IM Corona Old Boy Black And Chrome Pipe Lighter

Summary: Though expensive, this lighter is immaculately constructed. Its build quality is impressive, using high-quality materials and expert workmanship. It functions flawlessly, with highlights being its adjustable flame and fuel longevity.Pros:- Build quality is exceptional, with extremely tight tolerances and well thought out design- Flame size is highly adjustable, from nearly nonexistent to frighteningly large (>5")- Does not leak fuel at all when closed- Compact- Holds a decent amount of fuel, and is efficient enough that refills are few and far between- Angled flame makes lighting your pipe easy, with no contorting your wrist into odd angles- Butane fuel means no lighter fluid taste is imparted to tobacco- Flints are easily accessible and simple to replace- Build in pipe tamper/reamer functions as adjustment tool for lighterCons:- Expensive- User interface is novel and takes time to acclimatize to- Intricate, intertwined mechanisms create haven for pocket lint, dirt, and carbon buildup- Small size means that fuel tank is smaller than some other lighters- Wind resistance is very poor, even for a butane lighterFull Review:I've smoked pipes for many years, and have used innumerable different ignition sources for my tobacco. Each has its own benefits and drawbacks, but none seemed to check all the boxes I needed them to. Matches are the time-honored classic, but are a pain to carry, rattle around in their box, and can be frustrating to use. Not to mention, you leave a trail of discarded matchsticks in your wake. Zippo-style lighters are iconic and well-beloved, but have the catastrophic drawback of imparting a slight flavor of lighter fluid to your smoke. In addition, they are famous for losing fuel to evaporation at an alarming rate, resulting in a useless lighter after as few as a day or two. Bic lighters work well, but force the wrist into an awkward angle, and build quality means that they often break or do not function. Finally, torch style butane lighters suffer from overpower, and tend to damage pipes and scatter tobacco from the pipe.This little gem, the IM Corona Old Boy, fixes most of these issues in one fell swoop. It's built in Japan, and has been for decades, which is evident in the thought behind this design. The lighter arrives in a beautiful presentation case, resting upon a suede cloth for cleaning. The moment you lift the lighter from its case, you can feel the quality of the materials and construction. Despite being much smaller than I expected (see Zippo comparison pic), this lighter is far heavier than the Zippo. This is due to the interior fuel tank being brass, with very thick walls.The lighter holds a good amount of fuel, and does not leak at all. So far, despite sitting for weeks at a time with no refill, it has not run out of fuel. The striking mechanism is certainly different than any lighter I've used, and takes some time to get used to. It's a somewhat standard steel wheel which strikes against a flint rod, but the wheel is oriented horizontally, as opposed to the usual Zippo wheel, which is vertical. When closed, the butane jet is retracted into the body of the lighter and covered by the cap, which also covers the striking wheel.When opened, the butane jet pops up, and immediately begins releasing butane. Spinning the wheel results in an immediate flame each time. Although it's butane, the flame is a soft flame, virtually identical to a Bic-style lighter flame. The flame spurts from the lighter body at a 90 degree angle from the horizontal, which makes holding this lighter over a pipe a cinch. In addition, there is no need to hold down any button, which means you can easily adjust your grip for longer lights.One downside to this lighter I'd like to note is that its wind resistance is nearly nonexistent. Most butane lighters have relatively poor wind resistance, but this one has no wind protection, and with its low pressure flame, it will not tolerate more than the slightest breeze. Even moving the lighter too quickly will instantly extinguish the flame. This is the only reason why I have deducted a single star from my rating.It's an expensive purchase, with current price for the matte black and chrome version that I bought sitting at $122 USD, but in my opinion, it's paid for itself. It's a pleasure to use, gorgeous to look at, a marvel of engineering, and works like a charm.

Reliable, large fuel reservoir.

I really love this lighter. Very functional for a frequent pipe smoker. Want to give it 5 stars, but the striker cap is made of pewter and after one drop from about 3 feet it broke, which renders the lighter useless since closing/opening the cap is what turns the butane off/on. I JB welded it back together and is going strong for a month of almost daily use. Wish I could find a replacement part since it looks like it would be easy to repair but haven’t been able to find one and IM Corona is difficult to correspond with.

I love this lighter. Delivery on time, even considering it was shipped to Poland during Christmas season. 5 stars.