Zippo Classic Street Chrome Pocket Lighter

I was delighted when I opened the package and saw this lighter. I wanted a Zippo that could be carried around in my pocket with loose change, a money clip, and other items which could mar the surface of a lighter. The random scratch pattern on the surface is actually quite attractive. Any minor "new" scratches will be completely invisible on this unit. The rest of the Zippos in my collection are "collectables," and I want to keep them pristine, since the ones with logos and art work ARE in fact, works of art. Mechanically, all Zippos are pretty much identical. They light easily, and they are of such simple design, that they function flawlessly. I've been collecting flint & fluid types of lighters since I was a kid in the 1950's, and I have yet to have owned one that I couldn't get to light. They are quite simply, too simple not to work! If you have a flint loaded, and flick the thumbwheel and it produces a spark, and you have a half inch of lighter fluid soaked wick, it WILL light. It doesn't have any choice! It would even light with non-approved fuels, like naphtha based lantern fluid, or even gasoline (I learned this when I was a dumb kid). I have a warning though: DON'T USE UNAPPROVED FUEL!!!!! Gasoline has dyes and other additives which will quickly foul your lighter, and it produces a horrible smell. Lantern fuel (such as Coleman) is similar to lighter fluid (naphtha is the key ingredient in gasoline, lantern fluid, and lighter fluid), except it burns hotter, and will evaporate quicker. DON'T USE IT. To do so would be dangerous. Use approved fuel only, such as Zippo, or Ronsonol (which is now made by Zippo). Why do I say that you MUST use an approved fuel? Because cigarette lighter fuel contains retardants which produce a more controlled burn rate, and also retards evaporation so that you don't have to refill the lighter as often. There is also the safety factor here to consider, in having a less volatile fuel.OK, so where do you get flints and lighter fluid? Before the highly reliable, long-lasting, disposable butane lighters were invented, lighter fuel was available virtually everywhere: Mom&Pop stores, hardware stores, grocery stores, drug stores. In fact, it was hard to find a store where it WASN'T available. DON'T buy flints and fluid online. It is way too expensive, and they are not that hard to find in stores. I found the Zippo 12 oz. cans of fluid at my local grocery store (a well known national chain, which I don't want to plug) and it was priced at $3.50. The best place however, to buy flints and fluid is at the nation's largest retailer (the one founded by the late Sam Walton). It is usually located at one of the check stands. They sell Ronson flints for 40 cents (5 pack), and Ronsonol fuel (8 oz. can) for $1.65 (I'm plugging Ronson/Ronsonol because it's made by Zippo). Also, you can obviously find these products at specialty stores which sell pipe tobacco, cigars, etc. These are usually located in shopping malls and strip malls. You might pay a bit more at the specialty stores, but still, it would be cheaper than having to pay shipping and handling charges for online purchases.User problems:I still can't get over the number of people who think that this type of lighter should come filled with fuel. They aren't allowed to ship them that way. These lighters are not sealed units and are subject to evaporation. A tightly sealed shipping carton would fill up with volatile fumes. Such a box might even technically be considered a BOMB!Can't get it to light?(1) Sometimes after filling the lighter, raw fuel gets onto the flint, or the wick is oversaturated (too wet). Leave the lighter upright with the top open, and evaporation will take care of this problem. In a few minutes, try again.(2) Bad Technique? If you are new to this type of lighter, you may be having trouble with the thumbwheel. Practice your technique. Flints are cheap! Remember when you were a kid, and somebody taught you how to snap your fingers, to make a very loud pop? It is the same sort of technique for operating the thumbwheel. A wimpy turn of the wheel will produce little if any spark. A hard, quick snapping of the wheel will produce a massive spark, and increase your chance of success.Some final thoughts & suggestions:These flint and naphtha based fuel lighters are relics of the past, and are best thought of as nostalgia, or collectable art pieces. If you are going camping or hunting, ALWAYS carry spare matches, or a butane lighter with you as a back-up. As several people have mentioned, these lighters lose fuel fairly rapidly due to evaporation. Always fill them on the day of your outing, and bring spare fluid and flints with you (Zippo makes a cute little key-chain canister which holds one lighter full of fuel, and an extra flint, available from Amazon). Another good reason that you MUST keep your lighter well fueled, is that the wick will burn up when it goes dry, and you will have to replace it.

Zippo quality, wonderful

I've been using Zippos for years and there's nothing exactly like the sound of a plain old Zippo in your pocket jangling against keys or change. This one also didn't disappoint. It reminds me of my dad when I was a child. He had a plain old silver/gray one that he'd gotten while in the Navy during the Korean war and used for about 60 years . I was hoping mine would be the same dull sheen as his but alas it's got to get beaten up for years to get that same look I suppose. I've usually used ones with Seahawks emblems on them so I tried to protect them from losing that polished aluminum sheen and color. I got this one so I could stop babying my lighters or fearing loss/theft of an expensive lighter.I use Zippos for everything from lighting cigarettes to campfires and my charcoal heater as well as burning stray threads on clothing. Whatever I need to light it works for its intended purpose without fail, no matter the weather conditions as well.Being a long time user I'm already aware that you've got to fill them pretty regularly but, just like throw away butane lighters, they do warn you a dozen or so lights before they run out by taking multiple attempts to get a flame. I've got a special place on a top shelf in the laundry room for my fluid, flints and wicks but in all the years I've been using them I've never needed to change a wick. A 4oz bottle of fluid costs about as much as a 3 pack of Bics and lasts about a year.Something different between Zippos and disposables is for whatever reason the Zippos don't seem to fall out of my pocket or some other way disposable lighters always manage to do to disappear for long periods of time.If you want a lighter that is cost efficient over the long haul, will take a beating for decades without failing (if it does fail Zippo will fix it for free forever) , is dependable, is still made in the U.S. and can become a legacy piece handed down (my older brother got my dads when he died) that has a distinctive sound when opened or in your pocket, you can't beat a Zippo. If you're looking for one to take out only a few times a year, or less, and have it light with no filling or other work this is not what you want. For that a Bic will last for years and be trouble free, unlike ultra cheaply priced disposables.