Zippo emergency fire starter

gradall5200

gradall5200

Joined
Mar 12, 2006
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I had never seen this before, Im sure some of you guys have. Got a Duluth trading company mag in the mail today, and it had a zippo metal lighter looking thing that comes with a built in flint striker and four waxed tinder sticks. Claims to be o-ringed water proof construction for $19.50 . Looked kinda neat just wondering if anyone had one or had seen one up close before. Measures 1 1/2x 1/2 x 2 1/2 - Joel
 
I like it but flint does not work when wet. I take a windmill everyplace I go but I also have waterproof matches and a fire steel as backup.
 
Interesting.

But I have to say that if I'm going to carry a Zippo I might as well carry one that can light 30-40 fires rather than one that only lights 4;)
 
BackwoodsBummin' said:
Interesting.

But I have to say that if I'm going to carry a Zippo I might as well carry one that can light 30-40 fires rather than one that only lights 4;)
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Totally agree with you, I guess I just have a love for survival gadgets, or just gadgets in general. Yes maybe not the best soloution to fire starting but maybe a good back up or good for the glove box? :D
 
I don't really trust any Zippos for emergency firestarter. However, I do like zippos for what they are. As far as the zippo item in question, I will just take a ferro rod.
 
OK..I do not smoke but EDC a zippo, it fails me far less than other lighters. I also carry ferro rods just about everywhere they will fit.yes, i am a fire nut.

This little thing would be cool if it had a larger wheel for stronger sparking, and took a larger rod-1/8" or so. O ring seals are good..BUT

WHY DOES ZIPPO NOT MAKE AN O RING SEALED LIGHTER? they could, pretty easily, it would cost more, but I'd buy four. I have written to them about this, with diagrams and the whole bit.

I use a 2-2/1/2" peice of inner tube over my lighter, a fill will last a couple of weeks. Best performance means filling 1Xweek. I feel this is a GOOD thing, as i carried a butane lighter in my pocket for months, only using it occasionally like i do the zippo, but as it needed no maintenance, i did not notice that it had leaked out of fluid. With my zippo, it needs about 1 minute a week, and it works.

Do not discount it in the wet, either. There is a reason guys in several wars liked these things. With that band around it, and with a recent fill, i have submerged my zippo in a stream for a few minutes with a butane lighter. I got both to light, but the zippo was first, to my surprise. The rubber helps with water ingress alot, and the fuel saturation displaces the water, so it does not absorb as much. A dry zippo of course will soak up water like a sponge. zippos have a larger flame, stand lit by themselves,and are easily user maintained.
 
Maine1 said:
OK..I do not smoke but EDC a zippo, it fails me far less than other lighters. I also carry ferro rods just about everywhere they will fit.yes, i am a fire nut.

This little thing would be cool if it had a larger wheel for stronger sparking, and took a larger rod-1/8" or so. O ring seals are good..BUT

WHY DOES ZIPPO NOT MAKE AN O RING SEALED LIGHTER? they could, pretty easily, it would cost more, but I'd buy four. I have written to them about this, with diagrams and the whole bit.

I use a 2-2/1/2" peice of inner tube over my lighter, a fill will last a couple of weeks. Best performance means filling 1Xweek. I feel this is a GOOD thing, as i carried a butane lighter in my pocket for months, only using it occasionally like i do the zippo, but as it needed no maintenance, i did not notice that it had leaked out of fluid. With my zippo, it needs about 1 minute a week, and it works.

Do not discount it in the wet, either. There is a reason guys in several wars liked these things. With that band around it, and with a recent fill, i have submerged my zippo in a stream for a few minutes with a butane lighter. I got both to light, but the zippo was first, to my surprise. The rubber helps with water ingress alot, and the fuel saturation displaces the water, so it does not absorb as much. A dry zippo of course will soak up water like a sponge. zippos have a larger flame, stand lit by themselves,and are easily user maintained.
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Very informative post right there, thank you, I am just getting into the zippo's. That band is a very good idea, I still carry a peanut and magnesium kit but the zippo for pure ease of use is a cool idea.
 
and they burn for a really really long time when you overfill them and put em in yer pocket!!!! Yeah, those of you who have done it, you know exactly what I am saying. : )



What about the butane inserts for the Zippo's? I have often wondered about those but never sprung for one.
 
As I recall someone on the forum did a time test with a Zippo sealed with a ranger band. Seems like the lighter stayed usable many months. Of course if you keep a 4 oz can of lighter fluid in you BOB with the lighter. You could fill the lighter and squirt some on the tender so even I could have a raging inferno in minutes.
 
plus, zippos have great customer service backing them, do not NEED it often as they are user maintanable, and are MADE IN THE USA.
 
I think I like the ESEE firesteel a bit better. My big complaint is that the thumb wheels on lighters are harder to manage with cold fingers, but then neither is scraping a firesteel that easy. I like the firesteel more because you can modulate the intensity of sparks better and direct sparks into a tinder while this zippo will only be good with PJCB or the enclosed paraffin cotton tinder. I think the firesteel is just that much more versatile and is also more compact.
 
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