New Zippo Insert

[Danceswithhelicopters]

I spotted this on Amazon. A use for the unused post-smoking or inherited Zippos.

Your favourite Zippo lighter - with a twist. The Bit Safe Lighter Insert packs a functional screwdriver into your Zippo lighter case, adding compact utility to your everyday carry. Remove the 4-in-1 insert from your classic Zippo windproof lighter case and quickly and easily swap between the onboard Phillips, flathead and Torx screwdriver bits for jobs on the go.



The Bit Safe Lighter Insert

 

[Chris]

That's a cool idea, smart use of space.

Though I installed a butane insert into my Zippo and still use it as a general purpose lighter.

 

[alphaburner]

That's a cool idea, smart use of space.

Though I installed a butane insert into my Zippo and still use it as a general purpose lighter.

+1 I did the same.

 

[TeeDee]

Where do you get the butane inserts from?

I like zippos and the look, feel, lore, aesthetic but frankly have had a horrible time of being consistent.

Unless that consistent is being drier than a deep desert manic street preachers tongue.

 

[John Fenna]

Interesting......

 

[alphaburner]

Bought mine from here:

Search: 23 results found for "Butane"

Shop quality, authentic Zippo windproof pocket lighters in classic, pipe, or Slim®; add a new butane or rechargeable lighter insert too! Shop for a butane or rechargeable Candle Lighter, refillable or rechargeable Hand Warmer, sunglasses, jewelry, and leather goods.

www.zippo.ie

Came from Netherlands IIRC. If there’s an Irish site there will definitely be a Zippo UK. Knivesandtools also carry them. Also one of the inserts, the single torch, is made in the US while the other two are Chinese manufactured.

 

[Chris]

Where do you get the butane inserts from?

I like zippos and the look, feel, lore, aesthetic but frankly have had a horrible time of being consistent.

Unless that consistent is being drier than a deep desert manic street preachers tongue.

I got this one: https://amzn.eu/d/hgBsQ9d

Fits all standard Zippo cases.

It says it doesn’t fit the Armour cases but I have an Armour one and it’s just a tiny fraction too large (see attached), but doesn’t bother me at all. You can also file down the bottom of the insert slightly to make it sit completely flush if it does bother you.

 

[Mesquite]

Where do you get the butane inserts from?

I like zippos and the look, feel, lore, aesthetic but frankly have had a horrible time of being consistent.

Unless that consistent is being drier than a deep desert manic street preachers tongue.

Maybe here

 

[Danceswithhelicopters]

I got a butane insert which I put in my old Zippo which then freed up its' lighter fuel insert to go into a Thyrm case. Now the lighter fuel doesn't evaporate for months.

 

[Potatohead]

Original Zippo Butane inserts are available on Amazon.
I had one but found it a bit unreliable until i removed the restrictor from the flame adjuster. It wasnt happy with lower gas pressure. Half-ish full it wasnt lighting every time.

 

[sidpost]

The Butane inserts for Zippo lighters generally work pretty well. Some are a bit low quality and can be problematic to use, so be sure to read reviews and buy a name-brand insert from a reputable source.

 

[Pattree]

Please forgive a question from one who knows nothing about lighters.

Is butane preferable to petrol (lighter fuel)?

I love the Zippo design and wish I needed to carry one.

Edited to add:
Would a zippo need modification to run on meths? This presumes that it’s not going to be used for smoking and won’t be inhaled.

 

[Laurentius]

I once bought a Zippo Butane insert but had to return it, no way would it produce a flame, even when I followed the various remedies suggested on the internet, simply not fit for purpose. I currently have a Zorro insert which lasts a lot longer than the original Zippo before the fuel evaporates.

 

[Chris]

Please forgive a question from one who knows nothing about lighters.

Is butane preferable to petrol (lighter fuel)?

I love the Zippo design and wish I needed to carry one.

Edited to add:
Would a zippo need modification to run on meths? This presumes that it’s not going to be used for smoking and won’t be inhaled.

Butane provides a ‘jet’ flame rather than the candle-style flame from a fuel soaked wick. This is more practical for igniting things, especially when it’s windy or at an angle.

 

[Decacraft]

Bought a butane insert for my zippo a few years ago, its the single flame version. Initially I had trouble with it not working consistently until I read something about the need to 'purge' them before refilling.

Once it's low on fuel I use a small flat blade screwdriver to press on the fill valve to release all the air and refill. It's given me no issues since doing this before filling it up again

 

[Tantalus]

Is butane preferable to petrol (lighter fuel)?

Definitely, the petrol ones dry out and need refilled with petrol at least once a week. The butane ones will stay unused and on stand by for years.

As a smoker there was so much ritual restocking cigs or papers or baccy, emptying ashtrays etc that topping off the zippo was just part of the whole process.

Plus a cig lit with a zippo had its own special flavour that you never forgot.

Edited to add:
Would a zippo need modification to run on meths? This presumes that it’s not going to be used for smoking and won’t be inhaled.

Probably not flammable enough sorry. You might get lucky once or twice but if the old boys had thought it possible and reliable, they would have invented it back then.

 

[rowen]

This is a great idea, I was given by a friend a boxed never used one from I think the seventies, her grandparents on both sides ran steel mills, her father got a helicopter for his 18th I think!
She is sadly no longer here and the lighter I’m afraid is now very used but holds sentimental value, as said it dries out very quickly.

 

[Minotaur]

Zippo Arc Lighter insert - I kind of fancy one of these however it would have to usb-c.
I have the special pad and everything in mine and it still dries out.

 

[sidpost]

Zippo Arc Lighter insert - I kind of fancy one of these however it would have to usb-c.
I have the special pad and everything in mine and it still dries out.

The battery in that one is terrible. Only 300 recharges suggest it is a very low-quality Lithium Ion battery. And 200mah is not much power either.

Edited to add they say the charge port is only rated for 0.2A which aligns with a 1C charge rate into a 200mah battery. This means if you plug it into your cellphone charger, you will burn the battery and likely kill it long before you get to its 300 recharge lifecycle limit.

 

[Nice65]

The battery in that one is terrible. Only 300 recharges suggest it is a very low-quality Lithium Ion battery. And 200mah is not much power either.

Edited to add they say the charge port is only rated for 0.2A which aligns with a 1C charge rate into a 200mah battery. This means if you plug it into your cellphone charger, you will burn the battery and likely kill it long before you get to its 300 recharge lifecycle limit.

I can’t be doing with these things, electric handwarmers too, just dodgy. The butane inserts work very well and don’t dry out.

0.2A means nothing to most people with USBC cables all over the place, If I plugged that into the 20W iPad charger it’d likely get a bit warm.

Even my earbuds go on a trickle charge.