It looks like you're new here. If you want to get involved, click one of these buttons!
To me, matches are the best way to light a pipe. But I often run out of "wood" and then I fall back on my Zippos.
I have 2 of these lighters, one ordinary pipe lighter and one with the butane insert. Both work pretty well although, for smoking outdoors, nothing beats the real Zippo.
I also have the Peterson version of an Old Boy but that's my "show off" lighter which I only use at pipeclub meetings. The "P" on the lighter is also my initial and many a guy has believed me when I told them it was spacially made for me!!!!
Comments
Many of my friends prefer matches though,
I use a Zippo Blu lighter, can't be beat IMO.
Stefan
I usually end up using a lighter of various types.
I've been using butanes and Zippos for ages and it does not cause any scorching at all. Matches, of course, are the #1 "lighter" for a pipe
A pipe question for the experts: I've smoked pipes for about 30 years, but on and off. I know how to smoke one and am not a beginner in that sense. Thing is, I've never owned anything other than cheapish briars. The last two cost me 14 euros. Is there a difference in smoking a cheapy over a Dunhill or whatever? I'm perfectly happy with what I have - am I missing something? I have no interest in prestige brand names, but as I have got a little more interested in pipe smoking as I get older I wonder if I should shell out a bit. I suspect this is like asking if snuff is better out of a gold snuff box, but as I am no expert on piping I thought I would ask. Running out of snuff on holiday and buying a pipe to keep me sane has re-kindled my interest and I have been avidly smoking corner shop/gas station brands of baccy since I got back from Greece a couple of weeks ago.
Up to a certain point (say around $200) paying more does (usually) result in a better product, in terms of fit and finish, materials and engineering. That is not to say that there are not wonderful smokers to be had quite cheap. I've had some great basket pipes over the years that I paid less than $30 for, but in general mid-grade pipes do smoke better than really cheap pipes. The reasons for this include factors such as accurate drilling, well-finished stems with comfortable buttons, well-cured briar, and the absence of shellac type finishes that interfere with the pipe "breathing." The $200 figure cited above is not a hard-and-fast rule by any means, but, in general, once you get above that level you are paying mainly for aesthetics/collectability.
I do have a few cheaper estate pipes that have turned out to be really good though. I start every day with EMP in a small French bulldog that i paid $5 for.