Strike Anywhere Matches

[03A3]

They're nice to have and I've been able to keep several around. I have them in my vehicles, buttpack, boat....you name it.
They have been getting a little hard to find for the last couple of years. Today I stumbled across some at the Terre Haute Rural King and bought several boxes of kitchen matches and the smaller ones in the 32-count boxes.
With few of these and some Army surplus trioxane fuel bars getting a fire going is a cinch.

 

[2cool9031]

Delmar said ACE has them.

 

[Royal-1]

I remember some talk about them awhile back. What I remember being said, they are not as good as they used to be. The tips are smaller and they are hard to light. Also why are they hard to find is due to them being a HazMat item now and it cost extra to ship them.

Just what I remember reading.

Personally I remember buying boxes of them and throwing them at friends feet and having them light. Lighting them with a thumbnail, tooth, zipper... They were cheep fireworks for us. I guess those days are gone.

 

[joslar15]

I've seen them at Traildust in Bloomington recently as 2 weeks ago.

 

[Cpt Caveman]

I've not noticed them being any more difficult to light.Same as they've always been, at least the brand I buy.

 

[pgw0321321]

Maybe it's the brand, I've bought a few boxes at Gander Mountain that's been hard to strike, but the ones from Ace Hardware have been pretty easy.

 

[CarmelHP]

There has recently been an influx of Chinese made brands. Stick to the US made if you can.

 

[03A3]

The matches I've been buying are Penley brand. They are made in Chile.
They work well.
I've seen some "waterproof" matches at Gander Mountain, made in Korea.
I haven't had any dealings with those.

 

[originalhonkey]

i forgot all about those matches. thanks for bringing it up i need to go get some.

 

[cosermann]

Since this is a survival room in the forum I'm assuming we're thinking of matches for survival use. So, I'll ask this question of everyone: What is the oldest batch of matches you've been able to consistently strike and light successfully and how were they stored?

I think what we'll find is that matches are generally fragile and have a shelf-life that is significantly dependent on storage conditions. Stored improperly, it may be only 2 or 3 years. They absorb moisture from the air. Get them damp and the game is over. Waterproof matches are more resistant to the effects of moisture, but their expense means most folks won't store enough. Stored in a sealed dry container, I'm not sure what the max life would be, although many have found the typical strike anywhere kitchen matches they socked away for Y2K (9 yrs old) won't light.

Matches are also a very cheap product and quality control is a bit loose from what I understand. Therefore, their performance is often somewhat inconsistent. We've all seen matches break or the heads shear off when struck (inconsistent grain of the wood stick), or fail to light at all (variability in the structure of the match head, or lack of striking technique/user error). Strike improperly and future attempts to light a particular match are often doomed (it becomes kindling).

Name brand lighters are generally better in terms of longevity and are less sensitive to storage conditions in terms of moisture, although they can have issues as well (fuel leakage, etc., although not common with the good brands), and can light lots of fires. When the gas runs out, one still has some ability to create a spark.

For my money, large firesteels are the best. Insensitive to moisture. Indefinite shelf-life. Can light thousands of fires.

I carred a lot of matches in waterproof cases/matchsafes during my boy scout days, but honestly I don't carry any anymore having migrated to butane lighters and firesteels.

In terms of reliability and robustness the ranking would be 1 - firesteel, 2 - lighter, 3 - matches.

Something to think about.

 

[KokomoDave]

The real reason is that meth cookers,bomb makers and nefarious individuals have used them for anything but what a normal person would use them for.Diamond & Ohio Blue Tip reformulated the tip so that there is less phosporous to use for less-than-normal fire starting.

I've ruined many a pair of Levi's by striking matches on 'em.

 

[Delmar]

The real reason is that meth cookers,bomb makers and nefarious individuals have used them for anything but what a normal person would use them for.Diamond & Ohio Blue Tip reformulated the tip so that there is less phosporous to use for less-than-normal fire starting.

I've ruined many a pair of Levi's by striking matches on 'em.

I don't know anything about that, but the Diamond brand I buy at ace hardware light just fine. My son fires them out of his air rife and they burst into flame on impact. It's pretty cool. We are planning to start our bonfire with this method on the 4th!

 

[lawrra]

I don't know anything about that, but the Diamond brand I buy at ace hardware light just fine. My son fires them out of his air rife and they burst into flame on impact. It's pretty cool. We are planning to start our bonfire with this method on the 4th!

!!! I just got all excited! I will definitely be trying that tomorrow.