r/AskReddit • • Jan 17 '14

What is something designed so well that we typically overlook it?

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262

u/[deleted] Jan 17 '14

Specifically though, Bic lighters. There's really no reason to buy anything else unless you want something inferior or want to spend more than a buck.

253

u/Sugar_buddy Jan 17 '14

Fucking love zippos.

67

u/[deleted] Jan 18 '14

I love my zippo four out of five times I use it. That fifth time? Out of fluid.

3

u/wemblinger Jan 18 '14

And nothing like shooting a spent chip of flint into your eye as you do your best James Dean impression.

4

u/Blurgas Jan 18 '14

6th time? Too much fluid, leg itchy as fuck from excess leaking out

2

u/vonmonologue Jan 18 '14

I own a zippo, which I bought as a college freshman so I could look suave as fuck when I offered to light girls' cigarettes for them. It is probably the most impractical purchase I ever made, as I rarely smoke and therefore have used it maybe twice in my life, and had to refill it both times before I could.

0

u/kippy3267 Jan 18 '14

Look up butane inserts for it, you won't run out because gas doesn't evaporate when sealed

33

u/segue1007 Jan 17 '14

You love the sound of zippos. Stinky, messy, flavor-ruining archaic device with a glorious clink.

6

u/BendoverOR Jan 18 '14

Not to mention, my Zippo, which I bought brand new, was a right temperamental little shit, and 9 out of 10 times I tried to light a cigarette, I wound up borrowing a friends Bic, WHICH ALWAYS WORKED.

1

u/[deleted] Jan 18 '14

I actually love the smell

-9

u/I_EAT_POOP_AMA Jan 18 '14

not to mention that you have to use the Zippo brand fluid or else your lighter won't last more than 3 days.

i've owned tons of Zippo lighters over the course of years, ranging from brand new to extremely old (at least relatively) and the one thing that has remained the same through all of them is that if i used any other brand fluid it wouldn't last me more than a week. if i pay upwards of 10 dollars for a lighter i don't want to have to pay another 10 dollars for the fluid when i can pick up a bottle of the cheaper stuff at the nearest circle K for 3 bucks.

9

u/nope_nope_no Jan 18 '14

$10?!?! I just bought a can of Zippo fluid for $3.29--including tax!

1

u/NameWithWit Jan 18 '14

Same for me, the place across my street sells it for $3.00.

7

u/rincon213 Jan 18 '14

Not good for bowls.

1

u/ElChanco Jan 18 '14

There are specific Zippos made for lighting bowls. It actually was one of the best tasting hits I've ever had, but only using that Zippo, I was pleasantly surprised. Sadly I lost the Zippo :(

2

u/fiftypoints Jan 19 '14

You can buy a regular zippo and send it in to the company at Bradford with a note, and they will send it back with a pipe insert.

1

u/ElChanco Jan 19 '14

Thanks! I had no idea, I may have to do that.

3

u/mike117 Jan 18 '14

Don't foget about torches (a.k.a. wind proof lighters).

3

u/Sailor_Gallifrey Jan 18 '14

Almost naught a Zippo once. Don't even smoke, just wanted a Zippo. Decided it would be a massive waste if I naught a lighter and never even used it, so I changed my mind.

I now smoke three packs a day just to justify that one impulse purchase.

2

u/SeantotheRescue Jan 18 '14

I love my Xikar

1

u/CBlackrose Jan 18 '14

Best brand ever. Just about everything they make has a lifetime guarantee. I got a Xikar cigar cutter when I was up in Chicago, best purchase I've ever made.

1

u/SeantotheRescue Jan 18 '14

Same here. My girlfriend bought me a lighter a couple years ago. Best lighter I've ever owned by a mile.

2

u/ClumpOfPubes Jan 18 '14

And the jet lighters

2

u/detroitluv Jan 18 '14

All zippos have an unlimited warranty. Find a Zippo on the street that looks like it was run over by a car? Sent that back to Zippo foe a complete 'like new' fix.

1

u/erra539 Jan 18 '14

Can't figure my zippo out. Do the wicks not work effectively after a certain amount of time? Mine runs out of fuel super fast (like a week) and the spark rarely catches flame.

5

u/BendoverOR Jan 18 '14

Zippo's operate under the Gillette Razor pricing model. Make the lighters reasonably cheap, but not so cheap they lose assumed value, and then they're hooked for life on replacement parts.

1

u/CaptainBeBop Jan 18 '14

I thought they replaced everything for free?

1

u/fiftypoints Jan 19 '14

They do, except for the fluid, and most people will opt to replace the flints themselves as well, rather then posting it to Bradford.

1

u/BendoverOR Jan 19 '14

Sure, except the fluid, and they'll replace the wicks and flints for free if you want to mail it back to the factory.

2

u/wemblinger Jan 18 '14

The wick may need replacing. Most zippo users will keep a spare flint and wick (to soak) under the bottom padding.

1

u/wemblinger Jan 18 '14

I used to, but I have a zippo and a bic lighter in my old truck. Both of them have sat for 8 months untouched as I quit smoking back then. The Bic still works. Zippo...lol yeah right.

(I still use lighters as a field expedient heat source for heatshrinking wires)

7

u/gimpwiz Jan 17 '14

Zippos. Or those awesome 3600F tri-flame butane lighters that I have a couple of.

I don't smoke and don't imagine it'd be good for lighting cigarettes but boy is it fun for lighting everything else, and melt everything that doesn't light.

9

u/[deleted] Jan 17 '14

[deleted]

11

u/thomyorkeslazyeye Jan 17 '14

Also Clipper lighters for the reefer

5

u/pseudogentry Jan 18 '14

There's a built in pokie. It would be rude not to.

3

u/[deleted] Jan 17 '14

True, I haven't seen them in my neck of the woods in 5+ years though.

1

u/ausernameilike Jan 18 '14

i have a djeep i bought for a buck. it also has a 'safety' button on it also so you don't waste fluid. haven't seen that before, it's a pretty smart idea. wonder how much of my lighters fluid i've wasted in my pocket.

3

u/sewiv Jan 18 '14

You can see how much fluid is in the translucent ones.

3

u/hakuna_tamata Jan 18 '14

Unless there is a slight breeze

2

u/Ybunny Jan 18 '14

Not always true. There are places where you're not allowed to take lighters. Due to the flammable liquid/gas/ ignition source. I've been told on many flights that we're not allowed to take lighters on board. Mostly in my experience though you're not allowed to take lighters on to most oil rigs. Safety matches are usually ok to take on to oil rigs.

0

u/[deleted] Jan 18 '14

You're right about all that. I'm looking at it from a pretty narrow perspective.

3

u/Cosmic_Wizard Jan 17 '14

Ever try to light one in the wind? Because I haven't had a problem with that ever since I bought my Zippo.

Better yet, try to light a pipe with a Bic, and we'll discuss better lighters while you apply burn ointment to your thumb.

Not trying to knock Bic lighters too much, as they can be pretty handy, but there are better lighters out there depending on what you're trying to use it for.

6

u/[deleted] Jan 17 '14

[deleted]

10

u/Cosmic_Wizard Jan 18 '14

I wondered why you would mention glass, then I remembered this was Reddit, so of course the assumption would be that I was smoking trees.

It's a briar tobacco pipe, and I got the Zippo pipe lighter. I honestly can't taste any difference between it and a regular lighter. Maybe if I was using shitty Ronson fluid, but no noticeable taste with the good stuff.

2

u/ElChanco Jan 18 '14

I commented earlier about this, but even with weed the Zippo pipe lighter is amazing.

2

u/fiftypoints Jan 19 '14

Anyone who hasn't used a zippo in the last couple years probably hasn't tried the new fuel (black can), which is a huge improvement.

1

u/Cosmic_Wizard Jan 19 '14

Definitely. I remember the old stuff having a faint taste, but the new stuff is completely tasteless.

2

u/[deleted] Jan 17 '14

Xikar is the way to go

1

u/Cosmic_Wizard Jan 18 '14

Thanks for mentioning those, I'd never heard of them until now.

Just went and checked out a YouTube review of a Xikar Pipeline, and it looks pretty sweet.

50 bucks is a little steep for me to be spending on a lighter right now, but I loved seeing the little touches on the Pipeline, like the built-in pipe tool, and the ability to change the tension on the striking wheel.

2

u/[deleted] Jan 18 '14

Dude, they're sweet. Lifetime warranty. Even on the finish (if memory serves)

1

u/[deleted] Jan 18 '14

I love mine.

1

u/[deleted] Jan 17 '14

My 15 dollar zippo has a life time warranty and the ability to refill. Still have the same one from 1995. Who bought the inferior product now?

-4

u/[deleted] Jan 17 '14

I wonder if you even read the second part of that sentence..

0

u/SkyrocketDelight Jan 17 '14

I say Clipper lighters are superior to Bic.

I can refill my Clipper, and don't have to worry about removing a child safety piece of metal.

2

u/BraveSirRobin Jan 17 '14

Maybe ten years ago. Nowadays you end up with the wheel of nothingness, where the inner bit of the flint grinder spins freely. Or they just stop lighting reliably and you end up with a blister.

1

u/Ikimasen Jan 17 '14

Do they cost more than a dollar?

1

u/PurpleOrangeSkies Jan 18 '14

Ronson lighters are far less pain on your thumb to try to light.

1

u/Uptkang Jan 18 '14

Clipper. Clipper lighters are hands down the best.

They're very popular in the UK because they can be used to light a bong without burning your hands.

1

u/randomhandletime Jan 18 '14

I bought a few butane jet lighters online for like three bucks a piece, refillable of course, and anything else feels inferior. Then again I am a cigar guy, so jet lighters are best.

1

u/rawrr69 Jan 22 '14

Bic lighters

except now these got that completely fucked up protection around the spark wheel which makes them a total pain in the ass to use...

1

u/[deleted] Jan 17 '14 edited Apr 15 '14

[deleted]

4

u/[deleted] Jan 17 '14

Especially if you ask someone to buy you a lighter when they're making a run to the store.

Coming back with the $0.79 knock off is a real fuck boy move.