Brand · Fire & Lighting
Zippo makes the metal flip-top windproof lighter that runs on lighter fluid and a wick, plus a rechargeable arc candle lighter and a small line of camp fire starters: tinder shreds, cedar starters and storm matches. Real talk: almost every Zippo in the grid is the same lighter in a different outfit. The design on the case is the only thing that changes between most of them. So pick the lighter type first and the dragon, flag or pin-up second. (Renee says I pick the dragon first. Renee is correct.)
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On this site, Zippo covers two product types:
Zippo's own product pages list more: butane torch and arc inserts for the windproof case, hand warmers, multipurpose and utility lighters, a torch, and camping gear like a fire-starting multi-tool and a bellows. This site doesn't list all of those. The grid above filters by type and changes as listings come and go, so I'll write about the kinds of Zippo and what separates them, not about how many dragons are listed this week.
Most specs here come from Amazon listings, and the grid marks those values. Where a listing doesn't say, the grid shows a dash.
This is the one. A metal case with a hinged lid, and inside it a removable insert: a chimney around the wick, a flint wheel, a flint pushed up by a spring, and packing that holds the fuel under a felt pad. Every windproof Zippo in the grid lists the same three facts: lighter fluid, a wick and refillable.
Zippo's product pages describe it as all metal construction with a windproof design, and say made in USA. Zippo's history page says the first one was produced in 1933 in Bradford, Pennsylvania.
The designs in the grid run from plain finishes like Street Chrome and Black Crackle to engraved and printed cases: flags, firefighters, dragons, aces, a fighter plane's shark teeth, a campfire. Under the art it's the same lighter. If you're buying for a hunting buddy, buy the design. If you're buying for yourself, buy the finish you won't mind scratched, because it will get scratched.
The finish name sits in the listing title, usually right after the design. The ones in the grid fall into a few families:
Zippo's own warranty covers how the lighter works. The look of the case is a separate question, so if the finish matters, read the product page for that exact finish. (Renee says a shiny lighter on the dinner table counts as decor. I say it counts as a lighter. We've agreed to disagree since 2011.)
The odd one in the grid. Its listing names an electric arc, rechargeable, no fuel at all. Zippo's page for it says it charges by micro USB, needs a safety lock button pressed within two seconds of sliding the switch, and shuts the arc off on its own after 10 seconds. An arc lights what it touches: a candle wick, a lantern mantle, a stove burner. It won't light a log. The electric lighter page covers arc lighters across brands.
People search for a "Zippo torch lighter" and a "Zippo arc lighter." Here's how those work, per Zippo's own pages:
Zippo notes that some torch inserts from certain date codes may not fit its Armor cases. Its pages list a two-year repair window for these inserts. This site doesn't list Zippo's inserts. For the types across brands, see the torch lighter page and the refillable butane lighter page.
Butane safety from Zippo's insert page: fill in a well-ventilated area, aim the valve away from your body, and wait at least 2 minutes before you light it. Escaped butane is extremely flammable.
Zippo's Tinder Shreds listing describes wood wool tinder, natural, sold in packs, and gives a burn time in minutes per piece. Wood wool is shaved wood fiber. You fluff a pinch of it, light it, and lay small kindling over it. That's the whole trick.
The grid has a single Cedar Campfire Starter and a set of four. The single starter's listing describes wax and wood fiber and lists a burn time in the tens of minutes. A cedar starter goes under the kindling and keeps burning while the kindling catches. On a wet November morning, that's the difference between a fire and a pile of smoky sticks.
The Typhoon Matches listing calls them stormproof matches, in a tube with a strike pad, and gives a count per pack and a short burn time per match. Zippo's own page for them covers swapping the replaceable strike pad under the rubber end cover, and points to the instruction manual for the safety warnings. Read it before the first trip.
Matches and a lighter in the same kit is the plan I like. Two different ways to make a flame means one bad morning doesn't take out both. The fire starters page covers tinder, starters and matches across brands.
That's the real choice, and the grid's fuel field does the sorting:
A wick lighter runs on a can of fluid and spare flints and wicks. An arc lighter runs on a charged battery and a cable. A butane insert runs on a butane can. Think about which of those three you'll actually have in the truck.
My one opinion on this page: fill a windproof Zippo the night before the hunt, not the week before. Zippo's own instructions say lighter fluid will evaporate even when the lighter isn't used, to keep the lid closed, and that it's a good idea to refuel before each outing.
I learned this one the slow way. The lighter sat in the truck console from Halloween to opening day, and it made one tiny blue flicker, then nothing. The matches lit the stove. The lighter got a talking-to.
Once the lighter type is settled, the rest is looks. Pick the finish for how it'll be carried and the design for who's carrying it. Gift-giving tip from Renee: engrave the initials, not the year. The year is how old it'll make you feel.
Zippo's steps, short version:
Zippo warns that lighter fluid is flammable, that the fuel can must be closed with no spilled fuel nearby before you light it, and that a lighter with fuel on the outside shouldn't go in a pocket or near skin.
Zippo says flints wear down with normal use and must be replaced periodically. A wheel that spins freely but throws no spark usually means a new flint. The swap: unscrew the spring at the bottom of the insert, tip out the old flint, drop in a new one, screw the spring back as far as it goes. If the wheel sticks, turn it backward a few times.
The wick turns black from carbon over time. Zippo says to pull it up with tweezers until clean wick shows, trim it even with the chimney, and do that once or twice a year. After two or three trims, it's time for a new wick, which threads through the packing in an S pattern.
Keep lighters and matches where children can't reach them. The U.S. Fire Administration's advice is to never leave lighters or matches where children can reach them and to keep them locked up in a high place.
Before any campfire, check the fire restrictions where you are. Smokey Bear's guide says to build at least 15 feet from tents, clear a 10-foot area around the ring, and keep water and a shovel close.
Both make pocket lighters, and they show up in the same searches. They're different kinds of lighter:
BIC's own history page says the company was founded in 1944 and launched its first full-size pocket lighter with an adjustable flame in 1973. If you want a lighter you maintain for years, that's Zippo's side of the grid. If you want a lighter you replace, that's BIC's. Plenty of camps keep both. The BIC brand page has its lineup.
Here's what I could verify on Zippo's own pages:
Fill it the night before, carry a spare flint taped inside the lid of the fire kit, and keep the matches anyway. The fire doesn't care which one lit it.
The classic Zippo windproof lighter isn't. Its listings name lighter fluid and a wick, and Zippo's fill instructions say to saturate the packing inside with Zippo lighter fuel. Zippo does make butane inserts, single and double torch, that slide into a windproof lighter case in place of the wick insert, and a rechargeable arc insert too. This site doesn't list those inserts.
What the maker states is checkable: Zippo's product pages call the windproof lighter all metal and refillable, say made in USA, and back windproof pocket lighters with a lifetime guarantee it phrases as it works or we fix it free. Its wicks and flints are replaceable parts. Whether one suits you depends on how often you'll refill it, since lighter fluid evaporates even when the lighter isn't used.
Zippo's warranty page lists an it works or we fix it free lifetime warranty on all Zippo windproof pocket lighters. Its pages for the butane torch inserts, the arc insert and the rechargeable candle lighter mention a two-year warranty window for repairs. Read the terms for the exact product on Zippo's site before you send anything in.
Zippo Manufacturing Company. Its history page says founder George G. Blaisdell designed the lighter in Bradford, Pennsylvania, and produced the first one in 1933. The page says his family still runs the company: his grandson George B. Duke is chairman and Grant B. Duke is president and CEO.
Zippo's steps: pull the insert out of the case, lift the felt pad, and slowly saturate the packing with Zippo lighter fuel until fuel reaches the top of the packing. Don't overfill. Put the insert back, then wipe the lighter and your hands dry before lighting it. If fuel is on the outside, keep it out of your pocket.
The product grid on this page links to Zippo listings on Amazon US, filtered by type. Most windproof listings differ only in finish and design, so check the finish name and the lighter type in the listing title before you order.
