the social contexts of zippo lighters

My friends and I were tourists a few months ago in New York City, and we wasted time trying to find cheap zippos, shopping for zippos in all the tourist traps. Well, they wasted my time, that is. People were charging $50+. I think my friends were fascinated with how easy flicking on the lighter is, how simple and immediate the flame was. It's a power trip. Also, Fashion vs. Function is right. It seems like a trend lately to have basic appliances look very sleek and stylish while still holding a purpose, however frivolous, and this help creates an illusion of wealth and high class. I guess that's not really a trend. And I could just be building this up too much.

no, get as anal as you want
most zippos here are around $40, you guys are paying [I]so[/I] much for them there

I think the mystery of whether zippos are more fashion or more function is one of the greatest mysteries of the world
how the heck do we add a poll

dude, you can get a zippo for 20 bucks here, easy. i think i've had somewhere around 10 zippos in my life. i always liked the smell. but i'm a wierd one.
and what teh hell is a Victorinox?

[URL=http://www.victorinox.com/]victorinoxes,[/URL] are swiss army knives
my ones something like [URL=http://www.victorinox.com/newsite/en/produkte/neu/inhalt2.cfm?pid=0.7300.T]this[/URL]

Lights first time, every time.
Zippo Manufacturing Company.
Bradford, Pee-yay.

If you really want to get anal on it, think back to the first human struggle - creation of fire. I think we've been infatuated with fire since then, and if you check around, there really is little to no competition for the zippo, no one has bothered to advertise or promote their lighter product like zippo has. They are handy, come in many styles, and are extremely reliable and durable. Why they can charge upwards of $20 for a lighter, I dunno, but hey, I paid that much for a few.

I was thinking sort of the same thing the other day when I went into a shop at the local mall that fixes and sells some designer watches. By the counter, they had a rotating display case of nothing but zippos. Anything that has a rotating display case that has one measely purpose is always going to be about the fashion. The most expensive zippo of the lot was around $80, and the cheapest was $30. Then again, most things at shopping malls are way over-priced.

Can anyone here do any cool tricks with zippos? Or are the finger snap and the thigh swipe the only ones?

[QUOTE=trypdwyre]Why they can charge upwards of $20 for a lighter, I dunno, but hey, I paid that much for a few.[/QUOTE]
Their most expensive Zippo cost over 12 grand last time I checked. That would be the solid gold one.

The most expensive Zippo I own retails at about $100 US. Solid Titanium. I didn't pay that much for it though. The most I've ever paid for one is in the $40 range, I think. Maybe more; I don't remember...

whoah Ti.
completely rust free
a bitch to weld though..

do you use them all, or keep them tucked away empty and with the flints removed?

[QUOTE=Tuffy the Dump Truck]Their most expensive Zippo cost over 12 grand last time I checked. That would be the solid gold one.

The most expensive Zippo I own retails at about $100 US. Solid Titanium. I didn't pay that much for it though. The most I've ever paid for one is in the $40 range, I think. Maybe more; I don't remember...[/QUOTE]
titanium is the new platinum. yea, my wedding ring's made of titanium. so how much did you pay for the titanium lighter? and where'd you get it, flea market or undersold on ebay?

eBay score. Under $30, iirc. I've got thirty-odd Zippos, ranging from 1950's advertisers to quirky new models to tobacco company giveaways. I use many of them. Some I've never used at all, but mostly I use them.

Part of the appeal (for me) to Zippos is that it is one of the Last Great American Historical Products. We used to have Coca Cola (ruined when they changed the recipe), Levi's (lost it when they moved their factories overseas and changed the quality of denim they use and the cut of the jeans), and a few others. Zippo is about the last one left. They still make them in their factory in Bradford (though I believe they have a branch factory in Canada a few miles away where they make the Canadian-sold ones), they still repair or replace any lighter for free, no matter what, if it fails to work properly. You can smash one with a sledgehammer - on purpose, yet - mail it to them, and they'll send you a replacement. That's fucking integrity.

Below is my holy grail. I've actually had a pristine 1955 RCA Zippo in my hands, but dfidn't want to spend the $125 asking price that day, thinking, "I'll probably come back and pick it up next payday." I never went back.

Zippo's look neat, they light everytime, and they last alot longer then those plactic ones from the gas station.

ooh, good point tuffy. i never really thought about it in the industrial sense, but yea, i do see that. and i do have to admit i was extremely impressed with their return/replacement policy when i got my first one, i remember thinking 'ah what a crock' but sure enough a friend effed up the flint in it to prove their point to me. sure enough, it was sent back, returned to me and worked like a charm still.

how can I make this a poll?

good question, i dunno, go in to edit your original post, and see if you can do it that way, otherwise you might need to enlist the help of one of the three GD mod amigos.

Clearly, the Zippo brand lighter is a synthesis of Fashion [b]and[/b] Function...

and you can do [URL=http://4eyedanimation.com/Zippo/zippo.htm]tricks[/URL] with them

[QUOTE=NeilFarted]dude, you can get a zippo for 20 bucks here, easy. i think i've had somewhere around 10 zippos in my life. i always liked the smell. but i'm a wierd one.
and what teh hell is a Victorinox?[/QUOTE]
yea i bought my orange one at ems for like 20 bucks or less

Dude, go to bars around my way. They give you a free zippo if you take some smokers questionairre, it takes 2 seconds and I make out wiht a free zippo. I've got like 8, but I'm too lazy to get any lighter fluid ,go figure.

i love mah zippos
i have like five and i was planning on getting another today
theyre streamlined and stylish
they make an awesome sound when you crack em open
great flame and everaythang
see av

i took my dad's zippo lighters and ive been learning lots of tricks ([url]www.lightertricks.com[/url]) lately. it's a good time waster, especially if you're a pyromaniac like me. zippos are just easy to light and fun to click and snap and swoosh.
im starting a lighter collection, but i don't smoke and i'm not old enough to buy them myself, so it's difficult. but they have cool penis and other object-shaped lighters all over chinatown and in dollar stores, so i get all of those.