<< Good lord! I've never seen anything wrong with a $1 Bic. What a waste! >>
Well, for pipe smokers, the angled flame available from lighters by Colibiri and Corona are pretty clutch. Having a pick built right into the lighter is almost invariably a godsend as if I had a nickel for every stupid pipe nail I've lost, I'd be rich enough to buy one of those whack lighters posted above
Also, they are set up so that you don't have to have your finger so close to the flame. When you light a pipe or cigar, you often need to have the flame up for 10 seconds or more.
Zippos are OK and you can even get a pipe modification that gives you an angled flame, but you can actually taste the naptha in the lighter fluid in your smoke, so a lot of pipe/cigar smokers balk at them
One of the big problems with Colibri lighters is their piezoelectric striking mechanism. The same mechanism that makes them always light the first time makes them so easily never light at all. All it takes is a little bit of dust, pocket lint or impact to throw the filament out of whack and it stops working.
I've had my Colibri for like 18 months now, I've refilled it a number of times, and I've had no issues, although I rarely pocket carry mine. It sits by my ash tray. When I go for a walk, sometimes it makes it to my pocket...knock on wood, I've had no issues.