I can remember a time when the only option for lighting a cigar, pipe, cigarette, gas stove, etc. was a wooden kitchen match. My mother and grandmother used to keep a small metal box with a lid next to the stove and strike a match to light the stove. My father and grandfather only used matches for their cigars and/or pipes.

Having been a cigar and pipe smoker for the better part of 30 years, I’ve owned my share of lighters. That being said, I actually prefer wooden matches for lighting my pipe. However, when outside or driving a butane lighter is much easier and safer to use. The match flame is much “cooler” in respect to a lighter and I have greater control over the movement flame when lighting a pipe.

While I sometimes use matches to light a cigar, the use of a nice torch butane lighter is easier and faster. The down side I find to these fancy butane torch lighters is that they don’t work very well and are expensive ($30 to $90 range). I’ve owned several Colibri butane pipe lighters and have not had the best of luck with them. 

I currently own two IMCO G77R lighters and a Corona Pipemaster (brass) with Pipe Shapes on the sides. These lighters have been very reliable and have provided excellent service over the years. The IMCO lighter is made by Prometheus and are very reasonably priced at around $15.00. They use the old flint style lighting method, which IMHO is be better than the “electronic” lighting method found in many of the torch lighters. The electronic function seems to be the “Achilles’ Heel” to these lighters. Plus they tend to suffer from fuel or air locks, so you have to bleed the lighter before refilling and using. To temperamental for me.   

In all honesty I can’t discuss lighters without mentioning Zippo. Zippo lighters have been around since the 30’s and have a long and wonderful history in the US and world wide. They manufacture all kinds of themes and are very reliable and collectible. However, I’ve never really got into Zippo lighters. The fuel used to impart a unpleasant flavor, which has for the most part disappeared after improvements in fuel filtering. 

I recently bought a sample box of Romeo Y Julieta cigars, in which was a torch lighter by Cigar Savor (E01) was included. It’s lightweight and works pretty well….so far. For Father’s Day (2010), I received a nice cigar lighter from my wife. It’s an Eternity brand, which I’d never heard of, but it’s very attractive and works nicely. My wife gave me the receipt, just in case I wanted to exchange it, so I know what she paid. It was less than $40…not bad! I’ve paid double for Colibri lighters that stopped working six months after purchase.

The bottom line is that the issue of using lighters vs. matches is a long running source of discussion and debate between cigar and pipes smokers. As for me, I use both depending on the situation. When lighting my pipe…I prefer good old wooden kitchen matches, but there is a place and time for butane and fuel lighters.

I’ll be writing additional cigar and pipe tobacco reviews in the coming months. While I don’t want my blog to become another political commentary site, but I may toss in a few comments about the current state of affairs in this country, especially on the topics of anti-smoking and tobacco taxes. It’s really gotten out of hand and we need to stand up for OUR rights as smokers! Stay tuned!!

Happy Puffing!!