Using cigar lighters

There is no right or wrong source of fire to light up your favorite blend. Piping hot magma has been discussed, but is largely not recommended.

Everything else is a matter of preference. It's easier to scorch the rim with an upright flame, but it's still very possible to avoid it. Personally, I use an old Dunhill Rollgas lighter. It has an upright flame, and so far I haven't had any scorching problems.

I have a pair of old boys which I like to use, though this is for aesthetic pleasure as much as anything. I find that lighters with angled flames are less inclined to burn careless fingers.

I would avoid using torch/cigar lighters at all costs. If you want to use your pipe for firewood, might as well just toss it in the stove. A torch lighter of any sort is going to severely scorch the rim of a pipe, way more than any Bic, Old Boy, etc.

A standard flame cigar lighter, no biggie, but IIRC, most cigar lighters are of the torch variety, and they burn at much more extreme temperatures than any standard flame flicker. My two cents.

He hit the nail right on the head regarding torch lighters. Although it is feasable to use one, the odds are stacked against you rather badly that you'll scortch the rim of your pipe badly. If thats something that doesn't matter to you then oh well ...

Regarding other lighters - heck, any will do the job I suppose. On occasion I use a zippo and haven't noticed any damage to the rims of my pipes. A few times I'll grab a match and again, no damage. 99% of the time however I'm using a lighter with an angled flame. Why? Because its just easier. Life is too short to do extra work when not necessary.

Thanks for all the comments. I don't think I'm using a torch lighter -- but perhaps I'm wrong about that. The lighter I have in mind is a Dunhill Unique lighter, which I believe is just a standard cigar/cigarette lighter. It doesn't have the angled flame, which I would prefer -- but haven't acquired yet. I just don't want to cause undue damage to the rim or bowl by using an upright flame.
-Nate

Angled pipe lighters a more convenient, but not overly so. I use a Bic away from the house to prevent me from losing my Old Boy and it works just fine. As far as scorching the rim, I think it is equally possible with either type.

I have used a torch to light a pipe on a few occasions *gasp*. Mainly, I wanted to try it because everyone said that I should not. (I am just that way.) The pipes that I lit survived with no ill effects. However, I must say that: 1) I was VERY careful. It would be extremely easy and, dare I say, only a matter of time before you fried a pipe. 2) It did not do any better job lighting the pipe than a standard lighter.

is the only way to fly!!

Just open valve, press striker and you are good to go. Never fails, even in the worst hurricanes.

He and I need to be careful of the same thing: beard ignition.

Just curious... LOL

those are pictures I am in Newport awaiting your arrival???. Pictures are taken with a camera and depending on the subject matter they look like real people. Sometimes even I get fooled by them.

Whoever that is you gotta love the chin whiskers. I myself have shed my face fur for my typical April-September molting season. Not real serious about daily shaves though in fact I'm lucky to get two shaves a week. Most of the time, I just clipper it down and call it good.

The beard will be back in September, just in time for the brutal central Florida winter. After years of mandatory daily shaves, I'm just not that big a fan. It seems like pointless additional detail to me.

I am trying to work all sorts of magic to figure out when I can get my backside to Newport. It will happen this summer if I have anything to say about it.

Smartass !!!

Let me re-phrase... is that a PICTURE of you ? LOL

=o)

that is a picture of Mrs. Reynolds' third bundle of joy.

GI, I also take pride in the apathy I have toward the razor. It was once a winter thing only. After a few years I grew more and more resentful about wasting five minutes every morning from May to September in front of a mirror. Now I just take the clippers to it every other month, have it look presentable for a couple of weeks until it again gets out of hand. Probably due for a clip soon.

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