Bic lighters burn the cleanest.

That "sick ass taste" was probably the resin you were smoking out of your bong...not lighter fluid...
Don't use Zippo's for bongs.. or pipes.. that's the worst kind of fluid to ingest. butane torches burn fairly clean.. but personally i wouldn't use them for a bong in fear of melting either a rubber seal ..or my hand.

As for matches.. they're okay to use.. The best thing to do is to actually let the match burn for a few seconds to burn off any chemicals in the match head...the stick is usually only cardboard paper.

Cheers, Bob.