How to Repair Those Useless New Clippers

Intro: How to Repair Those Useless New Clippers

If you're a smoker you'll deinitely have noticed a decline in the quality of clipper lighters which I believe has something to do with the newer hexagonal flint wheels, the hexagon is not the problem but the flint wheel has changed and quickly wears the flint in such a way that it's useless after a week or so.

There's the problem here's the fix. As you can imagine this has been annoying me alot as the nozzle in wonder jet lighter is kaput - If I ever manage to lathe my own all will be well.

**Edit: New steps added**

STEP 1: Removing the Offending Piece.

Right the only tools you should really need are a flathead screwdriver (large) and if you have clumsy or weak fingers pliers may be handy aswell.

Grab the flint wheel and pull up, remember this is for clippers, they have a seperate flint assembly, It simply pulls out.

STEP 2: Getting Down to It.

You'll notice on the bottom of the flint tube theres a slot, much like a flathead screw.

That's it you need to loosen this a little before you'll get it with your hands, just use a large flathead screwdriver. Take it off by hand after loosening though and hold on carefully in case the flint escapes, after getting the spring and endcap of tip the flint out for inspection.

You'll see one side that's very shiny and most likely worn with a slight groove or some such, possibly a slant, either way this is a bad thing. If this is the first time doing this repair then just turn it around and put it in the tube with the unworn end facing the striker wheel, if you still have a good amount of flint left then you can always file it down flat.

Getting the spring and endcap back on can be tricky, start screwing it in and don't let go of it until it's all the way in, it can go backwards so push down a bit while screwing it in to position, also it'll kind of bump along, don't worry that's just the spring ends popping up and down a bit from being screwed...

STEP 3: A More Permanent Fix.

So after doiing the original fix I still felt that the spark wasn't right, mainly because the wheel span too freely, you have two options to consider, either increase the force pushing the flint stone into the wheel or change the wheel, I decided the best bet would be to add a spacer between the spring and the flint.

I used a piece of a small screw as a spacer, you could just put a second flint into it as a spacer, this is probably the best option but my bit of screw does the job nicely and will always be there...

STEP 4: At Last Success

You should have a nice powerful spark and no loose limp wristed spinning from the striker wheel, enjoy your new friend, understanding something is the first step to knowing something.

Comments

[BaronGreenback]

Sorry if this has been posted before, but stretching the spring a little improves the spark a great deal, no need for a spacer. Also, using a pin to scrape out the dead skin from the flint wheel helps to keep it in tip top condition.

[annesprad11]

Steam cleaner works great for cleaning the gunk out of the grooves in the wheel, as well as a Dremel with a wire brush bit.

[Jenjen81]

In Victorian times we had an industrial revolution and things were made to last with quality materials. Then they realised that they needed repeat customers buying products or they would have no business.
The lightbulb association got together and all manufacturers agreed to lower the quality of their products, to get repeat customers. There is an old lightbulb in a fire station that is still working today and it was installed when electric lights first came out.
Inventors could make batteries that last a lifetime, but if they did, they would have to patent the idea via a government office, and what do you think would happen to that person. They would make it look like suicide, as batteries are big business.
It's a shame but true.
I thought that clipper had changed the composition of the flints, as they used to be silver in colour and now they are copper coloured.

[NawtyG]

+There are a couple of factors that haven't been mentioned. Clipper lighters used to be reliable and last. The hexagonal flints now stop working after you replace the flints. The company changed the design to sell more lighters and up their profits. The other thing is counterfeit products. I have heard that Clipper lighters are one of the most counterfeited products. Most counterfeit products are inferior quality compared to the product itself. Like Rollox watches !!

[4foxsake]

Got fix for sorting sh1t flame on clippers after week or 2 using it??? Clippers were decent years ago but now lucky if get a month of good use out of it until the flame is more lame.

[Hitsonlycash]

Another trick is to remove the crap clipper wheel out and replace it with cheapest scrap lighter, wheels will fit and works everytime and would be a custom built. No tools needed

[2337me]

1st Big thanks to the O.P ! It really helped me realize that I didn't have to build up a thumb's pulp callus to operate my Clippers long term (see what i did there? calluses, clippers...? meh aks a guitarist ;)
2nd,I blame myself 4 not figuring it out sooner since i had noticed that the original flint ur lighter comes with is much longer than what u can find in retail...
3rd I just use a toothpick, pointy face in the spring & cut to the desired length, avoids wearing down the wheel.

& BONUS : look @ flint offers on Ebay or the likes, I get mine @ 3$/200pcs. from H.K !
Also i realize this tuto is more than a decade old lol, still useful ! Happy new year 2021 yall!

[iI4I20Ii]

Instead of a screw buy a bic take the spring out of bic and put the spring from the bic in the clipper the bic spring is a little longer so solves the problem without adding a screw or extra flint xD

[mraidymadd]

If you're gonna go all the way to buying a new BIC, you might as well bin the crap Clipper and use the BIC.
Amazing isn't how a little common sense prevails in times like this.....

[LivJ1]

And the flint from a bic lighter, duh. I cut the flint in half with wire cutters (carefully or both pieces disappear) and the flints have lasted me 6 months or more and i use my clippers all day ;) and to fix the flame issue they get sometimes remove allllllll pressure and refill until a puddle appears around the refill port ?

[JayneC23]

But why steal the flint from a Bic and render it inoperable (unless it's already dead)... or better yet, why bother buying a Bics at all? (lol) when flints are so cheap anyways? Not sure where you live, but they usually come in packages of 10 (though I've also gotten them in little plastic tubes, maybe 5 or 10 of them in the tube?) and for probably no more than a quid or a euro... I could be a bit off on the price, but regardless they're super cheap, and would fix the discussed issue (and with no need to stretch out or weaken a spring). One pack of flints lasts me years and years... it's usually moreso an issue is remembering where I put the damned package when I need it again since they last me so long! But then again, I don't smoke spliffs, so I'm sure that makes a difference, but either way, they cheap and is the easiest, most logical solution of all because then you've always got flints on hand of the right size and type..

[natanael.betancourt4589]

The spacer idea was a success for me. I use my zippo flints for my clipper, so I had te idea to use an extra zippo flint as a spacer and works perfectly while also leaving me with and extra flint. Thanks for the post it rly helped!!

[kschmautz69]

Imo it's much easier to disassemble (destroy) and salvage a new Flint from an empty Bic or generic lighter, assuming ofcourse that you have one lying around somewhere. For some reason the flint rods that bics come equipped with are waaaay longer than the fuel would ever permit they are about half inch in length which would help with ur spacer problem and being that you can strip down a lighter and get an almost new Flint in less time it would take to do any filing/sanding. Not to mention it will last you a lot longer than the stock flint that was in ur clipper. But personally that has never been an issue for me. My problem with the (in)famous clipper lighter is that, sure it's refillable, but if u plan on putting any mid - high quality butaine in it, then I hope you can deal with your clipper being a fuel wasting crack torch. Seriously the flame is 5 f****n inches tall!! And per size of fuel reservoir compared to fuel output, it's worse on gas than a bummer not to mention practically worthless (unless you smoke crack.) So I stick with Bics - tried and true. Bic knows how to run the lighter market: Make a QUALITY light that IS NOT refillable so people want to keep rebuying your product...where as clipper seems to run off the opposite model: Build a JANKY lighter that is REFILLABLE, well problem there is there lighters usually s*** out on you well before you even get a chance to refill. Makes no difference to clipper you still paid the one time price of the lighter. You get what you pay for. Think about it. :-) ... Although I gotta say I have seen some of the all metal clippers online and that brass looking one is rather sexy but oh imagine that you have to pay a little more yes but the metal ones actually have a FLAME ADJUST DIAL. ;-)

[KimberlyV34]

What about repairing the refill valve? I have had two now blow the refill valve. The first one, the refill valve was jammed on I don’t know what. The second one now, I went to refill it, I used an ink pen to push in the valve to get all the air out of the lighter before refilling it. This time. The valve came completely out and is rattling inside the MT cylinder. I have tried different routes of trying to remove the bottom to replace the valve.

Or is this lighter now totally incapacitated and gone for good or is there a fix to this issue?

[SteveZ28]

As far as the lighter flint, I replace it when it makes a weak spark, which is about half-size. Then when the next flint gets down to half-size, I put the old half-size one in so I have two halves. Of course when you get down to the half flint, you have to replace it with a full flint and repeat the process.

[TomM367]

Thank you for putting me to the right path.

[TailsL]

if you have a dead bic you can use a bic flint,spring and spark wheel to fix your clipper lighter.

[DeanB80]

I have found myself with the new style wheels that grease from fingers is building up on the wheel i used some deodorant (alcohol) and some tissue and rubbed side to side all the way around wheel twice and sparks every time no spacer no turning flint anything it is because flat parts of wheel are exposing the sparking inner wheel to grease and dirt

[MartinT93]

This has obviously been done on purpose to get people to buy a new
one. This increases environmental destruction and my finger is hurting
coz of trying to light with this rubbish lighter. I am going to look for
another option so as not to reward these people when they were already
making good money before with a decent enough lighter.

[MartinT93]

Seems you have to get all the flint and skin out from the grooves. Tried with a knife and it seems to make it work a bit atleast. A needle probably would do it better. Really not sure why they made these angled edges. Maybe so it hurts? In any case this is no good if you are smoking roll ups and keep relighting the thing then the lighter is causing pain when it is not lighting first time. my thumb is pretty bad and there is other thumb and another finger also hurting a bit when using this lighter. Those other lighters with the electric spark have an intentional defect in them so it brakes after a while. You can tell because there is a weak point there. they could just as easily make them last for a very long time at no extra cost.