I'm a Zippo man for much the same reasons. It's an iconic lighter that's unique in so many ways. I've had a ton of people comment on the smell of the light really taking them back, reminding them of a father, uncle, grampa, etc. You don't get that with a nasty "modern" lighter! The care and filling of the Zippo is, to my mind, must like the Tea Ceremony. It's an exercise in purposefulness. This is also one of the reasons I prefer a mechanical watch over something with a battery or auto-winding mechanism. The more analog we keep our lives, the more understandable and relatable it is to us and those around us. Taking a few minutes out of your day to fill your Zippo is time you can also spend simply thinking about your day, or not thinking at all and just concentrating on the task at hand.
@@txtoolcrib Well, that just means that there could be too much product variation and could still end up costing me. I really only use the pipe insert anymore with my zippo lighters so I wasn't sure if the plastic/polymer would hold up for that purpose anyway.
I get the Zippo attraction/collector thing, but I just don't want to mess with the upkeep and maintenance, when there are other low maintenance options on the market.
Since you prefer the liquid fuel type of lighters you might want to check out the Exotac Titanlight. I keep one in my camp gear and even after a couple of years it still lights up no problem. They are a bit pricy but absolutely worth it.
@@txtoolcrib They are cool. Just as a heads up in case you do get one, in my experience the seal is almost too good. What I mean is that it appears that the vapors don't have anywhere to go. So when you uncap the lighter there is a thin coating of the fuel on/around the chimney and wheel. If you don't wait a bit for that to evaporate it can flare when lighting it. Still the fuel retention and dead simple design make it, in my opinion, one of the best wilderness lighters out there.
You should try a butane restaurant insert that has a soft flame. I have had one the the Thunderbird inserts for probably 7 or 8 years and even when I hand it to people they can’t tell it’s not a standard zippo
Could it work to apply some grease to the o-ring? It might make too much of a mess to be worth it, but it would probably be easier than replacing the gasket with a better fitting one.
Shame this one didn’t work well. I wonder if the 2.0 is any better. To say that butane is more dependable isn’t 100% true, it’s kinda environmentally dependent. Liquid fuel works better in cold and windy environments than butane, which is a big reason why I prefer them.
@@Private0Malley Ranger band refers to a piece of inner tube that is sliced to the desired width and used as a fastener by stretching over the object. Stretching it over the opening seam of the Zippo could possibly eliminate fuel evaporation as well as waterproofing the lighter. It would be awkward if used often but maintain your fuel if stored long term. Ranger bands have also been used to secure ferro rods to knife sheaths since the rubber is an excellent fire starter. I have also used them stretched over tool handles that were slick to provide a better grip. The trick is to find the right size inner tube for the job. Bicycle to truck tires leaves lots of choice for sizing requirements.
I seen another video where some guy tested it out over like 90 days and it did run dry on him too but I think it did last more than 30 days so maybe it is just a lemon?
Stick your gas lighter under your armpit for 5 minutes and you'll be OK. For practical purposes, Zippos are terrible. They''re the worst even among liquid-fuel lighters, which are already bad compared to jet gas lighters. If you're a fashion-and-style kind of person, then that's a different story.
I'm a Zippo man for much the same reasons. It's an iconic lighter that's unique in so many ways. I've had a ton of people comment on the smell of the light really taking them back, reminding them of a father, uncle, grampa, etc. You don't get that with a nasty "modern" lighter!
The care and filling of the Zippo is, to my mind, must like the Tea Ceremony. It's an exercise in purposefulness. This is also one of the reasons I prefer a mechanical watch over something with a battery or auto-winding mechanism. The more analog we keep our lives, the more understandable and relatable it is to us and those around us. Taking a few minutes out of your day to fill your Zippo is time you can also spend simply thinking about your day, or not thinking at all and just concentrating on the task at hand.
Thanks for taking your time to do this! I was waiting for this second video before I made my purchase, so thank you for saving me $30!
I will say that others have claimed much better results than I experienced.
@@txtoolcrib Well, that just means that there could be too much product variation and could still end up costing me. I really only use the pipe insert anymore with my zippo lighters so I wasn't sure if the plastic/polymer would hold up for that purpose anyway.
Thanks for providing this 60-day update. I too was hopeful for this to work. I may still buy one anyway. Seems like a great idea. Love your channel.
You’re very welcome.
Great review. You let me know what I was most curious about. Thank you.
Another Thunderbird user. They're great! Offer the experience of a standard zippo and can sit on a shelf for years without loosing fuel
I'm glad you made this video. I'm sad that the case did not work. I like it, I wanted it to.
Use scales to work out the evaporation day after day vs opening up.
Then maybe a wide rubber band around case and see if that helps seal the gap.
People have suggested I return mine, because they have not had the same experience I encountered.
I get the Zippo attraction/collector thing, but I just don't want to mess with the upkeep and maintenance, when there are other low maintenance options on the market.
Understandable
The butane inverse work great and hold their fuel
Since you prefer the liquid fuel type of lighters you might want to check out the Exotac Titanlight. I keep one in my camp gear and even after a couple of years it still lights up no problem. They are a bit pricy but absolutely worth it.
I have one too. I top it off before I go camping just to be safe, but I've never had it actually run dry or not fire up.
I have been thinking about getting one of those.
@@txtoolcrib They are cool. Just as a heads up in case you do get one, in my experience the seal is almost too good. What I mean is that it appears that the vapors don't have anywhere to go. So when you uncap the lighter there is a thin coating of the fuel on/around the chimney and wheel. If you don't wait a bit for that to evaporate it can flare when lighting it. Still the fuel retention and dead simple design make it, in my opinion, one of the best wilderness lighters out there.
That's a nice and polished version of the peanut lighter, which you can get for a fraction of the price.
You should try a butane restaurant insert that has a soft flame. I have had one the the Thunderbird inserts for probably 7 or 8 years and even when I hand it to people they can’t tell it’s not a standard zippo
IMCO needs to come back, miss those style lighters. Still had the same problem
I was hoping to use this case with a butane Zippo but they don’t fit. The chimney is too tall
Do you have a slight thicker Ø O-Ring in your inventory to try out? In any case thanks for recounting your experience Ben.
I do, but I don’t know that it would be the proper length.
Thanks for the update!
Could it work to apply some grease to the o-ring? It might make too much of a mess to be worth it, but it would probably be easier than replacing the gasket with a better fitting one.
I was thinking the same, maybe since it was dry it didn't make a proper seal? Regardless pretty disappointing, I almost bought this lol
Thanks for sharing. Its a good idea, however that stinks that it didn't work well.
It’s possible I got a fluke. Others have claimed theirs work quite well.
Check out the Exotac titanlight. Mine has held fluid in it for over a year.
Shame this one didn’t work well. I wonder if the 2.0 is any better. To say that butane is more dependable isn’t 100% true, it’s kinda environmentally dependent. Liquid fuel works better in cold and windy environments than butane, which is a big reason why I prefer them.
Ranger band on the Zippo if you don’t use it often.
Ranger band?
@@Private0Malley Ranger band refers to a piece of inner tube that is sliced to the desired width and used as a fastener by stretching over the object. Stretching it over the opening seam of the Zippo could possibly eliminate fuel evaporation as well as waterproofing the lighter. It would be awkward if used often but maintain your fuel if stored long term. Ranger bands have also been used to secure ferro rods to knife sheaths since the rubber is an excellent fire starter. I have also used them stretched over tool handles that were slick to provide a better grip. The trick is to find the right size inner tube for the job. Bicycle to truck tires leaves lots of choice for sizing requirements.
I seen another video where some guy tested it out over like 90 days and it did run dry on him too but I think it did last more than 30 days so maybe it is just a lemon?
it needs a seal on both sides.
That is a shame.
Seemed like a great product at first.
This is disappointing, as I really love the design. But just for your information, my Exotac Titan-Light did four months without a fuel up.
Butane lighters are horrible below 32°F, ill stick with Zippo
Stick your gas lighter under your armpit for 5 minutes and you'll be OK. For practical purposes, Zippos are terrible. They''re the worst even among liquid-fuel lighters, which are already bad compared to jet gas lighters. If you're a fashion-and-style kind of person, then that's a different story.