Clipper (lighter)

Clipper lighters; on the left, the flint system which has been removed from the orange one

Clipper is the brand name of a type of refillable butane lighter, designed by Enric Sardà and owned by Flamagas S.A. since 1959.

The lighters are mostly produced in Barcelona (Spain), while others are manufactured in Chennai (India) and Shanghai (China). Clipper has a wide range of lighters, gas refills and other accessories. The first Clipper lighter was made in 1972, and now the worldwide level of production is around 450 million units a year, making it the second-largest lighter manufacturer in the world (behind BIC). Template:Fix/category

The Clipper brand is a division of Flamagas S.A., which also distributes stationery and electronics for such brands as Casio and Daewoo. Flamagas S.A. is headed by Puig, and both companies are subsidiaries of the Exea Corporation.

Associations

Some people associate the use of the Clipper lighter with stoners. This is due to its flint system, which smokers often used to pack self-rolling tobacco. It is also often used when smoking marijuana, because the flint system serves as a rammer and because its shape allows the user to use a lighter without burning. In addition, lighters release extra butane when turned horizontally or upside down, making it easier for smokers to light the bowl of their smoking devices.

In popular culture

• British garage act The Streets used the Clipper lighter as its logo. The lighter (bearing the name of the artist) appears on all album covers bar the first album, which in fact featured a Swan lighter. Their merchandise includes branded Clipper lighters.
• The Artist Damien Hirst also used the images of the Clipper lighter in a series of artworks together with Silk Cut

External links

• Official Clipper website
• Official Flamagas website (manufacturer company)