I've always wanted a lighter. Zippos caught my interest because of the heritage, made in usa, and the non-self-extinguishing aspects. However, I don't smoke and never intend to. So, I never really found a good reason to get up and fuel the pyro in me. When I saw the limited runs of the RAT lighters, I decided that was a good enough of an excuse. I think lighters are a useful tool to always have on hand, so I know I'll end up EDCing mine even though I don't smoke.
My first impression was that the black coating was better than I expected. The lighter case is made out of some sort of brass, and doesn't seem to just be coated brass. The brass is exposed on the inside of the shell as well as at the stamp on the bottom, and of course, at the logo. I expected the coating to just be a black "paint", but it's actually a nice matte black coating/finish that has a bit of sparkle in the light (just due to the texture). I think it might hold up a little better than I expected, though I'm still a little worried about the small parts in the skull (eyes, etc.)
I'm glad this last round was the ESEE logo. I love that skull logo, and would prefer it on all my RAT knife purchases if given the choice. There's just something about it that looks serious and official. A lot of logos with skulls are just corny, but RAT pulls it off very nicely.
All that said, what I'd really like to see is the following (listen up RAT
): get Zippo to make the cases in 1095 then send them to you so you could coat it with the same black finish from the knife line, and do the same laser etching for the logo as done on the knives. I think that would be very cool, unique, and really make it a RAT zippo. As much as I love the brass on black look of this lighter, if you guys are listening and decide to make a set the way I described, I would no doubt buy it. Perhaps even at double the price or more of a regular zippo. That said, 1095 may or may not be a good choice for staining reasons on the logo. So that's a decision that would need some discussion (patina is cool, but rust is not). Regardless, the RAT wear resistant finish and etching would be awesome.
So on to the pics! Sorry about the quality. My phone isn't the best camera. Anyone else with these lighters (with either logo) feel free to post pics and show your love here! Congrats to RAT on another good product. In the meantime, I'll be watching cutlerylover's Zippo trick tutorials
My first impression was that the black coating was better than I expected. The lighter case is made out of some sort of brass, and doesn't seem to just be coated brass. The brass is exposed on the inside of the shell as well as at the stamp on the bottom, and of course, at the logo. I expected the coating to just be a black "paint", but it's actually a nice matte black coating/finish that has a bit of sparkle in the light (just due to the texture). I think it might hold up a little better than I expected, though I'm still a little worried about the small parts in the skull (eyes, etc.)
I'm glad this last round was the ESEE logo. I love that skull logo, and would prefer it on all my RAT knife purchases if given the choice. There's just something about it that looks serious and official. A lot of logos with skulls are just corny, but RAT pulls it off very nicely.
All that said, what I'd really like to see is the following (listen up RAT
): get Zippo to make the cases in 1095 then send them to you so you could coat it with the same black finish from the knife line, and do the same laser etching for the logo as done on the knives. I think that would be very cool, unique, and really make it a RAT zippo. As much as I love the brass on black look of this lighter, if you guys are listening and decide to make a set the way I described, I would no doubt buy it. Perhaps even at double the price or more of a regular zippo. That said, 1095 may or may not be a good choice for staining reasons on the logo. So that's a decision that would need some discussion (patina is cool, but rust is not). Regardless, the RAT wear resistant finish and etching would be awesome.So on to the pics! Sorry about the quality. My phone isn't the best camera. Anyone else with these lighters (with either logo) feel free to post pics and show your love here! Congrats to RAT on another good product. In the meantime, I'll be watching cutlerylover's Zippo trick tutorials
:thumbup::thumbup:
