Then you're addressing a completely different arguement. Nowhere did I say a Zippo is useless. I said a Zippo is useless if it will never receive use, and for that, there is no point in carrying one.
Your tu quo que is silly :grumpy:
Absintheur, you pretty much verified my point. No matter how long or short the list is, the importance of the item in question isn't swayed. You are only gonna shoot attackers with your gun. It's a one item list. But that gun can save your life. The argument that it won't receive use often but is still important is a very good point, but in my opinion it's a different situation, as your life may hinge whether or not you carry a gun.
Carrying a lighter so your friends can light up may just cause your buddy mild discomfort because he can't get some nicotine. You might as well carry the cigarettes for him, too.
Again, you're assuming that lighting cigarettes (for yourself or a friend) is the only daily use for a lighter, as opposed to the ever-growing lists above.
Even if I don't use my flashlight every day, I still carry it daily. Replacing batteries is just a maintenance cost. It's just something that when you need it, you need it. Like a Flat Kit you'd throw in the trunk that you might never need.
Under ideal conditions, a Bic will work just as well as a Zippo. But when was the last time conditions were ever ideal? Yeah, a Zippo will go dry in two weeks, but a disposable Bic is fugly. (Am I allowed to say fugly in G&G
?)
You can buy a Utility Knife from a dollar store and for two months of occasional use it will cut just as well as your treasured Seb. Then you throw it out and buy another one. That's the key word: "treasured".
To paraphrase:
"This is my lighter. There are many like it, but this one is mine."
There's a reason people still polish their shoes by hand instead of wearing sneakers. There's a reason people hold on to their grandfather's Case or carry a clumsy fob watch even though there are clocks everywhere. It's because an object can be more than its purpose.
Like many others on this tread, even though I no longer smoke, I still use my lighter 2-3 times a week, sometimes never. It's just something that comes in handy, and as long as I'm carrying a fire-source, why not invest in something I can proudly hand on to my grandkids someday?
And like I've said before, if you've ever successfully broken the ice with a disposable Bic, either you've got a LOT of game, or she was VERY drunk.
