Which Zippo insert?

Depends on what you want to use it for. I have a Z-plus butane in mine cause i smoke cigars.

 

I have both and prefer the butane inserts.

I just didn’t really like the ARC personally. The ARC must be touched to whatever you are trying to light and held there. It does make it better for wind. Also, the ARC cannot be taken on a plane, whereas a butane can (at least in US, last I read).

The butane inserts are made by a few different brands and come with different flame styles depending on preference. For overall use I enjoy the soft flame because it is most like the Zippo flame. The single torch is nice and better for some uses, so probably the one I would choose for most versatility.

My current favorite which I found on Amazon is a butane that actually has both the soft flame and single torch. I’ve only had it less than two months so do not know about long term durability.

 

Not a smoker here, but have my Father -in-Law's old Zippo. Does the butane every leak over time?

 

Not that I’ve witnessed and I have been using them for over 3 yrs.

I did have an issue with a Thundbird insert where when refilling the insert got really cold then I didn’t wait long enough before lighting causing the case to lose seal. I think the insert developed a small crack along the seam. I’ve had two other Vector Thunderbird inserts for a few years without any problems.

 

I have the arc and not impressed with it over all.

Frankly out of them I keep going back to the regular old insert. I've quit buying the fluid in the small bottles that is overpriced and buy it by bulk. Naphtha is all zippo fluid is and you can pick it up much cheaper in the paint dept of most any hardware store. It's $9 a quart at lowes vs $4 for 4 ounces of zippo brand.

Just got back from wal-mart and a quart of naphtha is $6 there. Still cheaper than buying zippo or ronsonol fuel.

 

Picked up a double-torch Zippo branded butane insert today as I'm in your boat, the lighter is for making fires and other utility uses. In my case I was able to acquire a pile of butane refill cans for cheap and have been sitting on them for years.. burning a little extra fuel for the double flame unit doesn't bother me. My backup plan in case I run out of fuel in the dual torch is to flick my other bic and make fire anyway :-p (I do live in town though, not wilderness exploring on the regular).

 

I too have carried a Zippo for years and do not smoke. Mine kept running dry in my warm environment (southwest desert). So I went the butane insert a number of years ago.
The Zippo inserts are the best ones I have found, personally.
The benefits of the regular insert is that you can light it and it keeps burning a good flame with no worries about holding the button. But it leaks and dries out .
The butane insert is almost as good, you just need to hold the button. Also has working issues at high altitudes and extreme cold.
Both allow you to light a candle that is in a jar, where you need to "throw" the flame a little.
The last statement is where the ARC insert fails with out using another piece of paper. Also the "refill" (charging time) is way to long, just like electric cars.
So to me, the arc inserts are a gimmick.
Stay with the regular or butane inserts, my two centavos.

 

My observation (as a cigar smoker) is that none of the "Zippo" type butane lighters really cut it. I have one and it's usable in short bursts for smaller cigars, but toasting and lighting anything in the 50+ ring size usually gets the activation button (which is placed right by the flame area) uncomfortably hot, because the design itself is not for cigars. I much prefer the cheap triple jet models that have a side button, thus keeping the thumb out of harm's way.

 

I run a regular Zippo insert in a Thyrm Pyro vault Case I usually refill it once every 4-5 weeks ( non smoker)

 

So plot twist: my Zippo branded dual torch insert (purchased via amazon) had a faulty gas valve and wouldn't reliably stay lit at any flame setting, had to send it back. Guess my painfully chinese "green flame" lighter will have to keep doing pocket duty for now. Speaking of which, I really do like that variety with the metal element in the flame path, drastically improves wind resistance. I did get the zippo insert to light with a good strong flame a few times and it had next to no wind resistance by comparison which surprised me. The hunt for a good insert continues for me.

 

Bought a butane insert for old Zippo from the 70s. Am not a smoker but EDC a mini-Bic every day. Filled the Butane Zippo insert about a year ago. Check it most days. Hasn't leaked. Lights every time. So am happy with its standby performance. Used to smoke 50 yrs ago and had a Zippo that drove me nuts keeping it ready for action. Though admittedly being in the Navy on Westpac cruise its not like you can get more fuel on every street corner. But I dropped that habit and today carry a lighter for same reason I carry a knife. Just in case.

 

I bought a Zippo brand single flame butane insert. Zippo has these manufactured in China. As reported by several reviewers on Amazon, my insert did not work reliably when it arrived.

The fix is easy. There is a flame adjustment on the bottom of the insert and a copper colored washer gizmo which limits the adjustment. I had to defeat that limiter so I could increase the gas flow even higher. It was just a matter of bending a tab on the copper colored limiter up and out of the way. My insert has worked reliably ever since.

As an experiment, I left 2 Zippo lighters outside to cool off when the temperature was in the upper 30s F. Then I brought them inside and tried to light them. The Zippo with the original insert lit reliably. The Zippo with the butane insert would not light until the lighter warmed up closer to indoor room temperature.

 

I can't believe I am about to say this, but I miss my Zippo lighters in my pocket.

I quit smoking several months ago, and now I have no use to carry a lighter (like a Zippo anyway) on me all the time. I usually keep a couple el-cheapo Bic type lighters in my survival kits, but I miss fiddling with my Zippo lighters (i.e. filling them, replacing the flints and servicing them) from when I was a smoker. From time to time I'm tempted to carry one "just because", but that seems kind of pointless.

I can't say I wish I still smoked because I'm glad I quit, but I wish more people around me smoked because then I could use my Zippo more.

What a weird thing to say, huh?

BTW...I'm not one of those ultra-militant non-smokers who goes nuts over people smoking around me. I don't mind it at all, but anymore there are so few people who smoke it's hard to justify carrying a lighter whose fuel evaporates like a Zippo does.

Kind of sad though. I have some really nice Zippo's, some of which have some real sentimental value to me.

 

THIS! Is why I love this forum. I had no clue there was even such a thing. I have a few zippos I have collected over the years and my grandfather's. Non-smoker and I got frustrated with how the fuel evaporates, so they stay on the shelf. Looking at the double torch now. Thx for the OP post and insight shared.

 

Just picked up a butane 2 torch insert for an old zippo I've had for years. like many, the zippo kept running dry on me when I needed it. Had switched to bics. Heard somewhere that you can use other butane sources. Anyone recommend some alternatives so I can stock up?