The Weatherproof Zippo Lighter has Been a Friend and Tool for User and Collectors Alike

George G. Blaisdell invented the Zippo lighter in 1932, and got his idea after hearing about a bulky Austrian made pocket lighter. Blaisdell was an oil engineer who saw a audience for a good looking lighter that would light up even in windy weather. He produced the first Zippo lighter in Bradford, Pennsylvania. It got its logo since Blaisdell liked the sound of the word zipper

A Zippo Lighter is a refillable, brass or stainless steel lighter. They are highly collectible and hundreds, if not thousands of different custom zippo lighter patterns have been made in the seven plus decades since their first appearance. From Engraved Zippo lighters, to an army zippo lighter to a Truck Zippo, to a Hand-Carved wood Zippo lighter.

Zippos are often rectangular in design with a flip top lid with a hinge . Unlike disposable thin plastic lighters that are used and discarded in the trash, Zippos are refilled with a Naphtha based liquid zippo lighter fuel. By removing the interior part out of the exterior housing, its owner can pour lighter fluid into a cotton cloth packing material that contains a wick. The flint, which produces the trigger to light the cotton wick, is refillable.

It is cost effective and highly reliable. Replenishing a zippo is a lot less costly than buying single use ignitors.

Zippos are classified as windproof lighters, and are are capable of staying lighted in nearly any wind condition. They grew to become very popular in the United States military, particularly during World War II standard silver Zippo a military zippo lighter was standard equipment for all men in the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines. During that period, all Zippo lighters produced went to the Allied war effort. In fact, at that point, because brass was used for weapons, the bowels of zippo lighters were created in stainless steel. After the war ended, Zippo reverted to the traditional brass design.

Approximately 200,000 Zippo lighters were carried by U.S. military people in the Vietman conflict. One time, a Zippo lighter held in a shirt pocket intercepted a bullet from getting into a soldiers body.

In addition, Zippo lighters are known for the lifetime warrantee they posess: if a Zippo comes apart, no matter how old, the company will replace or repair the lighter for free.

Zippo now faces two daunting challenges. Zippo has awesome name recognition, originating from its function as standard GI issue during World War II, and the War in Vietnam, but the generation that used Zippo lighters into combat is quivering. The second issue is that smoking is lessening.

Yet, Zippo has endured the storm, as collectors have been the key to steady growth. After all, cigarette smokers may purchase only one or two of the lighters--each of which carries a lifetime guarantee. Plenty of 1940s-vintage Zippos still appear for repairs at the Zippo home office, which has mended antique zippo lighters discovered in the bellies of fish and old zippo lighters pierced by bullets from a gun. Collectors, nonetheless, often buy numerous at a time, give them away, and lure their friends and family to become collectors. Many zippo collectors have thousands of lighters in their zippo lighter collection and continue buying.

Collectors can amass all of their favourite sports teams including the National football league, Major league baseball, and the National basketball association as well as motorsports and fishing Zippos.

It's a fact that more than 90% of Americans recognize the Zippo brand, and 30% of Zippo's customers are collectors. While a basic brushed-chrome Zippo runs $10.95, Collectible Zippos typically range from $35 to $75, and some as high as $3,000.

Since 1933, over 400,000,000 Zippos have been made. After World War II the Zippo grew to become increasingly utilized in marketing by companies both large and small through the decade of the 60's. Although new Zippo lighter designs are always coming out, he basic interior mechanism of the Zippo has basically stayed unaltered.

Zippo lighters have achieved icon status, which generates the kind of marketing money can't acquire. Rolling Stone Keith Richards, who often smokes on stage, keeps a Zippo right by guitar. Movie actors from Bruce Willis to Harrison Ford have utilized Zippos to ignite fuses, burn papers and even to ignite cigarettes.

Zippo is branching out in other ways, too, with Zippo pens, belt buckles, and money clips, Zippo watches all with a lifetime guaranty.