Why are most refillable lighters the Zippo style instead of the plastic Bic style?
In: Economics
Bic lighters use butane as fuel. This can be hard to work with as it have to be kept under pressure to be liquid. So you require valves and vents and things to safely refuel them. It is not impossible but can be hard for the end user to do. The procedure is the same as refueling propane bottles.
Zippo lighters use naphtha. This is liquid at room temperature and pressure. So you can simply unscrew a cap on the lighter and pore the liquid in. This makes the lighter more complex as you need to wick the fuel out while the butane is already pressurized and comes out by itself. It can also be harder to ignite this wick requiring a more powerful flint igniter instead of the simple and cheap pizoelectric igniter of a bic lighter.
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