Are All Colibri Lighters Junk???

[Bill Shelley]

In my lifetime I have owned Zippo, Bic and several other no name lighters
that worked like a charms. I have also owned 2 Colibri lighters and both
broke in the first month of use.

The second Colibri lighter just pulled apart while removing it from my
pocket. Oh, I can send them a check for $6.00 and the broken lighter every
month for the next year of warranty or I write off the $50.00 the lighter
cost and throw thing in the trash with the previous Colibri Of London (made
in China) wound up.

Anyone have any suggestions on a good refillable flame type butane lighter?
No Colibri please....

[Ken Dixon]

Post by Bill Shelley
In my lifetime I have owned Zippo, Bic and several other no name lighters
that worked like a charms. I have also owned 2 Colibri lighters and both
broke in the first month of use.
The second Colibri lighter just pulled apart while removing it from my
pocket. Oh, I can send them a check for $6.00 and the broken lighter every
month for the next year of warranty or I write off the $50.00 the lighter
cost and throw thing in the trash with the previous Colibri Of London (made
in China) wound up.
Anyone have any suggestions on a good refillable flame type butane lighter?
No Colibri please....

Corona Old Boy.
To paraphrase Three Nuns, there's none better ;-)

Ken in Miami
I've thrown away several Colibri lighters over the years, I finally
learned my lesson too.

[JohnO]

Post by Bill Shelley
In my lifetime I have owned Zippo, Bic and several other no name lighters
that worked like a charms. I have also owned 2 Colibri lighters and both
broke in the first month of use.
The second Colibri lighter just pulled apart while removing it from my
pocket. Oh, I can send them a check for $6.00 and the broken lighter every
month for the next year of warranty or I write off the $50.00 the lighter
cost and throw thing in the trash with the previous Colibri Of London (made
in China) wound up.
Anyone have any suggestions on a good refillable flame type butane lighter?
No Colibri please....

I'm pretty sure that "Colibri" is Italian for "Piece of shit."

[Peter J Prygelski]

Yes, they are junk. I have had many over the years. Went the repair route
many times and then transferred to the garbage pile. I finally bit the
bullet and invested in a Dunhill pipe lighter no problems.
Pete

Post by JohnO

Post by Bill Shelley
In my lifetime I have owned Zippo, Bic and several other no name lighters
that worked like a charms. I have also owned 2 Colibri lighters and both
broke in the first month of use.
The second Colibri lighter just pulled apart while removing it from my
pocket. Oh, I can send them a check for $6.00 and the broken lighter every
month for the next year of warranty or I write off the $50.00 the lighter
cost and throw thing in the trash with the previous Colibri Of London (made
in China) wound up.
Anyone have any suggestions on a good refillable flame type butane lighter?
No Colibri please....

I'm pretty sure that "Colibri" is Italian for "Piece of shit."

[bluewind]

Okay Peter, the thing is--you need to keep 4 Colibri's on hand. One
to use, one on the way to the repair shop, one on the way back, and
one in for repairs. That's what I was taught when I first began
smoking a pipe. The Old Boys are the only way to go IMHO.
blue

[wft1120]

"For many years I used the Imco pipe lighters but the last three or four are
junk ! Don't ask me why. Previously an Imco would last forever the color
would wear off begore it quite but the current ones don't work from day one.
Tried the Nibo "Old Boy" lighters A little more costly then the Imcos but
they are also worthless. I see why someone is always attempting to get rid
of them on ebay. Finally purchased a Corona Old Boy. Terrific lighter.
Very well made. Only problem is that I am prone to lose lighters and since
the coronas sell for approximately $100.00 or more, I leave it in the house
when doing yard work and use matches.
Walt

[l***@care2.com]

Post by wft1120
"For many years I used the Imco pipe lighters but the last three or four are
junk ! Don't ask me why. Previously an Imco would last forever the color
would wear off begore it quite but the current ones don't work from day one.
Tried the Nibo "Old Boy" lighters A little more costly then the Imcos but
they are also worthless. I see why someone is always attempting to get rid
of them on ebay. Finally purchased a Corona Old Boy. Terrific lighter.
Very well made. Only problem is that I am prone to lose lighters and since
the coronas sell for approximately $100.00 or more, I leave it in the house
when doing yard work and use matches.
Walt
- Hide quoted text -
- Show quoted text -

Yes the Colibra are junk, but I heard that if you send them back they
fix the problem. I recently bought a Coleman (the camping supply co.)
lighter that was shaped like a Colibra for around $20 with a flexable,
extendable head that is perfect for a pipe. I am very happy with it.

[Mouse]

Post by Bill Shelley
In my lifetime I have owned Zippo, Bic and several other no name lighters
that worked like a charms. I have also owned 2 Colibri lighters and both
broke in the first month of use.
The second Colibri lighter just pulled apart while removing it from my
pocket. Oh, I can send them a check for $6.00 and the broken lighter every
month for the next year of warranty or I write off the $50.00 the lighter
cost and throw thing in the trash with the previous Colibri Of London (made
in China) wound up.
Anyone have any suggestions on a good refillable flame type butane lighter?
No Colibri please....

I sent my colibri back several times before throwing it away. I've been
using a Vector pipe lighter for almost a year now with no troubles. Bought
it on sale from Frenchy for $16.

Mouse

[rj_tray]

Post by Bill Shelley
In my lifetime I have owned Zippo, Bic and several other no name lighters
that worked like a charms. I have also owned 2 Colibri lighters and both
broke in the first month of use.
The second Colibri lighter just pulled apart while removing it from my
pocket. Oh, I can send them a check for $6.00 and the broken lighter every
month for the next year of warranty or I write off the $50.00 the lighter
cost and throw thing in the trash with the previous Colibri Of London (made
in China) wound up.
Anyone have any suggestions on a good refillable flame type butane lighter?
No Colibri please....

Yes, they are junk in my opinion. They require constant maint, tiny
fuel capacity, and erratic flame control adjustment. Fortunately I
only paid $10 on a close out but will never buy another. They keep re-
designing their lighters, but each seems to follow their flawed
engineering principles. Wonder if anyone within Colibri actually
smokes?

[rigger]

Post by Bill Shelley
Anyone have any suggestions on a good refillable flame type butane lighter?

Old Boy?

-Dave

[ash]

Well I had two Old Boys & 1 Slim Boy, all three are not working. I
have 1 Colibri Barrington which is working properly, the cost of the
Colibri was about 1/3rd of the Old Boy. So will I buy an Old Boy
again, I dont think so.
Cheers!!!
Ash

[Ken Dixon]

Post by ash
Well I had two Old Boys & 1 Slim Boy, all three are not working. I
have 1 Colibri Barrington which is working properly, the cost of the
Colibri was about 1/3rd of the Old Boy. So will I buy an Old Boy
again, I dont think so.
Cheers!!!
Ash

That makes you the only person I know of who has had a positive
experience with Colibri and a negative one with Corona Old Boy.
You should play the lottery.

[Josh]

well...I have never had an Old boy...but I have two Collibri lighters
that have given me absolutely no trouble at all. Truth be told, the
fuel capacity is small...but that isn't that big of a problem...I just
fill them once a week and I am good to go. The only other lighter I
have had (apart from throw aways) was a vector that I got from
smokingpipes.com for $15...the front little piece of metal that the
flame goes through broke off the third time i lit it...it still
works...but it looks weird so I don't like to use it.

Cheers,

Josh

[Briarroot]

Post by Bill Shelley
In my lifetime I have owned Zippo, Bic and several other no name lighters
that worked like a charms. I have also owned 2 Colibri lighters and both
broke in the first month of use.

It may be that not all Colibri lighters are junk, but if you suggested
that the vast majority are, you wouldn't get much argument around
here. Inevitably, someone *will* post that they've had great success
with their Colibris. Good for them! As for me, rarely have I ever
used a product that disappointed me so much as the Colibri lighters I
once owned. IMNSHO, they're worthless.

Post by Bill Shelley
Anyone have any suggestions on a good refillable flame type butane lighter?
No Colibri please....

Old Boys are very popular and reliable but are fairly expensive. IMCO
makes a line of cheap (in comparison) refillable butane lighters that
seem bullet-proof and have no apparent problems using whatever fuel &
flints I find available. I have several and use them frequently.

Regards,

Tim Parker ... Dorchester in a Savinelli 1994 Pipe-of-the-Year

[Ron Natalie]

Post by Bill Shelley
In my lifetime I have owned Zippo, Bic and several other no name lighters
that worked like a charms. I have also owned 2 Colibri lighters and both
broke in the first month of use.

I have had mixed luck with them. I've got a triple flame that broke
(mechanically) early on. I've got a very flat and slim torch I use
for cigars that has lived in my pocket for years without problem.

Note I've had problems with other manufacturers as well. My prometheus
is rather intermitant.

But that's all for cigars. I've got a couple of zippos with pipe
inserts that I use for pipes pretty exclusively.

[rigger]

The more I read about which lighter is or isn't junk, the more I think I'll
stick with my good ol' kitchen matches in a match safe.

-Dave

[hornypipe]

Post by Bill Shelley
In my lifetime I have owned Zippo, Bic and several other no name lighters
that worked like a charms. I have also owned 2 Colibri lighters and both
broke in the first month of use.
The second Colibri lighter just pulled apart while removing it from my
pocket. Oh, I can send them a check for $6.00 and the broken lighter every
month for the next year of warranty or I write off the $50.00 the lighter
cost and throw thing in the trash with the previous Colibri Of London (made
in China) wound up.
Anyone have any suggestions on a good refillable flame type butane lighter?
No Colibri please....

Around 1982/3 I bought a sterling silver Colibri from Benson and
Hedges of 13 old Bond street ( alas no more ) . It is a Dunhill
derivative . I still have it in a safe with other lighters ,
cufflinks , pens and other sundries I collected over the years . I am
happy to report it is in perfect working order , all it needs is a new
flint and some gas . ( I take the flint out and empty lighters before
storage ). I also have Coronas , I never had a problem with any of my
lighters .HH

[Ian]

I had a buddy for a while that I would smoke cigars with, and one day he
gave me a busted Colibri and said, if I could fix it, it was mine. So I
took it down to the cigar shop and traded it in for a new one. The new
one came, and worked for a month or two, then broke again.

Here's my theory on that. Colibri can't still be in business (are they
still in business?) and not make a profit. This means that their
lighters have to be made out of cheaper and cheaper material the more
times they have to replace a lighter for free. I mean, part of that
fifty bucks is the price to replace it three or four times. So how much
does the lighter really cost? Five bucks?

Maybe it's piezoelectric lighters in general, as I had a torch lighter
that worked well for quite a while (different company), but it too went
south after a while. You could fill it with gas, but the piezoelectric
thingy wouldn't make a spark.

The best lighter I've ever owned Bear gave to me: a Corona Old Boy. That
thing was dropped on a daily basis (because I'd set it in my lap and
forget it was there). It was dropped into the snow and found later. It
sat in my pocket with my keys countless times, and only after about five
years did it begin to give me trouble. I sent it to Sav, they didn't fix
it, sent it back to me, and I knew its time had come. I bet if you took
care of an Old Boy, it would last for decades. Great lighter!

Ian

[Alan Thomas]

In my experience - yes!

Post by Ian
I had a buddy for a while that I would smoke cigars with, and one day he
gave me a busted Colibri and said, if I could fix it, it was mine. So I
took it down to the cigar shop and traded it in for a new one. The new one
came, and worked for a month or two, then broke again.
Here's my theory on that. Colibri can't still be in business (are they
still in business?) and not make a profit. This means that their lighters
have to be made out of cheaper and cheaper material the more times they
have to replace a lighter for free. I mean, part of that fifty bucks is
the price to replace it three or four times. So how much does the lighter
really cost? Five bucks?
Maybe it's piezoelectric lighters in general, as I had a torch lighter
that worked well for quite a while (different company), but it too went
south after a while. You could fill it with gas, but the piezoelectric
thingy wouldn't make a spark.
The best lighter I've ever owned Bear gave to me: a Corona Old Boy. That
thing was dropped on a daily basis (because I'd set it in my lap and
forget it was there). It was dropped into the snow and found later. It sat
in my pocket with my keys countless times, and only after about five years
did it begin to give me trouble. I sent it to Sav, they didn't fix it,
sent it back to me, and I knew its time had come. I bet if you took care
of an Old Boy, it would last for decades. Great lighter!
Ian
--
http://sundry.ws/

[Bill Shelley]

Many thanks to those that gave input. It seems the Old Boy is the way to go
for a lighter used frequently and on a daily basis.

I have also decided what to do with the Colibri. It involves a skeet thrower
and a shotgun...

Post by Bill Shelley
In my lifetime I have owned Zippo, Bic and several other no name lighters
that worked like a charms. I have also owned 2 Colibri lighters and both
broke in the first month of use.
The second Colibri lighter just pulled apart while removing it from my
pocket. Oh, I can send them a check for $6.00 and the broken lighter every
month for the next year of warranty or I write off the $50.00 the lighter
cost and throw thing in the trash with the previous Colibri Of London
(made in China) wound up.
Anyone have any suggestions on a good refillable flame type butane
lighter? No Colibri please....

[BBQ n BLUES]

<<I have also decided what to do with the Colibri. It involves a skeet
thrower and a shotgun...
"Bill Shelley" >>

LOL Make sure you gas it up 1st...

[Joseph Durham]

No, I don't think that they are all junk lighters. I have two that have
worked of rabuot 3 years now.
--
Pipeing Joe ___
\
\
\
(_)

Post by Bill Shelley
In my lifetime I have owned Zippo, Bic and several other no name lighters
that worked like a charms. I have also owned 2 Colibri lighters and both
broke in the first month of use.
The second Colibri lighter just pulled apart while removing it from my
pocket. Oh, I can send them a check for $6.00 and the broken lighter every
month for the next year of warranty or I write off the $50.00 the lighter
cost and throw thing in the trash with the previous Colibri Of London
(made in China) wound up.
Anyone have any suggestions on a good refillable flame type butane
lighter? No Colibri please....

[bluewind]

In a word: YES!
blue

[radarman10]

You got that right. 30 years ago I bought a Colibri pipe lighter and
used it daily for years and years. But they stopped making that model
and mine finally wore out. Colibri said they could not repair it and
since they no longer made that model I was out of luck. But they did
thank me for the $20 bucks I sent in to cover the repairs. Now I have
a bucket of lighters on my desk filled with Bics, free lighters,
Colibris and the cheap torch lighters from the 7 Eleven counter. If I
leave the house with a Colibri in my pocket you can bet I'm carrying a
back-up cheap-o in the other pocket.

It's a shame that the company that made the Golden Gun for the Bond
movie, which if you didn't know already actually worked in many of the
original functions, to producing high priced junk.

Post by bluewind
In a word: YES!
blue