the spoon) with some more matches and other filled with vaseline cotton balls,and tin case with birch bark.
 
j williams said:
I place a zip tie under the button, around the lighter, so they dont accidentaly leak out all the butane.
Click to expand...

I just rip off the child safety annoyance over the striking wheels and snip a little of of it, and crimp it a little and it clips in perfectly underneath the button and prevents it from being engaged. Same premise as your zip ties but its reuseable and free since it comes with the lighter.;) Something to think about.
 
In high altitudes, butane lighters don't always work. This is why I carry matches in addition to a ferro rod.
 
The thing I don't see mentioned (my apologies if I missed) is a candle. As soon as I get flame, I light a candle. Then I can light anything else from it. Just an observation, my psk has several.
 
DOC-CANADA said:
I did (posted about an Imco from Austria). I've had an Austrian Imco lighter for 30 (?) years. Don't waste your money. They don't light near as reliable as a Zippo. Buy a Zippo and put a ranger band around the joint - that stops the evaporation fairly well, also, the ranger band works as an excellent fire accelerator.

In the winter, I carry the Zippo, in milder weather, a Bic. I also always have a Doan tied to my belt.

Doc
Click to expand...

I have one of those thaqt I bought in europe. It was very cheap andthe guy that sold it thought I wasw a stupid american tourist and said it will burn beer as a fuel. I bought it regardless. I've had it now for over 15 years and it's the best lighter I've used. It doesn't evaporate nearly as quickly as my zippo. If you can find one made in Austria, buy it!

I also have a zippo butane conversion that I bought from countycomm. I used it last fall during a trip to the sierras and was very disapointed with it. It worked great at sea-level but over 10,000ft, it didn't work. Fortunatly I had a trusty cheap Austrian lighter.

In all honesty, I don't think any lighter outperforms the famous $1 Bic lighter.
 
My fire kit consists of a firesteel and striker, two bic lighters, a couple of packets of matches, cotton wool in vaseline, couple of candles, a couple of fuel tabs and a good size sheet of aluminium foil, all in a waterproof container. I always carry this kit in the bush and sometimes take a second spare. To my mind fire is one of the top survival priorities (along with shelter and water), and there's no reason to compromise on it.
 
I started a thread about IMCOs a few weeks ago. I think they work great. I heard they didn't spark reliably in the past, but it seems they fixed that with new flints. BTW, you can put ZIPPO flints into IMCOs.

About the IMCO triplex being made in China: I never heard about that. It doesn't say china on my lighter. On the box the word china wasn't mentioned either.


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I'd love to try out one of those petrol lighters from Wenger, but they cost about 30x as much as my IMCO. ;)
 
I love using a ferro, it's more satisfying when you get a good fire going. BUT, I always carry at least 2 other ways to light a fire.
Occassionally I have to give up and use one of those:(
 
Just to explain a little more on my post on the Imco Triplex.
It doesn`t say made in china on my lighter either, nor on the box. But when i bought it on ebay, it came shipped from china. And i don`t really think they make them in austria, and ship them to china. That`s what made me think they`re made in china. If i`m wrong, i am sorry. And i don`t want to mislead anyone. It`s just what i think.
 
I just checked ebay.com. They say "AUSTRIAN MADE" on ebay, but ship them from china - strange! Can't say if they're real or just copys.
Today, it's very possible that even traditional companies outsource their production. But 1:1 copies are also a widespread phenomenon.

They're still great lighters, but the very low price could lead to the conclusion, that IMCO does produce the triplex in china. Bummer. Especially because some companies still manage to keep producing in their own country while keeping the prices low, without sacrificing quality. Opinel is a great example for that.
 
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