Author: Joseph

Including a mention of the Greetings From Zippo 540 Color lighter in last week’s review article inspired a little further search into the 540 Color Process Zippo lighters available on Amazon for sale. In this article we will

highlight the Greetings From Zippo along with a handful of other 540 Color and Fusion lighters that collectors will not want to miss out on.

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540 Color Greetings From Zippo

From the rendering of the Zippo headquarters building to the postcard style lettering full of reminiscent images, this lighter screams, “Bradford, PA!” It is a grand design highlighted in bold colors that really help achieve this vintage aesthetic.

Postcards were at a point in time a valuable tool to send messages or just say hello and pass on a bit of the joy of what we experienced on vacation or Continue reading “Zippo Lighter Reviews: 540 Color Process Zippo Lighters Available On Amazon”

Late last evening I received an email from Zippo Manufacturing Company which prompted a little internet style window shopping. The initial link had led me to the Zippo website browsing their collection of Web Debut Lighters. There were several cool designs present such as the Howdy Cowboy design which got me wondering if the Web Debut lighters were really exclusive to the Zippo site. A quick check of Amazon proved the Howdy Cowboy design was indeed nowhere to be found but I shortly stumbled on so many options of different Replica Zippo lighters I was astounded. I own two regular brushed chrome 1941 Replica Zippos and have been looking to add the Black Crackle version but may have to make room for some others after this late night shopping excursion.

(As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.)

Black Crackle

I start with the Black Crackle because it is the one I have desired the longest. Even before I owned a single Brushed Chrome example I was shopping for the crackle. The 1941 Replica features many characteristics that are not present on a current regular Zippo Windproof Lighter but a throwback to the nostalgic 1941 design.

The four barrel hinge is aesthetically pleasing and highlights the flat spines Continue reading “Zippo Lighter Review: How Many Different Replica Zippo Lighters Are Available For Purchase On Amazon?”

Today we will cover some common pitfalls to avoid when buying and paying for the vintage cigarette lighters you accumulate for your collection. Some of these are relevant to Ebay and other online sources for vintage lighters such as Deal Or No Deal and other selling groups on Facebook. Other risks may be present regardless of the platform facilitating your purchase. All of these hazards can be avoided with a little foresight when making a purchase.

What Could Go Wrong?

We’ve all seen red flags when browsing Ebay listings for old petrol lighters that give us pause or perhaps even turn us off from buying a lighter all together. Every seller is different, therefore we should not necessarily expect every seller to operate in the exact same manner. We should expect each seller to deal honestly though and uphold some sort of standard for the service a buyer can expect when making a purchase from them.

Some buyers feel that lack of experience is one of those red flags that should be noted and possibly even warrant disqualification for consideration of a purchase to be made from a specific Continue reading “Best Practices To Protect Yourself When Collecting, Buying And Paying For Vintage Cigarette Lighters”

A recent question in the comments section below an article here at DependableFlame.com got me thinking about the major elements that make one lighter more valuable than others. Some of these answers may surprise you while others may seem like common sense. All of them a major factors however, in determining what makes one vintage cigarette lighter more valuable than another.

Scarcity

Rare, scarce, unusual and limited are all terms that are seen often in Ebay listings and other places you can find vintage petrol lighters listed for sale. This sort of nomenclature is sometimes warranted

but seldom justified in the manner it is employed. A seller throws Continue reading “What Makes One Vintage Cigarette Lighter More Valuable Than Another?”

During last week’s YouTube live stream Vintage Coffee And Lighters Live! our friend Shaun asked me to make a video covering my entire collection of vintage petrol lighters, ashtrays, tobacciana and other useful mechanisms. Upon endeavoring to make that video I was inspired to write this article giving a bit of insight into what makes up my collection and why they belong there. I hope you enjoy this overview!

The Road Most Traveled

I have written and discussed at length in many videos how I got my start in the vintage cigarette lighter hobby but for the narrative’s sake, I’ll repeat some of it again here. I was initially drawn to the

hobby because I needed to make money and saw an opportunity. Buying large groups of lighters, repairing or getting them in working order and then selling them not only proved to be profitable but also engrossed me in all things related to petrol Continue reading “Taking Inventory Of My Personal Collection Of Vintage Petrol Lighters”

This morning I ponder what characteristics would make up the ideal cigarette lighter and consider whether that specific set of desirable components actually exists in a mass-produced lighter.

Petrol

Viewers of our YouTube channel as well as anyone who’s read much of what I’ve written here on the website will know of my affinity for petrol fueled lighters over their more recent and tedious butane fueled rivals. There’s a saying we use sometimes in the English language that goes, “it’s not rocket science.” Such a simple statement that belies my problem with butane lighters.

Petrol lighters are really quite simple. We’ve talked about it many times elsewhere but it’s worth reiterating here. Petrol fueled Continue reading “What Is The Ideal Cigarette Lighter And Does It Exist?”

What started as an uneventful week picked up steam quickly as I acquired a couple new lighters; one I’d never owned previously and the other via a selling platform I had never participated in before. Taking stock in my accumulated ashtrays also has me wondering if I’m a legitimate collector now.

Deal Or No Deal Is A Blast!

While I’ve been a spectator in a couple Deal Or No Deal(DOND) Facebook selling groups for quite some time and even written an article recently covering what I perceive to be the proper etiquette folks should abide by in such groups, until this past week I had never sold or even made a purchase in a DOND group. I had seen plenty of action and witnessed many deals made where the buyer Continue reading “Vintage Lighter Diaries Vol. 10: My First DOND, Collecting Ashtrays And A Lighter I Always Wanted To Handle”

Sometimes it seems you have done everything necessary to get your vintage petrol lighter back up and running but for some mysterious reason the thing just won’t manage to light! Take heart, your frustration may be only a few fans of the hand or a mouthful of breath or two from being over!

What Is Needed

In order to successfully produce fire, any petrol lighter is going to need three elements to be present: the lighter has to be fueled for the wick to sustain a flame, a spark must be present to ignite it and oxygen must be available to feed it. Take any of these elements out of the equation and a flame will not be made.

Sometimes though, even with all three prerequisites present, achieving Continue reading “What Is Vapor Lock In A Vintage Petrol Lighter And How Do I Fix It?”

I often get questions via email or the comments section of both YouTube videos and DependableFlame.com articles asking how to repair a particular petrol lighter that in many cases I have never owned or actually handled and occasionally have never even seen. There are precious few variables at play in our endeavors to elicit flame from these fabulous little machines and a firm grasp of the conditions required to produce fire in the first place will give vintage lighter mechanics a leg up on troubleshooting and repairing any petrol lighter you set your mind to.

The Variables Required

There is a chemical reaction that takes place when all the elements necessary for fire meet in sufficient(or just the right) amounts to ignite, feed and stoke said flame. The absence of any one of these elements is enough for your efforts to prove futile.

Let me start by saying I am not an engineer or scientist of any kind. I may confuse terms here and there or describe things otherwise Continue reading “Universal Principles To Help You Repair Any Vintage Petrol Lighter”

Today’s installment in our series of Vintage Lighter Reviews will focus on the most unique lighter I have ever owned, the Swiss made NIKA petrol lighter. There are multiple design elements including the flint tension set-up and seemingly misplaced file roller that may cause confusion but certainly make it stand out from the crowded field of petrol lighters in general and aluminum block lighters more specifically.

You’ve Seen One, You’ve Seen Them All?

(Aesthetic Appeal)

Perhaps a little more “blocky” than most, the NIKA is somewhat thick from front to back providing a wide profile compared with most roller lighters. But the NIKA is not your run-of-the-mill roller lighter. It is a very interesting design with a hinged snuffer that provides stability of function and design which are typical lacking in the pantheon of vintage aluminum block petrol lighters.

The placement of the file roller will catch the eye of some lighter enthusiasts and may even lead you to believe the mechanism was meant to be manipulated in a certain manner by a left-handed operator. The direction the file wheel is rolled however, will quickly convince one otherwise of an other-handed disposition of operation. The appearance of the Continue reading “Vintage Lighter Reviews: NIKA Swiss Made Aluminum Block Petrol Lighter, A Design That Stands Alone”