Best Pipe Lighter: Why Pipe Smokers Choose the Xikar Pipeline
A cigar lighter is not always a good pipe lighter. A jet torch is too hot and too focused for a pipe bowl — it can scorch the tobacco and burn the rim of the bowl. Pipe smokers need something different.
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What makes a good pipe lighter
- Soft flame. A gentle flame lights the tobacco evenly without burning it.
- Angled flame. The flame should come out at an angle so you can aim it down into the bowl while you draw.
- A tamper. You will tamp the tobacco several times during a smoke. Having one built in means one less tool to carry.
- Easy to maintain. Flint ignition is simple and easy to repair.
The Xikar Pipeline
The Xikar Pipeline checks every box. It has an angled soft flame, a flint ignition under a hinged cover, and a stainless steel tamper and scraper hidden in the bottom of the body. It refills with butane and is altitude tested to 12,000 ft. Like all Xikar lighters, it has a limited lifetime warranty.
- Angled soft flame made for pipes
- Flint ignition with hinged cover (uses Xikar XI-610 flints)
- Built-in tamper and scraper
- Stainless body
- Xikar limited lifetime warranty
We carry the Pipeline in Black, Chrome and Black Rose.
Can I use a cigar lighter for my pipe?
A soft flame cigar lighter like the Colibri Continental or Xikar Meridian will work, but the flame points straight up, so lighting a pipe is less comfortable. Avoid jet torches for pipes.
How to light a pipe
- Pack the bowl and tamp lightly.
- Do a “charring light”: move the flame in circles over the tobacco while you take short puffs. The top will rise and char.
- Tamp it down flat.
- Do the “true light”: light again evenly while you puff.
- Re-light and tamp as needed during the smoke.
Care tips
Use clean butane, wait a few minutes after filling before you light it, and replace the flint when the spark gets weak. If the flame gets small, purge and refill. See our lighter troubleshooting guide.
High Heaven Gallery is an authorized Xikar dealer in Skokie, IL. Browse all cigar lighters.