A Zippo lighter is a small and smart accessory. Millions of people use this lighter, which is small, easy to use, suitable for all weather, lights even in high winds and comes with a life time guarantee. Zippo has provided 325 million lighters, and repairs about 100000 per year. It is sold in 120 countries.

Zippo lighters are very popular and it was first produced in 1933. It became popular in the US army during the 2nd world war. At that time the company ceased all outside supplies, and started production for the US military. After the war, it became popular amongst civilians. Zippos can have a retail price of about US$12.95 to US$11,157.60 according to style, gold plating, and the make. A 1933 model was purchased for 18,000$ in 2002.

Zippos have a lifetime guarantee to repair or replace them. It is said that no one spends a single cent on the repair of a lighter resultant of age or condition. Zippos have a strong flame which is not easy to blow out. Another lighter could do the same but they do not work well in the cold weather and that's why they were most popular in the army.

Zippo started coding their lighters since 1955 with dots. The code was denoted with vertical lines from1966-1973. After that it was coded with forward slash and backslash. From 1986, Zippo started coding all lighters with month and year of production. It was said that Zippo lighters were made by prisoners and the numbers identified the prisoners' crime and year of punishment. In 2007, Zippo launched a new product named Zippo blue with many features similar to the original Zippo.

Zippos are generally made with metal in a rectangular shape. It has a windscreen, wick and thumbwheel. The fuel is usually naphtha, or any flammable liquids which is poured in from the bottom, and trapped in. Zippos are now the world's most popular lighters. There are different products such as T-shirts, cups, caps, etc, sold under the logo. There is a Zippo fan club too that operates globally.

Owning a Zippo lighter, to a regular smoker is the same as purchasing a Ferrari to a car lover. There is also a museum dedicated to Zippo located in Bradford, PA. Zippos are not only a tool to light a cigarette, but art to smokers. There are some aspects that make Zippo so classy. It expresses a status of perfection. The lighter makes a statement about the user, and that's why no other lighter company can really come close to competing with Zippo.