Dissim Inverted Pipe Lighter

Best pipe ligher ever. Had fancy ones and they give up after 6 mos. or so. Great design, functionaoity and price.

After encountering considerable disappointment with other, less expensive lighters a while back, I decided to take the plunge and invest in a more expensive product. Initially, it worked well. Then I had problems. The folks at Dissim worked with me in an effort to resolve the problem and, when those offers failed, promptly sent me a replacement. Their customer service was excellent. (Note, though, that the lighter here is consideably less expensive than on the company website.) This is, quite simply, the finest pipe lighter I have ever owned. I works extremely well and holds quite a bit of butane-I have to refill it rarely. The few extra dollars I spent were very well worth it.

A weak moment, sold by the marketing video. An OK durable large lighter that will burn your thumb every time your not paying attention. Also produces a "wiff" of air before the strike that will send ashes flying. Time will tell the story better.

Do not buy this.

Before I begin, I must warn you I have a love/hate relationship with butane lighters. My primary choice for lighters since I first picked up a pipe thirty years ago has been and will probably continue to be a Zippo. Hopefully, that makes my review of the Dissim more candid and from a skeptic's point-of-view, for what it's worth. I do love butane for its soft, clean, odorless flame, but after spending hundreds of dollars on just about every butane lighter that I've been assured would solve my problems with them over the years, I have become jaded after eventually being disappointed by their lack of reliability. I think the makers of Dissim had people like me in mind when they made their soft flame lighter. Still, I laughed at the Dissim the first time I saw one. Thinking it was obviously the latest hot item everyone had to have, to which I smugly thought, I'll pass. Next, I started seeing a lot of Instagram users showing off and speaking highly of their Dissim lighters. Talk can be cheap, so I wasn't falling for that again. But, then a Dissim ad caught my attention. Dissim proudly proclaims that each lighter comes with a Lifetime Warranty. That made me stop and think, they are proud enough of this new, attractive, lighter to back it up? Yes. I found one on sale for $30 and decided to give in and try it without getting my hopes up. What could I lose with a warranty? When it arrived and I held it in my hand for the first time, I knew this isn't just the next big fad. It has some heft to it, solid construction, and looked to be precision engineered. My Dissim came full of butane as seen through the nice window feature on the side (though they claim to sell them “unfilled”). I decided to give it the 10-strike test. Regardless of the quality of fuel used, a butane lighter should start when you ignite it. Part of my distrust for them is that they take so many strikes to get a flame. Pipe smokers don't mind if you have to relight your pipe, but no one likes that guy that's clicking the ignition on a butane lighter that only produces flame once every 20-30 strikes. The test is simple: with fuel in the lighter, try to produce flame 10 times and see how many flames you actually get. Dissim produced flame 9 out of 10 times. My IM Corona never did that, scoring 5/5 before eventually leaking fuel daily. After two weeks of daily use (3 bowls/day with relights) I haven't had to refill the Dissim yet. If anything this lighter continues to get better as if it had a breaking-in period, or (more likely) just a learning curve for me getting used to it. It does feel good in the hand, but I'll admit I fumbled with the design at first. It took a little getting used to how best to hold it, something that by its design can be different for each user. I settled on putting my forefinger into the Dissim hole pointing toward me and using my thumb pointed away from me to ignite which produces the flame at the top. From this hold, you can quickly adjust your hold to have the finger and thumb both pointing away from you and produce the flame from the bottom. Yes, an inverted flame; great for relights in the late stages of a bowl. There are a few other things worth mentioning about the Dissim. The flame adjuster is tight enough it's not going to change on you if you throw it in a pocket, but still firmly adjusts when needed. The ignition mechanism is solid and sturdy; there's no wiggle in it and it slides with just the right amount of resistance. The rubberized half of the lighter makes for a nice tactile grip. And, something most butane lighters lack that they all should have, the Dissim has a fuel level window built into the side that helps keep track of when you should reload and when your safe to carry worry-free. Only time will tell if the Dissim continues to impress, but I have high hopes now, having familiarized myself with this well-designed butane lighter. Even without the Lifetime Warranty, this lighter is worth more than its MSRP of $48. A quick look at the Dissim website shows they have wasted no time in producing different finishes and a duel torch version plus some branded carry cases. Dissim looks like a company with plans to be around for a long time to come. Owning one of their lighters, it's obvious why.

Easy to use. Lights almost every time. Like most soft flame lighters, it’s not very wind resistant, but that’s to be expected.

My order was shipped the same day, arriving promptly and in good order. The lighter works great and fits comfortably in a pocket. The level window is pretty cool as the fuel shows as red like a thermometer so it's easy to discern how much fuel remains. Great deal at this price. Very pleased with my purchase.