Zippo™
Gotta Light?
Published: 11/30/22
By: Josh Grant
I like nothing more than something that is useful and high quality.
The Zippo lighter is durable, versatile, and extremely well-made. It's simple and elegant, but it does the job every time without fail.
"The Zippo timeline begins in the early 1930s, at the Bradford Country Club in Bradford, Pennsylvania. Mr. Blaisdell watched a friend struggle awkwardly to use a cumbersome, Austrian-made lighter. Mr. Blaisdell noted that the lighter worked well, even in the wind, due to the unique chimney, but the appearance and design was utilitarian and inefficient. The lighter required the use of two hands to operate and its thin metal surface was easily dented.
In late 1932 Mr. Blaisdell decided to reconstruct the Austrian lighter. He fabricated a small rectangular case and attached a lid with a hinge. He preserved the chimney design which protected the flame. The result was an attractive lighter that was easily operated with one hand. The name “Zippo” was created by Mr Blaisdell. He liked the sound of the word “zipper” so he formed variations on the word until he settled on “Zippo,” which he felt had a “modern” sound."
– Zippo
The company started slowly, but things took off during World War II. When America entered WW2 in 1941, Zippo ceased consumer manufacturing and strictly made lighters for the armed forces. Some of these lighters are highly collectible with Zippo making it easy to prove authenticity and manufacturing date with their code system. They initially used this code system for quality control, but later, it became an invaluable tool for collectors. Every lighter has the date and manufacturing location stamped on the bottom.
Zippo™ even went as far as trademarking the lighter's signature sound when it's opened. That being said, Zippo has most definitely capitalized on its brand. The marketing side has always been important to the company. They have some unique marketing techniques, like the Zippo car, made in 1947 to resemble a lighter. In addition, they recently made a more modern Zippo car, a customized Jeep Wrangler.
Over the last few years, I have had the pleasure of owning several Zippo lighters. I can confidently say I don't have any other lighter besides these. With the convenience of refilling your fluid and the reliability they always bring, they are an outstanding tool.
Context
Thoughts
– What is an invaluable tool in your day-to-day life?
– How can you eliminate items in the junk drawer with more useful/quality tools?
– Why is that Zippo™ click so iconic?
