First off, I recently got my first Zippo lighter and I quite like it. I'm sick and tired of everything being disposable junk these days and the Zippo reminds me just how much of an art form the engineering of a mass produced product can be.

However, I am a non-smoker, so my actual use cases for this lighter are pretty atypical. I do live somewhere power outages are common, so I have a legitimate use outside of coolness as a candle igniter, firepit igniter, and worst comes to worst an emergency light source. Essentially I've taken to keeping a lighter more out of a general preparedness

That being said, I was wondering how long a full lighter will last in terms of minutes of flame.

I've heard people refilling it weekly, but I'm not sure if that's just topping it off or if that's genuinely when it starts to run dry. Plus, those people are likely avid smokers who use it multiple times a day for short sub-minute intervals.

So this is my grandpa’s zippo. Its a 1984 with the emblem of saudi arabia. He passed away 5 years before i was born. This is a nice family heirloom to pass down. (The gold one in the bg was also his)

I am cleaning some vintage zippos and I don’t know what I should do about the asbestos wick.
I thought about removing it and sealing it in a plastic bag to store and replacing it with a modern era wick.
Does this make sense?
Any solid advice would be great.
Thanks in advance

Have you guys ever seen a zippo with half of the date stamp missing? It is definitely a first for me.

When I traveled to Tokyo, I saw so many unique Zippos that I'd never seen before, and I scored this one in a thrift store for a very low price.
It's from a Japanese yakuza movie called "The Blood of Wolves". The central brass wolf detail is stunning. Date code is L 17 (December 2017). Does anyone know more about this specific model or the film connection? Is it a good find for the price? It's quickly become one of my favorites.

Original post: https://www.reddit.com/r/Zippo/s/mmwcWE4xou

Phase one results : https://www.reddit.com/r/Zippo/s/BfNFNbqI1Z
This was the second phase of my insert evaporation testing. In this phase I added as much fluid as each insert could hold. Some of the plugs or additional felt takes up space that could hold fluid so this seemed a better representation of the benefit of each insert setup.

The clear winner is insert 10/J in the Zorro 912 case with a rubber gasket between the lid and body. It is still going at 38 days and the flame still looks strong. The insert is even loose inside the case so has the opposite of a bottom gasket. I bet if a plastic bag was added it will do even better.

The second two best performers were the Zorro improved inserts. These have the snuffer built in that seals the wick when the lid is closed. The evidence that the three top performers were the only three that sealed the wick or case tells me that the bottom gasket does not play a significant role in evaporation prevention. Sealing the entire case is the most effective way I have found. For Zippo this means using the “Ranger Band.” Which is usually a cut piece of bike tire inner tube stretched over the seam between the lid and body of the case. It is unfortunate that this makes a Zippo so awkward to use.

For me, I will continue to use the Plastic Bag Method. It keeps the fluid from leaking out of the freshly filled insert, which burns the skin of my leg. I enjoy the routine of filling the Zippo I am carrying that week every Sunday. Plus it sets up a schedule of rotating Zippos.

I really hope everyone enjoyed the results. If you have any questions let me know.
(Edited to correct the original post and phase one links)

Sterling silver 1935 Replica in high polish, love how the slashes catch the light on those flat panels.

Bought second hand for £100 less than on the zippo website and am nervous about its authenticity, it came with the box which I dont have with me currently. I have a good collection of them so far and it looks to be all good from my perspective but I figured this would be the best place for advice.

Just bought this yesterday. Looks more gorgeous in real life. Will keep this with beside my HW Ferrari collection.