Since 1932, the Reliable and Durable Zippo has Been a Friend and Tool for Anyone Needing a Dependable Flame

George G. Blaisdell invented the Zippo lighter in 1932, and got his idea after examining a large Austrian made portable-pocket lighter. Blaisdell was an oil field engineer who saw a market for a good looking lighter that would light up consistently even in windy and rough. He invented the first Zippo lighter in Bradford, Pennsylvania. It got its zippo moniker because Blaisdell liked the sound of the word zipper

A Zippo Lighter is a refillable, brass lighter. They are highly collectible and 100s of varying custom zippo lighter styles have been made in the seven decades since their introduction. From NFL Zippo lighters, to an army zippo lighter to a Truck Zippo, to a Military Zippo lighter.

Zippos are usually rectangular in configuration with a lid that flips open . Unlike throw away cheap plastic lighters that are used and discarded in the trash, Zippos are filled again with a Naphtha based liquid zippo lighter fluid. By taking the inner part out of the external casing, its user can pour lighter fluid into a gauze packing that contains a wick. The flint, which brings on the spark to inflame the wick, is refillable.

It is cost-efficient and exceedingly dependable. Filling a zippo is a good deal cheaper than buying throw away igniters.

Zippos are considered windproof lighters, and are will remain lit up in most any weather situation. They grew to become common in the United States army and navy, particularly in World War II standard silver Zippo lighter a military zippo lighter was standard equipment for the majority of gentlemen in the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines. During that time, all Zippo lighters produced went to the Allied forces war effort. In fact, during that war, because brass was demanded for weapon systems, the insides of zippos were manufactured in stainless steel. At the end of the war, Zippo reverted to the previous brass design.

Approximately 200,000 Zippo lighters were carried by U.S. military people in the Vietnam War. One time, a Zippo lighter carried in a shirt pocket held back a bullet from getting into a soldiers chest.

Additionally, Zippos are known for the lifetime warrantee they carry: if a Zippo goes bad, no matter how old, the company will replace or fix the lighter for free.

Zippo now faces two tough challenges. Zippo has awesome brand recognition, rising from its part as standard GI issue during World War II, and the Vietnam war, but the generation that carried Zippo lighters into combat is flickering. The second challenge is that smoking is falling.

Even so, Zippo has weathered the storm, as collectors have been the route to solid growth. After all, cigarette or cigar smokers may purchase only one or two zippos--each of which carries a lifetime warranty. Plenty of 1940s-vintage Zippos still show up for fixes at the Zippo repair shop, which has restored old zippo lighters retrieved from the bellies of fish and old zippo lighters pierced by lead bullets. Collectors, all the same, often buy numbers of at a time, give them away as gifts, and appeal to their friends to become collectors. Many zippo collectors have thousands of lighters in their zippo lighter collection and keep purchasing.

Collectors can collect all of their favorite 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 US Citizens recognize the Zippo brand, and 30% of Zippo's customers are collectors. While a basic brushed-chrome Zippo runs $10.95, Collectible Zippos typically ranges from $35 to $75, and some as much as $3,000.

Since 1933, over 400,000,000 Zippos have been created. After The Second World War the Zippo became increasingly utilized in advertising by companies both small and large through the decade of the 60's. Though new Zippo lighter styles are always emerging, he basic interior design of the Zippo has basically remained unaltered.

Zippo lighters have achieved icon status, which returns the kind of publicity money can't acquire. Rolling Stone Keith Richards, who often smokes while on stage, keeps a Zippo within an arms reach of his guitar. Movie stars from Bruce Willis to Harrison Ford have used Zippos to inflame fuses, burn papers and even to light cigarettes.

Zippo is growing in other ways, too, with Zippo pens, belt buckles, and money clips, Zippo watches all with a lifetime guarantee.

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