Five Petrol Lighters Every Beginning Cigarette Lighter Collector Should Check Out

A new cigarette lighter collector and viewer on our YouTube channel, Travis Watson, asked in the comments of a recent video if I would do another “about brands or types of lighters that would be a good starting point for a beginning collector?” This article is my initial endeavor to answer the question and provide background information for the video to follow.

Prerequisites

Let’s start with our assumptions about the prospective pool of lighters from which we have to choose.

  1. Petrol. Does it have a wick? We’re not going to waste our time with butane lighters. There are plenty of folks out there that repair some of them but we are discussing petrol lighters every beginning cigarette lighter collector should look for and I don’t repair butane lighters anyway. So, if it has valves instead of wick and wadding, avoid it.
  2. Vintage. Petrol Lighters in general tend to be vintage since the advent of stable butane fueled lighters supplanted petrol fueled models for virtually every brand except Zippo. We won’t talk about newly produced Zippos in this article but there are obviously some very sought after and collectible models will being produced by the company.
  3. Flint. There are some really nifty piezoelectric lighters that have been produced over the last several decades and it’s not the worst idea ever thought of as piezo ignitions are really pretty dependable and while I have heard of them being repaired, it isn’t as simple as dropping in a new flint. If I’m going to invest my time in overhauling an old lighter, it will be flint sparked.

Park Industries/Storm King

An honest effort at collecting Park Industries lighters could be every bit as impressive as any Zippo collection you might run into. While one can find examples of Park lighters to rival similar Zippos in many categories including embellishments and precious metals, the price you’ll likely

Park Industries Ad Lighter

pay will stand in stark contrast. While Park Industries began manufacturing cigarette lighters nearly thirty yrs before the Zippo Manufacturing Co., the company not having made a petrol lighter in forty some yrs now has definitely hurt their following.

The Storm King brand was also manufactured by Park Industries which will allow the collector to broaden their Park collection to an even greater extent. I have a collection of Park that includes several etched and enamel painted examples as well as some aluminum anodized image Parks fitting other themes I collect. I have come by all of my Park lighters at very reasonable prices, a fete that would not have been near as likely with a comparable group of Zippos.

There may be some design flaws that would affect the function of Park lighters over time, including the brute force flat spring provided for the tension on the hinge. It’s not the most viable design I’ve ever seen as one can find plenty of old Parks with over-bitten hinges.

Aluminum Block Lighters

There are quite an array of aluminum block petrol lighters available on the market and many can be purchased for little to nothing. Some folks

Rare NIKA Aluminum Block Petrol Lighter

like to collect themes, some brands and even others go for a particular style or mechanism. A collector can do all of that without ever leaving the realm of aluminum block lighters as brands seem countless and non-branded are even more plentiful.

Many are of the roller lighter variety but little, disk type file wheels are common as well. It is always interesting to find little nuances and variations on established designs and the “garage workshop” nature of many unmarked examples make these lighters great exploration pieces built by countless unknown designers.

Well-marked aluminum block lighters are not the norm which makes it all the more thrilling to discover one that is, like the SHARPO made by Josephson & Sharp of Glendale, California. The AERO-LITE out of Wichita, Kansas is another aluminum lighter that deserves collections to be built around it.

Japanese Made Copies Of Recognized Designs

Everyone knows my love for Japanese roller lighters, especially the Penguin Cygnus. But I don’t really need more competition in bidding on and acquiring them so we’ll focus on the multitude of Japanese manufactured lighters that are similar or flat copies of other, more expensive brands’ designs.

Japan Made Cupid Roller Petrol Lighter

Nash was a Japanese brand that made Ronson Standard type clones with enamel and engine turning similar to some basic Ronson embellishments. Most of the lighters discussed in this article are on the simpler side of repair and maintenance. Semi-automatic Ronson type mechanisms like the Nash may seem a little more difficult at first but once a beginner understands the basics of the mechanism, there’s really not much to repairing them. This is about the only real impediment to repair for beginners among the different lighters we cover in this article.

Penguin, Vulcan, Konwal and Idealine are just a few of the brands that pumped out solid(even if the quality is not quite up to American made standards) flip-top petrol lighters featuring advertising or any number of interests or other themes. The paint is the thing to watch for when it comes to these inexpensive gems. If the paint is still intact, they will display beautifully and be a valued part of your collection but I would be careful not to try to carry old, painted Japanese lighters in a pocket as the paint is often thinner than you would expect from a more sturdily built, quality lighter.

Zippo Slim

I can understand a man not wanting to identify himself with a product that is intended for a woman. I carry a tactical utility bag with me everywhere I go and I would be lost without it but I have to say, it is absolutely not a purse!

1976 Cannabis Leaf Zippo Slim

Slim Zippo lighters may have initially been designed for women but I see their appeal going far beyond that today and even more so moving into the future. Slims are very handy to carry and may even be a better fit in the hand for some than a full-size Zippo.

Awesome artwork is often under-valued on Slims and there are even some embellishments that were only available on a Slim. I look at Ebay listings for Zippo Slims pretty often and see them sell regularly at prices that collectors should be paying attention to. The majority of my buying is based on my ability to sell the lighter at a certain margin. I am not primarily a collector but I’ve bought and sold plenty of Slims over the yrs and kicked myself for plenty of others I didn’t buy, including a few that would have fit nicely into my collection.

CHAMP Austria

Everyone in the vintage cigarette lighter collecting hobby has heard of Arthur Dubsky. He may be the most well-known lighter inventor in history, certainly one of them alongside Louis Aronson and a handful of others. Champ Austria was mainly known for flip-top petrol lighters which display and work very nicely along with their Zippo and Park brethren.

CHAMP Austria Flip-Top Petrol Lighter

Dubsky also had other designs, including the CHAMP-O-MATIC sold by the same brand and many otherwise branded designs but my point here is that CHAMP Austria lighters are very collectible, both as a cheaper alternative to Zippo and for their relative affordability in regard to the renown of the inventor.

CHAMP made synthetic wrapped models that catch the eye every bit as readily as a leather wrapped Zippo. Advertising models seem rare(though I do recall owning a Heineken beer advertiser adorned on its wrap) but sports series enamel painted examples appear maybe a little more often than similar Park lighters.

Let’s Hear From You

Please leave any feedback, comments or questions you have in the section below this or any other article at DependableFlame.com.
Please subscribe to our YouTube channel and tell all your friends about the good times we’re having working on old cigarette lighters.
Check out our Current Ebay Listings page as there are plenty of lighters I would like to sell.
I am also currently adjusting and reevaluating my order of priorities, so expect a few changes and please let me hear your two cents and advice.
Thanks to Mr. Watson for the idea for this article. I’m always looking for better ideas for articles.

 

Until next time…

Author: Joseph

Be cautious when anyone tells you what you need or have to do...

16 thoughts on “Five Petrol Lighters Every Beginning Cigarette Lighter Collector Should Check Out”

  1. Jospeh,

    Over the past year or so I have found a passion for restoring old lighters. A good record playin, some bourbon, and a few lighters to repair is quite a restorative evenin. I have a question for you. It might be difficult to answer but I hope you can. If you could only own three lighters what would they be and why? Hope to hear from you! Thank you for creating such a wonderful website that brings me much joy and Im sure others as well.

    Justin Smith

    1. Thank you for the kind words Justin! That sounds like a great idea for an article and video. I will get to work on that this week. Keep your eyes open for it and I am glad you are along for the ride!✌️

      1. Just wanted to check in and see if you were still gonna make an article / video on your TOP 3 lighters. Im really lookin forward to it!

  2. Cool video, though I must admit, Zippo-style lighters are not my thing, because of the evaporation issue that seems to be inherent to the design. I’m much more interested in the “trench lighter” styles that led up to today’s Bic and Clipper style butane lighters.

  3. Restoring vintage lighters has become one of my favorite hobbies. An evening that consists of listening to some nice records, drinking some bourbon, and fixing a few lighters might be considered extremely therapeutic. Also, the video that you have provided is of critical significance. It provided me with a wealth of useful knowledge, which I gleaned from it. Keep publishing like this. I most certainly will share this.

    1. Thank you Pasindu, I am thrilled to hear of your conversion to vintage lighter restorer. I have heard similar sentiments to your ideal evening of sharing the work with some music and drink. I have even experienced these sort of evenings myself, only abstaining from the alcohol which has proven so detrimental to me in my personal life. Restoring old lighters though is a noble pursuit which brings much satisfaction and joy, especially when success is achieved but peaceful nonetheless simply in the work at hand.

  4. Your article caught my interest because my late aunt was a Zippo lighter collector for years. She had an entire room in her house devoted to her collection. I imagine that her daughters really inherited something quite special when she passed. I liked your description of the different types of lighters that would interest collectors and I found it very educational. When I see different lighters in gift shops, I often wonder if it is something that will retain value or just more of a memory to collect. After reading your article, I see that I have much to learn about the hobby!

    1. Thank you Scott, I really appreciate you reading the article and taking the time to leave your thoughts! There are certainly many more brands and types of lighters than one person could easily and thoroughly exhaust over the course of a lifetime. I plan to work on as many of them as I am able to for a long as the Lord allows me to continue this work. Thank you again for stopping by!✌️

  5. As someone who is interested in vintage items and collecting, I found your article on five petrol lighters to check out to be very informative and insightful. Your review of each lighter was detailed and provided valuable insights into the design and history of each piece.

    One aspect of your article that I appreciated was your emphasis on the importance of understanding the history and background of each lighter. I think that this is an important consideration for anyone interested in collecting vintage items, as understanding the history and context of an item can help to better appreciate its value and significance.

    1. Thank you for stopping by Ronnie, I appreciate you reading the article and taking the time to share your insights with us. The background information on these wonderful little machines can be very difficult to come by depending on the time period and place the lighter was originally manufactured.

      Japanese made lighters like the Penguin Cygnus Roller petrol lighter are typically found with precious little accompanying information from various ephemera; warranty papers, instruction booklets, promotional info, etc.

  6. Hey!

    That was cool!  I used to have a really unusual lighter.  It was brass..or bronze (I don’t know the difference).  I can’t remember if it had a wick.  But it was a cylindrical design.  It was like a cylinder inside a cylinder and in order to light it, you had to slide the outer cylinder down, which would cock the wheel shaped flint striker thingy into place.  It had a sort of steam punk look to it.

    This was well over 30 years ago and it was quite old then, I think.

    I was really bummed when some stupid person stepped on it and broke it.  🙁

    Have you ever seen one of those?  I never had.  And I’ve never seen one since.  

    Anna

    1. Hello Anna and thank you for stopping by, especially for the comment and reading the article!

      I don’t know the exact lighter you are talking about but the way you describe the cocking nature of the mechanism makes it sound like some sort of semi-automatic movement. It doesn’t sound like the Thorens that you are describing but maybe working off the same principles. I have encountered many such lighters over the yrs including the GLORY AUTOMAT. I have written an article on the Thorens here, if you would like to check it out!✌️

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