|
|
Across every smoker's toolkit is some form of a lighter. From matches and gas-station Bics to Dunhill high rollers, a lighter is essential and often a representation of the smoker's personality. I'm rather fond of lighters. I've been collecting them ever since I discovered my dad's small collection of lighter mementos in high school. While my collection started with Zippos, I've since branched off into more antique lighters, like trench lighters or oddities from the Art Deco era. Smokingpipes has a rather fine selection of lighters, and today I would like to talk about three of my favorite brands from our catalog.
Kiribi Lighters
Kiribi combines inspiration from classic Art Deco lighters and Japanese craftsmanship. Kiribi lighters are designed for the pipe smoker, but of course, they'll light any manner of tobacco. A key distinction from their antique counterparts is that Kiribi lighters boast a dual-flame design, which provides a wider area of flame for easier lighting and are especially good for charring lights. They feature a "snap" cap for a click almost as satisfying as a Zippo. Kiribi are separated into five categories: Tomo, Kabuto, Mikazuki, Takara, and Kenshi.
Tomo are the lighters that take the largest inspiration from Art Deco, combining a reliable lighter with a pipe tool equipped, including a tamper and dottle pick. Kabuto are inspired by the traditional winged battle helmet worn by the samurai class. These lighters pay homage to that tradition with a wing-like lighter cap and are available both in standard and short variants. Mikazuki combines its Art Deco inspiration with the waxing crescent moon, which has stood as inspiration for countless haiku and senryu poems.
Takara boasts a bold, textured finish that's been etched with Kiribi's logo and iconic giant squid. The Kenshi offers its flame at an angle and has a smaller frame for saving some space in your pocket or bag. I think Kiribi's lighters are a great lighter to dip your feet into if you've never owned a "fancy" lighter or if you're interested in exploring the Art Deco era of lighters without a bit of tinkering on antiques to get them to be functional pieces.
S.T. Dupont Lighters
S.T. Dupont is a classic French luxury brand established in 1872 that represents L'art de Vivre, or "the Art of Living." A fun fact about the Dupont lighter is that the brand is responsible for the first luxury petrol lighter, invented in 1941 after many years of research and development with the Maharaja of Patiala (ruler of the princely state of Patiala in British India) being among the first customers to adopt this brand-new product. The lighter was made of solid gold with a unique mechanism that ensured an easy light every time with a single thumb action and boasted the brand's iconic "ping" sound.
Something I've always admired about S.T. Dupont lighters is the company's willingness to collaborate. While still offering plenty of classic and refined elegance, they also play with pop culture, as with their Ligne 2 Game of Thrones or DC comics lighters. One of my favorite lighters by them is the Ligne 2 Koi, which boasts stunning artwork of two koi in a lacquered finish, paired with the meticulous, detailed work of Guilloché. Guilloché is renowned for the intricate patterns it's capable of creating through engine turning, mechanically engraving the surface of an object.
While S.T. Dupont is not a lighter I recommend for newcomers due to their price tag, that cost also gets you an heirloom item that will be passed down for generations.
Zippo
Zippo is arguably the most iconic lighter in the world, and for good reason: It's affordable, reliable, and durable. Zippo's inception started in the 1930s when the brand's founder, Mr. Blaisdell, watched his friend struggle with a cumbersome and awkward Austrian-made lighter, inspiring him two years later to reconstruct it to be an all-around better lighter. For a more complete history of Zippo, check out this article on the history of the brand.
The Zippos we carry on-site are all pipe lighters, but we also provide butane torch inserts in both single and double variants, and a butane pipe lighter insert as well. Zippos are perhaps the greatest introduction to lighter collecting due to the sheer variety of designs. There's a Zippo design for damn near everything, from branches of the military to your favorite sports team. Zippos make it easy to display your interests or history in a convenient package. Of course, all Zippos boast their satisfying clink clank when opening and closing, making them great to fiddle with even when you're not smoking.
The Best Lighter
The best lighter is the one that speaks to you. While I love these brands, and countless others, some of my favorite lighters are knockoff, cheaply made tourist lighters I've found in my travels. A lighter doesn't need to be the greatest, most luxurious piece on the market; it just needs to speak to you and light your smoke. But what I want to know most, dear reader, is what is your favorite lighter? Tell me about it in the comments below. Happy smokes!
You may also enjoy:
Comments
Nice article, sounds like I’m not the only one who may have a touch of LAD. I Started with the Old Boy’s, then the classic older Dunhill Rollagas, and then into the Dupont Ligne 2 and my personal favorites the Gatsby line. You can find some reasonably (1/3 the cost of new) priced Dunhill’s and Ligne 2’ s on eBay and some other sites. Just make sure you know what your looking for. Lotta fakes out there. If you are a bit handy, there are many sites where you can learn how to replace o rings, and perform general maintenance. Zippo’s are great to begin collecting with their price point and infinite designs as you mentioned.
Duponts in particular can be thought of as heirloom pieces unless your spouse thinks you really only paid “about a hundred bucks” like i tell her they cost. Just like all my pipes 🤣
Very enjoyable article. I have a Zippo pipe lighter that I use outdoors. I love it, although it needs refueling often. My indoor pipe lighter is from company called Honest. It is beautiful and made of wood and brass. I highly recommend it.