You must look at the pros and cons of these matches and not be sold on the name. To counter a previous review I found these easy enough to light on the striker provided on top.
PROS:
1. Burn fiercely when lit and would probably do well in wind/rain.
2. Will not ignite accidentally as they are not strike anywhere.
3. These are ''NATO'' matches!
CONS:
1. Go out after coated top burns to wood. A regular wood match gives you more time to light tinder due to the wood burning.
2. Not strike anywhere. When I am cold and hands numb I want matches to ignite. Ignition when cold is more important than protection from accidental ignition. To safegard against accidental ignition pack half up and half down, put cotton at heads (doubles as emergency tinder), and split in two containers. Also waterproof the heads (I''ve only used parafin, but I hear a light coating of clear nail polish works well and doesn''t melt in heat).
3. The striking surface is not protected (though it would be easy enough to fold one up and put it inside; worth having even for strike anywhere matches).
4. $7 for about 50 matches vs. about half that for 750 strike anywhere (at a store near me)!!!
BOTTOM LINE: I can get a lot more strike anywhere matches at the store that stay lit longer. If I was in high wind or rain I personally would seek shelter before trying to build fire. Standard strike anywhere matches can be lit in wind easily if you have the knack (ask a smoker). As a kid I remember being out in winter with safety matches and a wet striker lid (it got wet when I took it out of a plastic bag to light a match) cursing the fact they wouldn''t strike anywhere. The key isn''t a match that keeps burning due to a coating, but carrying/finding good tinder.
Don''t be sold by the name. Test all products at home in worst case conditions before going out.
P.S. If it came to down to carrying 25 matches or a cheap bic lighter I would take the lighter (depending on conditions). 25 lights or 250+? Don''t take matches just because they seem more ''survivally'' (?). Be practical.
I bought a few bottles of these as they are advertised as being windproof. I opened one to try them out before taking them into the wilds. Wow! One scrape and it''s going so strong, I''m trying to find a place to put this thing down! They go really strong for about five or six seconds, certainly long enough to get tinder going. If you can''t light a fire with this much energy, you''ve got bigger issues to deal with.
I tried to light them on other surfaces and discovered they are true safety matches and will only light on a red phosphorous striking surface. This is a mixed blessing. On the upside, you can pack these in your checked luggage (which you can''t do with "light anywhere" matches). On the downside, you have to have to have the right surface around or there''s no way to light them, so they aren''t quite as useful if everything else is going completely wrong.
If you''re looking for a safety match striking surface, all matchbooks are safety matches, so an empty matchbook has the right surface on the back. When I pulled six of these matches from the open jar for my mini survival kit, I cut up a matchbook cover, folded it over, and put that in for striking (it''s folded over to make sure a match head can''t contact the striking surface, which could be very bad).
One quibble (not worth taking away a whole star): the lid isn''t very secure once you''ve opened the jar. I used a piece of tape to keep the jar closed tight, but I wish I didn''t have to.
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I once carried these for emergencies. However, whenever I would practice with them, I never could get them to light using the provided striker. The only time I have been able to light one is with a kitchen match. Sort of defeats the purpose. Some people may have mastered their use but if your life depends on it, try another method. Even if you ARE successful using them, if you are laid up, it may be someone else who has to try to use them. I can''t recommend the lifeboat/storm matches.
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I bought these from a local Surplus store and the sales person was very excited to say that I could strike it, only on the provide strike pad, and once lit it could actually be submerged in water and come out still burning! He wasn''t lying. The reason that I am rating this item so low is because once the phosphorus or sulfur or whatever chemical it is that burns is done it fizzles and dies and can''t even catch the wooden part on fire at most you get 10 good second of burn time so I hope you have everything primed with an accelerant before you light this but then what''s the point of this "wonder match"?
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I bought these around December and went camping in July, well they work and once they are lit they have some fire power but there are a few issues. One the windproof thing is a lie, I lit a match and the second it was lit a SLIGHT breeze hit me and put it out as it was burning. Second the cotton pad inside the canister I assume is there to protect the matches and prevent them from igniting actually sticks to the matches and prevents you from striking them. Third and finally you have to strike them ontop of the canister, and whatever the substance is started to peel all the way off after three or four matches were struck. I know this happens with regular old gas station packs but it peeled off large unused sections and prevented me from being able to strike any more. I have mixed feelings on this but I think I will stick with a Swedish fire starter.
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Excellent alternative to the average bike bottle holders/ cages. The velcro strap design is a useful option for my folding bike that does not have the typical circular "down tube" ( the slanted bar in the middle of the bike). This is also useful for any bike that does not have pre-drilled holes or a good location for the regular cages that use screws.
