Although Zippo is famous for fuel lighters there were always attempts to get in the business with butane lighters. The first contact was well known in the '80s with the Contempo series, but the series was quickly stopped.
In 2002 Zippo started the production of the Multi-Purpose-Lighter and this time it was a success. More models were added: The Outdoor-Utility-Lighter, the MiniMPL and the Zippo Blu. It remains to be seen how successful Zippo in this market, which is in the main cause dominated by disposable lighters, will be.