Clipper lighters

[boo909]

Well that's too bad, I was hoping a couple of those tricks would help. If these start to suck after a few uses like you say, then I may give the mini's a try. I'll let you know how they work out. Thanks for sharing your experience, as you obviously have a lot of it!

No problem, if you'd asked 20 years ago, I'd have said they were the best lighter out there bar none for price and reliability but you didn't so I had to moan about how crap they are now, like some miserable old codger, sorry

Though if you don't mind petrol lighters, I've just picked up the rectangular brass one in my picture (bottom left) for about $9 dollars from Aliexpress and for a Chinese lighter the build quality is great, really solid, extremely simple parts, nothing to go wrong, the flint's a bit of a pain to change and I was worried about how long the fuel would last but it's been going for 2 days so far on one refill, highly recommend them for the money.

 

[poorboy]

My experience has been that they are generally worse than bics.

 

[Enemygod]

Well after 2 nights I'm liking em so far. Doesn't light the first time every time, but it does on the second attempt. The one thing I'm really liking vs my other butane lighters, is that they do relatively well in breezy conditions and I smoke outside predominantly.

 

[Enemygod]

I wanted to follow-up on this thread now that I have a couple weeks of using a Clipper exclusively under my belt. One thing I noticed is that as the butane gets lower, it becomes more difficult to light and the flame gets smaller. There are a couple of things I was able to do in order to combat this that worked out pretty well.

1. It consistently lights for me until it gets down to about 70-60% butane. What I discovered is when I get to this level of butane all I need to do is light it with the lighter horizontal (sideways). When the lighter is horizontal it lights pretty consistently at this level of butane.

2. When it gets to about 40-30% butane horizontal lighting becomes inconsistent. What I found at this point is if I turn the lighter upside down it once again starts lighting consistently again.

I think this has to do with the way Clippers push fuel. When they are horizontal the flame naturally gets bigger, so it pushes more fuel. I went 2 weeks without having to fill the lighter, which I think is pretty good. I filled the lighter with butane last night and the flame is back to normal consistently lighting when the lighter is straight.

My thoughts after 2 weeks is that they serve my outdoor smoking purposes very nicely and if they break after a few refills or I lose one, then I've gotten my money out of it. It's better than having to make a trip to the liquor store when I discover my lighter is out of fluid.

 

[boo909]

I wanted to follow-up on this thread now that I have a couple weeks of using a Clipper exclusively under my belt. One thing I noticed is that as the butane gets lower, it becomes more difficult to light and the flame gets smaller. There are a couple of things I was able to do in order to combat this that worked out pretty well.

1. It consistently lights for me until it gets down to about 70-60% butane. What I discovered is when I get to this level of butane all I need to do is light it with the lighter horizontal (sideways). When the lighter is horizontal it lights pretty consistently at this level of butane.

2. When it gets to about 40-30% butane horizontal lighting becomes inconsistent. What I found at this point is if I turn the lighter upside down it once again starts lighting consistently again.

I think this has to do with the way Clippers push fuel. When they are horizontal the flame naturally gets bigger, so it pushes more fuel. I went 2 weeks without having to fill the lighter, which I think is pretty good. I filled the lighter with butane last night and the flame is back to normal consistently lighting when the lighter is straight.

My thoughts after 2 weeks is that they serve my outdoor smoking purposes very nicely and if they break after a few refills or I lose one, then I've gotten my money out of it. It's better than having to make a trip to the liquor store when I discover my lighter is out of fluid.

Yeah that's my feeling on them these days, if you consider them a slightly expensive disposable they are still good lighters while they last. The way they push the fuel out, making the flame bigger when you upturn the lighter makes them perfect for pipes. I just wish they lasted forever like they used to

 

[opsimath]

As far as BiCs relate to Clippers -- I use them both, and when a BiC runs out of butane I pop the metal top off, and scavenge the flint. It is about half-again as long as a Zippo flint, and may add a little more friction at the sparking wheel of a Clipper.
I haven't had to replace the flint in my Clipper yet but, when I do, I will probably use one of a few flints I've scavenged from empty BiCs!

 

[Enemygod]

I don't think my Clipper liked Xikar butane (which I thought was quality). It clogged up after a refill or 2 and wont light or stay lit. There is an obvious issue fuel flow. I bought some Clipper butane and will give my second clipper a chance with that and see if the same issue happens.

 

[sam o'reilly]

A classic case of 'they don't make them like they used to.' Every smoker I knew (i'm in uk btw) used a clipper back in the 80s; in fact I think the build quality was so good we used them as bottle openers too. I think they were more likely to get lost, before they packed up.

 

[boo909]

A classic case of 'they don't make them like they used to.' Every smoker I knew (i'm in uk btw) used a clipper back in the 80s; in fact I think the build quality was so good we used them as bottle openers too. I think they were more likely to get lost, before they packed up.

Definitely, I have 20 year old Clippers that are still going strong, whilst the new ones pack up after a month, I really am convinced it's a case of built-in obsolescence.

 

[Columbo]

Interesting thread on lighters. I haven’t a clue what a Clipper is. I guess I should. Good to learn new things.

I have a few zippo pipe lamps, and they are rock solid dependable. But I usually smoke milder leaf, and can taste the fluid sometimes for a few seconds. I loan them to newbies once they want more than a match. If they don’t come home, I’m only out $10.

Years ago, I noticed shops were stocking fewer and fewer nicer lighters. So I stocked up on a few. Not Duponts. But a few Coronas. The Old Boys are just ok. Useless outside. I also have a flint-fired gold Corona (forget the model), which is nice and pretty around the holidays when the relatives are sitting around eating all our mixed nuts. But it’s a PITA to refill for a daily.

If you have a little extra coin to spend on a good lighter for a long time, the one to get is the Corona Pipemaster. That one lights in any weather, anytime, anywhere. That’s been my daily carry for about 20 years, and has never given me a moment’s trouble. I’ve never needed or wanted another lamp. Just a perfect instant flame, every time. Feed it the older Vector or Colibri premium fuel and it should last forever. It must have a million ignitions on it by now. It owes me nothing at this point.

Quality fuel is the key with a butane. Even the good ones will eventually crap out on the cheaper stuff. I have a case of the older Vector formula, and it is great. The newer formula, not so much. So when it runs out, I will go over to the Colibri premium, which is still UK refined.

 

[Enemygod]

Getting a consensus on which butane is good and which inst that good is like asking people on this forum "what's the best tobacco?". You get 100 different answers all over the board. I would have thought butane would be more straight forward.

 

[Columbo]

Getting a consensus on which butane is good and which inst that good is like asking people on this forum "what's the best tobacco?". You get 100 different answers all over the board. I would have thought butane would be more straight forward.

Me too. Years ago, it wasn’t much of a thought. Good lighters and good fuel were more of a given then. Not quite the case anymore. I can’t even find higher end lighters around town anymore. Tobacco nazis.

 

[AimlessWanderer]

Clippers are still the most abundant lighters I have.



There's seven full size, seven minis, and three Swan in the drawer, which are very similar to full size Clippers. Probably more lurking around the house in various drawers, bags, and pockets. Three of the seven full size ones are metal, and one of those is the pipe (angled) variant.

They all work, but some are better than others.

I refilled them all yesterday, as I've been guilty of repeatedly switching for a full one, instead of making the 20 second journey for the can of gas. You all know the score, I'm sure. One of the minis had an obscenely high flame. A quick prod, blow, and unlit bursts of gas to clear crud from the valve, corrected it nicely. If a bit of flint residue, factory gunk, or other grit or whatnot gets in the spout, you've got the same gas pressure pushing through a reduced hole, and a big fast flame.

One of the metal cigarette type has an obscenely low flame, but I can feel that's from the rocker arm being sprained or bent, and not opening the valve fully. I might try to fix that one warm sunny day, and go outside, and try to prise the far end of the rocker arm up a little, or try and shim it.

True, they're not as infallible as they used to be, but I have successfully "coaxed" a few into behaving better a time or two Obviously, if either gas valve goes kaput, it's game over, but the rocker arm tends to be the weak spot, and with a bit of "persuasion", you can sometimes get some better behaviour from it. Some of these lighters in the drawer must be decades old, but I still generally get a good few fills out of the new ones too.

Not so much with the metal ones, but the semi-disposable type are still cheap enough that if I buy five, and only two are good, I've still got two bargain lighters. I keep the flint wheel stems from the expired ones too, and sometimes a quick swaparooney will get a tired lighter back running sweet again. Particularly if the flint wheel does a Houdini and scrapers, and your flint and spring quickly chase after it...

I still love Clipper lighters ... but I never carry just one...

 

[proslogion]

Clippers are still the most abundant lighters I have.

View attachment 1395427

There's seven full size, seven minis, and three Swan in the drawer, which are very similar to full size Clippers. Probably more lurking around the house in various drawers, bags, and pockets. Three of the seven full size ones are metal, and one of those is the pipe (angled) variant.

They all work, but some are better than others.

I refilled them all yesterday, as I've been guilty of repeatedly switching for a full one, instead of making the 20 second journey for the can of gas. You all know the score, I'm sure. One of the minis had an obscenely high flame. A quick prod, blow, and unlit bursts of gas to clear crud from the valve, corrected it nicely. If a bit of flint residue, factory gunk, or other grit or whatnot gets in the spout, you've got the same gas pressure pushing through a reduced hole, and a big fast flame.

One of the metal cigarette type has an obscenely low flame, but I can feel that's from the rocker arm being sprained or bent, and not opening the valve fully. I might try to fix that one warm sunny day, and go outside, and try to prise the far end of the rocker arm up a little, or try and shim it.

True, they're not as infallible as they used to be, but I have successfully "coaxed" a few into behaving better a time or two Obviously, if either gas valve goes kaput, it's game over, but the rocker arm tends to be the weak spot, and with a bit of "persuasion", you can sometimes get some better behaviour from it. Some of these lighters in the drawer must be decades old, but I still generally get a good few fills out of the new ones too.

Not so much with the metal ones, but the semi-disposable type are still cheap enough that if I buy five, and only two are good, I've still got two bargain lighters. I keep the flint wheel stems from the expired ones too, and sometimes a quick swaparooney will get a tired lighter back running sweet again. Particularly if the flint wheel does a Houdini and scrapers, and your flint and spring quickly chase after it...

I still love Clipper lighters ... but I never carry just one...

I've been looking for one of the angled ones here in the states and I'm not sure they exist.

 

[AimlessWanderer]

I've been looking for one of the angled ones here in the states and I'm not sure they exist.

@Kentos might be able to point you in the right direction

 

[MurderousCrow]

I had 2, both crapped out on me. Wouldn’t light for some reason despite a strong spark.

The trick is to hold the trigger down and snap the wheel with your other hand. A pain in the @rse but they will usually eventually fire. If that doesn't work you can take out the flint pin and turn up the spring tension on the flint. Failing that, you can take the flint out and drop it in upside-down for a bigger better spark. Failing that, one can take off the metal protector, hold down the trigger and lift the other end of it off the regulator - you can then use a thumbnail to turn the valve. This is useful for when it's low on gas, or when it's full and you want to produce a foot-long gush of flame. For high-jinks and other purposes that we used to think were funny. But yes of course for slightly increasing gas flow - I suspect yours were set low out of the factory for some reason. The flint pin also makes an excellent tamper for hand-rolled cigarettes

All tricks learned as a rural 'chav' in my younger years...

 

[Kentos]

The trick is to hold the trigger down and snap the wheel with your other hand. A pain in the @rse but they will usually eventually fire. If that doesn't work you can take out the flint pin and turn up the spring tension on the flint. Failing that, you can take the flint out and drop it in upside-down for a bigger better spark. Failing that, one can take off the metal protector, hold down the trigger and lift the other end of it off the regulator - you can then use a thumbnail to turn the valve. This is useful for when it's low on gas, or when it's full and you want to produce a foot-long gush of flame. For high-jinks and other purposes that we used to think were funny. But yes of course for slightly increasing gas flow - I suspect yours were set low out of the factory for some reason. The flint pin also makes an excellent tamper for hand-rolled cigarettes

All tricks learned as a rural 'chav' in my younger years...

Thanks for that info. I think I tossed them already but I’ll go look around to see if I can find them to give it a try.

 

[Dave himself]

We did use Clippers in our house but found the first time you refilled them them they usually packed in when they were still half full. My Dad died about 2 years ago and left me 7 Zippos. I now use a CENTURY EAGLE Zippo which has never failed me just put in flits and refills and away it goes. No more Clippers for me