Zippo: a legend among lighters

Accessories

What is a status thing? You can give different answers to this question. For example, that it is an item with the logo of a well-known brand or an item made of expensive materials, characterized by originality of execution. And according to the specialists of the Zippo company, a status thing is also a thing with a history, one that has passed the test of time and is still in demand. Of course, we will talk about the legendary American-made lighters. Thanks to its special construction and design, the Zippo has become a symbol of reliable performance and high quality.

Gasoline lighter Zippo Postcard from Russia Z_216-Russian-Postcard

The Trumps of George Grant Blaisdell

The Zippo company was founded in 1932 by George Blaisdell, who decided to improve the inconvenient Austrian lighters that were in use. The talented engineer from Pennsylvania took the job seriously and got an excellent result: a practical thing that fits in the palm of your hand.

The rectangular lighter with a spring-loaded lid was then and still is a real hit: it opens freely with one hand, is wind-resistant and has a lifetime warranty - that is, any malfunction is fixed by Zippo free of charge.

The management of the company today does not deviate from the principles of the founder: every owner of a lighter can apply for warranty service at any time, no matter how many years have passed since its release. The expected move of Zippo is a super company that even patented the clicking sound heard when opening and closing the lid.

Gasoline lighter Zippo Angel Z_28967

Anatomy of a Zippo

Warranty obligations are serious, and they can be fulfilled by specialists who are 100% confident in the quality of their product. And there is no reason to doubt the good workmanship and careful selection of materials: the classic Zippo lighter has a durable alloy body, a polymer wick with interwoven metal threads, a 16-hole windscreen, precise, gap-free fastening of parts. Every little thing has been thought out: for example, the chair (wheel for cutting sparks) has notches located at an angle of 30 ° to the horizontal, so it is easy to twist without injuring the skin.

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Besides, any Zippo is a reusable item. Unlike inexpensive mass-produced lighters, it works for decades, it is enough to refuel it from time to time.

Gasoline lighter Zippo Alligator Z_200-Alligator

Design craftsmanship and metalwork

The base shape for the Zippo is a quadrilateral with slightly rounded corners. Such a lighter went on sale in the last century, it remains so today - the manufacturer is faithful to traditions. Interestingly, the shape of Zippo is a registered trademark, so it is unlikely to change, but the metal surface is ideal for design experiments: you can apply a logo or drawing of any complexity to the plane, including custom-made ones.

Gasoline lighter Zippo Classic Z_28679

The coating options and decoration methods are impressive: longitudinal grinding, color laser engraving, satin-finishing, chrome-plating, plating with a thin layer of silver or gold, glossy etching, crystal decoration and even PVD-coating, resistant to mechanical damage.

It is also not difficult to choose the thematic design of the lighter body: sports, fantasy, nature, signs and symbols, and so on. A variety of series are presented in the Zippo catalogs, including collectible ones, released only for Russia.

Gasoline lighter Zippo Biker Z_207-Dirt-Bike-2

Zippo "passcode"

Surprisingly, George Blaisdell even thought of a dating system, which also speaks of high quality standards. It allows you to find out when a particular Zippo model was released. Pay attention to the stamped markings on the bottom of each lighter. To the left of the logo is a letter corresponding to the month of manufacture, where A is January, B is February, C is March, and so on, and to the right is the numerical designation of the year, for example, 16 - 2016.

Gasoline lighter Zippo Gentleman's Style Z_28663

The dating on the bottom, as well as the lower case inscriptions on the inside (the inner case of the lighter), indicate the original origin.

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High quality workmanship, precise warranty obligations, reliability of operation make the Zippo gasoline or gas lighter an excellent memento, as well as a thing - an indicator of status, and in some cases, a successful social position.

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