Zippo VS Imco 

3:28 the flint changing system is so beautifully over engineered as opposed to the screw in a zippo😂

As a Gulf War Vet that did not buy a Zippo before I went I picked up several IMCOs for around $3 a piece in Bahrain and UAE during the war. They were so common. A very good design. Here are the points that you should have covered. Zippos are simple, robust, and heavy. IMCOs are light and complex. Zippos leak fluid and the fuel does not last as long. IMCOs will light for almost a month after filling. Zippos are Iconic. IMCOs are Art Deco in style. Zippos get hot in the hand faster than IMCOs when kept lit and IMCOs have an adjustable flame. There are few good copies of a Zippo but there are lots of clones of IMCO that work almost as well. I believe the clones killed IMCO. There are lots of New Old Stock IMCOs still around especially on Ebay from Jordan, Israel, South Korea, and Japan and they run around $30 to $60 depending on the style.

I have about 15 Zippos. And recently I've been taking an IMCO. I bought this because my grandma had one. I am thrilled...

Imco sold patent to Japan, and now made in China under license. I grew up with imcos as my father liked them. They were always cheaper than zippos. They were around £4/5 when I last bought one in the 1980,s , however in Ireland they sold for 35p each. Now I think there aroun £ 25 new. Still a good lighter if your a smoker, zippos are nice to look at , play with, but to light a cigarette, Imco every time.

I am sorry to hear Imco is out of business. I bought a few in the mid nineties and have enjoyed using them.

I’ve got a whole fleet of Zippos, including an “Armour” in sterling silver. I’ve also got a fleet of IMCO’s (6700’s & 6800’s), some original Austrian versions (nickel plated) and a couple of Japanese continuation models (thicker stainless steel). There’s no two ways about it. The IMCO’s are straight out quantifiably better in every metric. Subjectively though, the Zippos are way cooler, but it’s the IMCO’s that I carry every day...

Greetings from Czech Republic. I began to like IMCOs cca 20 years ago, when I found the IMCO Streamline 6800 which my father left me. I changed the wick and cotton, cleaned the lighter and used it more than 2 years, I was a smoker at that time. Few years later I purchased again 3 IMCO lighters produced still in Austria in those years - Triplex, Junior and Streamline. I got them for 4 € a piece. The Streamline fits the best into the pocket while being slimmer. I'm happy I got the original lighters from Austria. Of course, the one after my father is for me the most liked. 👍

Since imco no longer exists, zippo should start producing imco style lighters!

So, many of you lighter fans out there probably know that IMCO went out of business in mid-2012 and that there are many Chinese-produced off-brands or IMCO-branded lighters made by the Japanese company windmill. Sure, these from windmill are great, if not arguably even better than the original, but for those who really want a genuine Austrian-made lighter from when IMCO was still a company, here are some easy ways to identify whether they're genuine or not: 1. The Magnet Test: Just hold a magnet against the IMCO, if it's magnetic, it's from Austria, if not, then not. BUT DON'T FEAR: The Austrian-made IMCO's actually are worse than the ones produced by the windmill company here, because the Japanese IMCOs are made out of stainless steel, while the original IMCOs have a Nickel plating, which oxidates over time (that's also the reason why some old IMCOs look very nasty) 2. The Spare Flint: IMCO's actually have a cool feature, some may already know it, but genuine or Windmill Zippos have a hole for the spare flint if needed; if you pull that little thing saying IMCO PAT. back, it shows up. So it's a way to tell that your lighter isn't fake. 3. The Stamps: I'm actually not a 100% sure, but by what the stamps say, you can either determine whether it's a fake, made by the Windmill company, or a genuine IMCO. If it says IMCO PAT. on the inside, you're pretty safe, and if it says PATENT MADE IN AUSTRIA, it's essentially guaranteed that it is an Austrian-produced IMCO. The WIndmill IMCOs have a weird spelling on the outside, and instead of saying PATENT MADE IN AUSTRIA, it says COME OF VIENNA/AUSTRIA or in some variation, to my knowledge. I have also lately bought an IMCO on eBay, where the seller ensured me that it was genuine, and upon arrival, checking all the steps mentioned, it had to be genuine, but one thing bothered me with this: On the outside, t said just PATENT AUSTRIA and not MADE IN AUSTRIA, maybe it was changed later in production, I don't know. But remember, the Japanese IMCOs are definitely holding up to the standards of a genuine IMCO, and that buying an Austrian-Made IMCO for a much higher price than that of the Japanese is just a waste of money, except if you want to sell it to a collector for about $150 in a few decades.

I think my grandpa has an old Imco lighter somewhere in his collection.

Imco is more beautiful then zippo!!nice video👍🏻✌🏼

When imco closed the doors in 2012 in Austria, a Japanese firm bought the imco name, the tooling, and machinery and shipped it to china They are still genuine imcos, produced by the same machines as in Austria. I would go so far as to say the build quality is better. The new imcos are made from stainless steel,as opposed to the original electro plated carbon steel which rusted easily. The newly produced imcos are a little heavier and more robust.

Nice video, i found some on ebay from china made in Austria, they have the imco pat near the flint mechanism but no esbit on the side.

That IMCO looks really good. So was the Esbit name put on some of those made in Austria or are the Esbit's new ones from Asia?

My choice is for IMCO

Your lucky to own a imco and this is comming from a zippo fan

everytime i use mine and close it the lid pushes the cartridge down about 1/32-1/16 ,thats what i hate and it dont always spark unless you put pressure on it,also the flint is not on the center of the roller but riding the edge,i kinda pushed it back almost center because its sheetmetal and easy to do but i did not want to bend it like that

IMCO was fairly common here in London, now there is only one shop here in UK that sells them. Good I bought a few before the price went sky high. I carried both Zippo and IMCO everyday in winter.

nice video how can I get the original? I have ben looking forever and still nothing

IMCO is a more interesting design. However it has a serious drawback: The flint is not perfectly aligned with the wheel so the former wears down unevenly and assumes a wedge shape which eventually as it gets shorter jams in the wheel jamming the mechanism. It is a job removing the jammed flint. As the lighter sees more use the problem is accentuated and eventually the lighter becomes unusable.

Imco's got too many moving parts. It's a cool design, but simplicity trumps cool factor. Simple as that.

thank buddy for your info...

question video to the author. at what price it will sell its imco?

There are some decent imco clones as of 2024, and quality on the company using the original patent style has improved as well. If you're getting a clone from china, look for the ones with the screw & spring style flint. The imco stapler type may be fine quality, but these are noticeably heavier and thick.

Ohshi, why did I never think of storing a spare flint in my zippo.

Where did you get your IMCO lighters? I am a South Korean and I really want to get one!

Isqueiros de boa qualide. Parabéns! Rio de Janeiro Brasil

am going for the imco junior 6600

Hi thanks for the video, i just realized I have a copy of the IMCO lighter for the knockoff I have has the exact same stars as the one you have in the video, which means it's not really worth much right? Oh well haha!!

Got multiple zippos and imcos but im still usong imco only cus it never fails and the quality is much better

Is there a link from where u purchased the esbit imco lighters ?

Nice. IMCO is btw produced again, with original tooling and certified in the eu.

I bought IMCO Junior but its little bit broken. When I'm opening it, whell doesn't rotate. Uncle said that it might be problem with thin plate under lid or wheel which is is connected with that plate and which rotates main spark wheel. What should I do? Should i make another plate or what? Please help me if someone know how :/ :)

Cool design

I have an Imco from Austria , its made in 1980 and its collectiblr item , I got it from my fathers grandfather he worked in Austria

cual es mejor segun su opinion.

great video...only dont understand how imko is from south corea and on lighter it written austria

Bonjour So which one is the best ?

Nice vid 😊😊😊

And if they break do they have a life time warranty like zippos ?

What's liquik are used?

I have always wanted an Imco lighter, im a huge Third Reich collector.

how price for the imco lighter??

zippo badly, imco cool,but imco is dead.why?

Now There are official Chinese OEM is being produced by Japanese company Windmill.

I prefer zippo over the imco just an overall better lighter better made better functioning Aftermarket inserts solved the gas leak problem years ago Price wise they are the same my armor in combo with a quality gas insert costs about the same as an imco

Imco. Of course. The Best.

İmco ❤️

Slmaet soree all ngopi nggolak? Kerja kaya gituhh?

You're better off with the original 1937 version just to make sure. You definitely won't get a fake.

I am a Austrian so I like Imco most.

Almost every lighter is better than a zippo, zippo is just better advertised in movies

もし、ステンレスモデルでよければアマゾンで売っていますよ 日本のメーカーが中国で生産しています If the stainless steel model is OK, it is sold in the Amazon Japanese manufacturers are producing in China

zippo should take over imco....

The Chinese IMCOs aren't bad - they do the job, but they have poorly fitting components and terrible stamping for the logos, and they get hotter than the original IMCOs, which were made of electroplated steel. Needless to say, if you can get hold of an Austrian-made IMCO, they are slightly better. If you're not sure which you have, use a magnet - it will be attracted to the Austrian lighters.

Slamett siang dan soreee ngopi nggolak aku kerja harga ada nya?bls

Zippos do be kickin ass tho

If you want a petroleum lighter that you can do tricks with, buy the overpriced, overhyped piece of shit they call a Zippo. If you want a reliable petroleum lighter, buy an IMCO.

哈哈哈

فاجرة خلي بالك

Not using out that was used by Nazi soldiers lol

The Germans made everything great but the zippo is better. Js, I'm sore the Imco is good but you can't beat a zippo.