I have a Matte Black Zippo as well as a Sapphire Blue one. My friend has a Matte White Zippo. I wanted to buy a lighter for one of my friends who didn't have a permanent lighter (but does smoke cigars rather often). I wanted to get him a Matte lighter as well so we could all have Matte Zippos.So I bought him this lighter and he seemed to really like it. The finish is great. It's not shiny at all (duh) and has a slightly textured finish (you can't feel that it's bumpy or anything, but it doesn't feel smooth/polished).The Zippo works great so long as you make sure it has fuel in it (even if you fill it and never use it, it can evaporate over time so if you are in a situation where it's your only source of fire, you should always top it off before you leave, and consider bringing some spare fluid). Second, you also have to make sure the flint has not worn out, or keep a backup in the base of the lighter. Cause without flint, you have no fire!So yes, since this is not a disposable lighter it does require some maintenance, but that's not unlike any other thing.All Zippo's are internally the same so just choose the color and finish you like.