Zippo Manufacturing Company and
The Iconic Zippo Lighter
The word legendary and iconic is often overused and sometimes even self-given. This is not the case though with Zippo. Zippo Manufacturing is truly an iconic American company that in its nearly 90-year history has had its headquarters in Bradford, Pennsylvania. Additionally, all of their lighters are manufactured in their Pennsylvania factory. And, to top it off Zippo was the official cigarette lighter of the US Military in WWII.
To answer the initial question,
- Quality Lighters-Zippo’s lifetime guarantee is legendary.
- Cannabis Friendly Designs and personalization
Each of which will be addressed below.
Quality Lighters
This history behind Zippo helps you understand why the Zippo lighter is so special.
History of Zippo Lighters
According to company lore, Zippo’s founder, George Blaisdell, when golfing on a windy day saw a friend, struggling to light up his cigar/cigarette while using a cumbersome cigarette lighter made in Austria. Blaisdell though noticed that, although it was hard to work as it was quite cumbersome. He did though notice that when it was lit, the flame did stay lit, even in the windy weather on the golf course.
Blaisdell was impressed with the Austrian lighters chimney-like construction that shielded the flame from the wind. The main weakness though of this Austrian lighter was that it was quite bulky as it took two hands for operation.
In 1933, using good old American ingenuity and perseverance, Blaisdell designed a lighter that used the chimney, windproof design, which protected the flame from winds. The case though was small enough to be held in one hand.
1940 WWII
The first Zippo lighter was patented in 1936, and around that time Zippo was sold to the general public. Soon after, Zippo soon became known for this unique windproof design and overall quality.
In 1941, because of World War II, Zippo stopped producing their lighter for the general public and switched their production to solely for the US Military. The Zippo WWII lighter was known for a steel case and black crackle finish. The 1941 replica is shown below.
By solely concentrating on the military market, Zippo gained thousands of loyal customers who witnessed Zippo’s windproof design on the battlefields. Also, Zippo was able to keep working consistently throughout WWII. This in turn led to the Zippo lighter ruling the lighter industry for till the early 70s, until disposable butane lighters like Cricket and Bic were put on the market.
General Product Specifications
Zippo, in its 80-year history, has manufactured thousands of unique models. Therefore, I am only going to list one of their more popular models the Zippo Matte Pocket Lighters.
Zippo Matte Pocket Lighter
This is their no-frills, best-selling, utility lighter. It differs from their WWII model in that it does not have a black crackle finish.
- Color-32 colors ranging from pink to a black matte finish.
- Metal-Brass
- Style-The Zippo Logo or no logo.
- Dimensions-1.38″ x 0.39″ x 2.17″
- Weight-2.68 ounces
Lifetime Warranty
The number one indicator of quality is that Zippo offers a lifetime warranty for their lighters.
Cannabis Friendly Designs and Personalization
Zippo’s Unique Designs
Zippo’s offers lighters ranging from those who just want a reliable, no-frills, cigarette lighter, to those who want a fancy conversation starter. Some examples of Zippo’s unique designs are the following:
Bettie Page Zippo
Playboy Bunny Zippo
Also, if you want to splurge, you can buy a limited edition, 18K Gold Zippo lighter that sells for nearly $21,000!
Marijuana Zippo Lighter Design Options
Zippo is not outwardly 420 friendly. They do however offer an array of marijuana leaf design lighters. Some examples of their
You also will be able to likely customize your own Zippo lighter.
Customization
Zippo offers a robust personalization, for their lighters. Therefore, if Zippo’s current weed design lighters aren’t for you, you might also be able to submit your own,
The Custom Zippo Lighter
Zippo is quite lenient when it comes to personalization. They allow pretty much any type of engraving other than designs that could appeal to children, trademarks, vulgar language, hate symbols, etc. Click Here for their entire customization guidelines.
Are Weed Zippo Lighters (Customized) Allowed?
Zippo states that ” Material that glamorizes illegal drug use” is prohibited. Glamorizing illegal drug use is quite vague. However, by just reading that I might reasonably assume that you couldn’t personalize your lighter with a marijuana leaf.
As stated before, Zippo does offer several lighters, which feature a
Why A Zippo Lighter May Not Be For You
One of the downsides of the Zippo lighter is that, for best results, it requires that you use genuine Zippo Premium fuel, which is a mixture of petroleum distillate and additives. Zippo Lighter Fluid is a bit spendy, but depending upon how much you use, and your budget, it is not that bad.
White gas will also work for this lighter. So, if you are not wanting to spend the extra money for lighter fluid, or do not want to hassle with filling up your lighter, stick with a Bic lighter or other disposable lighters.
Final Thoughts
Whether it be for tobacco or for lighting joints, the classic Zippo lighter is truly among the best lighters on the market. The main indicators of Zippo quality are its windproof design, lifetime warranty, and the fact that Zippo has survived for nearly 80 years without going overseas. Additionally, Zippo’s wide variety of designs are simply classy.
On the other hand, for those who are used to a throw-away, butane lighter, a refillable Zippo may not be for you. But, if you want a conversation piece and a lighter to be proud of, a Zippo lighter is an excellent purchase.
Appendix
Other Zippo Brand Products
Zippo has also branched off into other product lines that are geared toward camping enthusiasts, households, and even the E-Gamer. Some of Zippo’s smoking accessories are pipe lighters and inserts.
Zippo’s camping products range from a torch lighter to emergency fire tools:
An example of their household products is a candle lighter, which is shown below.
And, lastly, Zippo sells hand warmers for the E-Gamer.
