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Reviews


Lighters - Kiribi Pipe Lighter - Kabuto Short Black Matte
Bad Lighter Great Customer Service
I can’t recommend the Kiribi, I’ve abandoned it and I believe it’s flawed. I smoke one bowl a day and the hinge wears out in two years. When you light your pipe the flame can reach the polymer T hinge and melt it. One reason I use a quality lighter is to avoid plastics, and you still have to worry about the risk of burning and inhaling that stuff. The plastic hinge is weakened by the excess heat, it won’t have enough pressure to depress the lid, the flame may not go out and it can become a fire hazard. Also, SP has a monopoly on parts and only would sell them to me after making a bad review. They wanted me to spend $35 plus $20 international shipping to maintain a $65 lighter every two years, on parts that cost around $2.50, I don’t think so! The screws strip real easily, you’ll have to constantly keep them tight or they fall out or your lighter disintegrates in your hand. After another bad review SP gave me my money back, even though it was out of warranty. Great customer service, but it was necessary to call them out over the manner in which they marketed the lighter to us. I will be buying an IM corona, and according to Chuck Stanion, this thing should last me ten years. Should have tried it from the start, but I am glad SP made good on the Kiribi and gave me my money back.

Lighters - Zippo Pipe Lighter - Pipe Smoker
It’s a Sticker
The smoking man is a sticker and it’s not painted on like they used to be. I put my zippo in a plastic baggy to save some fuel and the lighter fluid bubbled the sticker and I ended up rubbing it off. A little disappointing in the lower quality, but it still works great.

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    An In-Depth Guide to Morta Tobacco Pipes
  • ► I have a Morta and I have reached the same conclusion as J. Mouton. You don’t know where or what the bog oak has been sitting in for so long and that makes for inconsistent smoking qualities. I think it looks pretty but is a crap material for a smoking pipe. My Morta, made everything taste bland, they don't absorb moisture well and they are so easy to ream into the material. It has the same look and feel as carbon and it’s easy to damage, especially after heat has been applied. So I’ll bet any well smoked morta is damaged to some extent. Plus all the flaws that can go unseen, such as punked wood voids that will burn or fall out under heat. I think it all happened to mine and the pipe is now caustic to my mouth. It was fun to try it, but never again and buyer beware and good luck.
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  • ► Definitely one of the best tobacco critics out there. Anytime I want to research a tobacco JimInks and Pipe Stud are the top two reviewers I trust for an honest review. Never knew this about him, such a talented person. Thanks for all the help Jim
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  • ► Read before you buy. Great lighters, but the polymer hinge will wear out in roughly two years. Mine occurred a few months after warranty. Currently SP.com does not sell parts and you will have to send your lighter in for servicing and pay a $35 fee. Tack on at least $20 international for shipping (in my case). So, if I am going to pay $50 bucks every couple of years to keep a $65 lighter going, I am going to abandon it and not recommend anyone buy one. Sell us the parts SP it’s an easy fix, thanks you tube! You’re a great company SP, you’ve been real good to me and I hope eventually you change your mind so I may use my Kiribi again.
  • ► Thanks for changing your mind and coming through SP.
    How To Care For Your New Kiribi Lighter
  • ► I forgot to mention, when the Polymer T hinge wears down there’s not enough pressure to push down the nozzle. Not only will gas escape, but it becomes a fire hazard. I passed the lighter to my neighbour and after lighting his pipe he put it down and I noticed the flame was still lit even though the cap was down. A few minutes must have passed and I can’t imagine if I had left the garage unattended. It’s only a matter of time before these lighters are recalled.
  • ► @ Steve M. Thanks Steve, you guys truly have customer service second too none. Everyone’s experience can be different and I wish I didn’t have to abandon the lighter. I just don’t trust it and I think there is more than enough information her for the consumer to make the right choice for them.
  • ► Hopefully, my last post. When you light your pipe the flame can reach the polymer T hinge and melt it. It could be a reason, why it weakens so fast. The hinge has a square face, mine was rounded indicating it had melted and you hay want to check your Kiribi for this. You’ll have to change the angle in which you light your pipe, to lessen the risk. One reason I use a quality lighter is to avoid plastics, and you still have to worry about the risk of burning and inhaling that stuff with this lighter. Good luck with your Kiribi everyone.
  • ► Read before you buy. Great lighters, but the polymer hinge will wear out in roughly two years. Mine occurred a few months after warranty. Currently SP.com does not sell parts and you will have to send your lighter in for servicing and pay a $35 fee. Tack on at least $20 international for shipping (in my case). So, if I am going to pay $50 bucks every couple of years to keep a $65 lighter going, I am going to abandon it and not recommend anyone buy one. Sell us the parts SP it’s an easy fix, thanks you tube! You’re a great company SP, you’ve been real good to me and I hope eventually you change your mind so I may use my Kiribi again.
  • ► Thanks for changing your mind and coming through SP.
  • ► Follow up to above post. I’ve had my Kiribi for over two years and I loved it. Until, the polymer hinge wore out and thus began my journey of disgust with the lighter and with SP.com. I still love SP.com, but I am calling them out on Kiribi. It’s a cheap lighter, read the reviews, the screws fall out, they strip easily, o rings disintegrate and they fall apart in your hand. Sure, I read the above article when I first bought mine and no problem, until you have some wear and tear. Tack on to that, SP.com has a monopoly on parts and they don’t want to sell them to you, unless you make a bad review and expose the BS. $35 plus shipping to repair or replace parts that cost pennies is a money grab. The lighter retails for $65, but is not worth $30 in my opinion, so there was no way I was going to send it for service. Basically, SP hyped the lighter up, sold tons of this cheap piece of metal and hence “how to care for your Kiribi”. I hate to leave such a negative review for you boys, but you ripped us off marketing the Kiribi to us. Buyer beware
  • ► @Michael, I had the same problem with a can of colibri. They are cheap lighters and you should contact SP about a refund, see my above posts. The nozzle is probably to big to get through the hole. Take a flat head screwdriver and pop the screw out of the gas port and fill it that way. Hopefully it works and don’t forget to tighten up them screws or the lighter will eventually disintegrate.
  • ► @ Michael- Honestly, I would say a Zippo. If it wasn’t for the fact I hate the taste of lighter fluid, it’s all I’d use. I can’t even recall the number of lighters I’ve used and taken apart through the years, but the ones I’d consider quality lighters were the ones that don’t use plastic or cheap/soft metal parts/screws etc. The Kiribi was marketed as good as an IM Corona, but if you compare the newest models, the IMC shines. When you have issues and start fixing it your self and realize with the Kiribi you can’t reuse the screws because they are made of some kind of soft alloy and it gets annoying. If you continually pay to have it serviced they’ll replace all that for you and I’am sure it will work great, but I’am not paying to have a lighter serviced every couple years, especially that Kiribi. I’ve even considered lock tight on the screws to keep the darn thing together, but I just wasn’t going to do that. In my above posts I’ve explained why that plastic hinge is a fire hazard. Every time I filled it I had to tighten the screws and they were always loose. Does that scream quality? IMC has nice flush, perfectly machined steel screws that haven’t needed tightening, nor have I seen any signs of stripping after I unscrewed some just to see. Kiribi has this brass and nickel crap. Although, I miss the Kiribi greatly. It held lots of fuel and I miss opening it with the winged flange (Kabuto), which made lighting it look slick. I have been using the IMC flawlessly for six months now and I’ll share my final thoughts once I reach the two year mark in order to make a fair comparison to the Kiribi for the same time I used it. From the start if I were to actually hold both lighters in my hand, I would have bought the IMC. I got sold the Kiribi because I got roped into thinking they were as good as an IMC, but far less expensive by SP.com’s online marketing team. I hope you have many years of happy smokes with your Kiribi and I hope it can be improved upon one day. Cheers.
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  • ► If you are serious about smoking a pipe a good lighter is essential. Not just for functionality, but pairing a nice lighter, with a nice tamper and a beautiful pipe is simply elegant. You want to show off a little bit of style and personality. You can’t get that with a bic or cheap lighter and if you are not careful the cheap lighters are made of plastic and when you flip them upside down, the plastic can burns or melt and I don’t like inhaling toxic fumes. The Kiribi is cheap, I smoke one bowl a day and the hinge wears out in two years. Gas escapes, the flame may not go out and can become a fire hazard. SP has a monopoly on parts and only would sell them to me after making a bad review. They wanted me to spend $35 plus $20 international shipping to repair a $65 lighter every two years, on parts that cost around $2.50, don’t think so! The screws strip real easily, you’ll have to constantly keep them tight or they fall out or your lighter disintegrates in your hand. I have abandoned the Kiribi and can’t recommend it. After another bad review SP gave me my money back. Great customer service, but it was necessary to call them out over money grabbing tactics and marketing the lighter to us. I will be buying an IM corona old boy as soon as I find the one I like on sale, and according to chuck, this thing will hopefully last me ten years. Should have tried it from the start, but I am glad SP made good on the Kiribi.
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  • ► Read before you buy. Great lighters, but the polymer hinge will wear out in roughly two years. Mine occurred a few months after warranty. Currently SP.com does not sell parts and you will have to send your lighter in for servicing and pay a $35 fee. Tack on at least $20 international for shipping (in my case). So, if I am going to pay $50 bucks every couple of years to keep a $65 lighter going, I am going to abandon it and not recommend anyone buy one. Sell us the parts SP it’s an easy fix, thanks you tube! You’re a great company SP, you’ve been real good to me and I hope eventually you change your mind so I may use my Kiribi again.
  • ► Thanks for changing your mind and coming through SP.
    Rhythm and Solace
  • ► Same reason I picked up a pipe three years ago. Since then I‘ve made a lot of progress in managing the hyper-vigilance. Ive learned to meditate, 5-2-8 breathing, incorporated the four agreements, EMDR music before bed and by far the most helpful thing Ive learned is about polyvagal theory. If you have PTSD you must look up polyvagal theory. Thanks for sharing, brother!
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  • ► I was told you will taste clay for several bowls before it’s broken in and tastes neutral. The Marcus Fohr clay took about twenty and now it’s smoking quite neutral and without ghosting. Because the bowl gets hot I was forced to hold it by the stem and this made me a more elegant pipe smoker. It takes a little more care and attention or you might roll the contents of the bowl into your lap, but once you are used to it you develop a muscle memory and you won’t ever drop your pipe. Kinda like how the US Marines drill team spins and tosses their rifles. It started as practice for soldiers to never to drop their rifle and it works. I’ve used the same technique with my phone, so I rarely drop it.
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  • ► Way off topic here, but I stumbled across this today. History ain’t always pretty, and it’s making me think twice about where my tobacco comes from.https://exposetobacco.org/news/racism-and-big-tobacco/