Thunderbird Inserts by Vector - Regular

I wanted a butane insert to use on a new silver zippo that I wanted to keep clean of lighter fluid, and a second one for the others I have for occasions when I wanted to use butane, which I could switch of amongst the others. I had two choices this or the zippo. I wanted one that would mimic a fluid insert. This one wins hands down. once you strike it you don't need to hold down a button to keep it lite, Also, it has a true windproof chimney with holes, whereas the zippo had indents but no holes. A nice bonus feature is that the tank on these are clear so you never had to guess how much butane you have left.I decided to buy only one first to verify quality. Some reviews complained of poor build quality, while others complained of leaks, and then of course there some complaints that you need to file off a tab so it won't get stuck. When it arrived I found that the workmanship seemed just fine. It was also filled with butane, which confirmed no leaking, and I could light it up right out of the box. I lite it up and turned the flame on the high setting to best mimic a fluid flame. Being butane, it doesn't exactly replicate the fluid flame, but you know that going into it as that is the nature of a butane flame. I was so happy with it that I immediately stuck into a zippo case, forgetting to trim off the tab, and sure enough it is stuck and I haven't been able to get it out. Being impressed with the quality, I went ahead and ordered the second one. When this arrived I didn't notice any tab. I test fitting it by inserting part way in. There was no sticking, so i inserted it all the way in, and have no problem removing it. So I guess that in latter production runs they listened to customer complaints and produced it without and tab. So, I guess my first one was from an early production run. When I get it out I will update this review to report on what I find. The bottom line is that when yours arrives, first check for a tab and test fit before inserting all the way, and if need by, remove any tab before you full insert it.

this product is way too tight a fit, I gotta drip in some WD-40 just to get it out of my zippo case.I originally chose this over the zippo yellow flame butane insert for aesthetic reasons - this one still have holes on the side of the flame guard, looks close enough to the original wick-and-cotton insert, and hopefully is contained enough so that it would last longer than a traditional insert. Instead, this thing would leak when inserted in a zippo case while in closed position - if I hold it to my ear I could clearly hear hissing sounds of butane escaping.I guess zippo chose to add an additional switch for a reason. This thunderbird insert controls butane release by the rotation of the cam. Theoretically when the lighter is closed, the cam would press down a part, thus preventing butane from escaping. However in actual execution, this idea is a nightmare: every fidget releases butane, and because in the lighter lid there’s a tab that’ll get between the cam and the flame guard, the butane switch can never be fully actuated, causing severe leakage.

I bought this for a zippo I keep in my truck center console. I live in Michigan, and the temperature has been in the single digits here recently. I tried it (very cold) to see if it would still work (blue flame lighters won't in this cold). The yellow flame is much lower (when very cold) although I am happy to report that it still lights and works fine even in single digit Michigan weather...nice. Also, I did adjust the flame to be lower with the bottom screw from the standard setting.I also like that I can see the fluid level through the clear bottom to know when to refuel it although it came full and so haven't filled it yet.I also like that I don't have to push a button to keep the flame. Just be aware that when the lid is open the gas is flowing.Love how you can't even tell it's not the original insert unless you look closely and realize there is no wick, and how it still uses the same wheel/flint striker.I have only had it for a couple of weeks now although it seems to be well made and working well for me. Time will tell if it holds up.

Works great! I love Zippo lighters but my only issue with them is that they have a shelf life of 3 weeks before you have to refuel them. Even if you haven't used them and just left them lying around, they will need to be refueled every 3 weeks. But with the Thunderbird insert, a Zippo lighter will last months. My Thunderbird insert Zippo has lasted months just left on a table, and it still had plenty of fuel left. One of the number one complaint I've heard about this insert is that they break easily, and I can't attest to that because I don't frequently use my lighter (once or twice every 3 weeks or something like that) that being said, the insert does look like one of its key components is made of weak metal and could easily break/bend. The only real issue I personally have is that the Zippo cap doesn't fit snug with this insert. With this insert the cap is wobbly but with the original Zippo insert the cap fits snug.

This insert lets you use butane in your Zippo while preserving the feature where you don't have to hold down a button to keep the lighter on. It's also pretty wind-resistant despite being a butane insert because of the actual functional windscreen unlike the official Zippo butane insert. The butane-release mechanism integrated with the cam is a very cool idea and so far it works very well and doesn't leak any butane while the cap is closed. I'll update this review if it ever fails, but so far it has worked great. The one complaint I had with the insert is that it was a little tight, but I just shaved down the little tabs and the logo on the front and back and now it fits perfectly.