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Fritz
45
Mar 28, 2016
So for $15 bucks you get 37 matches...OR for $17 you can get a box of 100 disposable lighters with free shipping on Amazon. And really it's only like 30 matches cause you know as soon as this arrives your gonna play with a few. Yup, gonga deal here folks.
DuxDawg
107
Mar 28, 2016
FritzFritz, you are looking at this all wrong. These are not the cheapest EDC fire ignition method. Nor are they supposed to be!
UCO Stormproof and Titan matches are primarily for people who are likely to find themselves in life threatening situations in deep wilderness. In that niche, they excel. By the way, off brand disposable lighters are prone to failure and should not be relied upon in the back country. In my experience Bics are hands down the best lighters for wilderness travel.
UCO Stormproof and Titan matches are more like mini road flares than matches. These "mini flares" will start fires in conditions that disposable lighters will not. I have been starting fires with EMPTY lighters for many years, so that's saying something. Further, when time and success are of the essence, not having to go through the multiple steps necessary to reliably start a fire with other ignition methods can be mission critical.
Stormproof matches are not my first choice for EDC. But then I start most of my more than a hundred fires each year with Flint (the rock) & Steel and have been for many years. UCO "mini flares" are however the first thing I reach for when I have fallen through the ice in high wind below zero weather. I have enough experience in such to know firsthand just how quickly hypothermia can sneak up, robbing us of our coordination, leaving us helpless.
If you ever find yourselves in a "If I don't get this fire started right now, I will probably die" scenario... I hope you have some UCO Titan Stormproof matches on you!!
DannyMilks
4557
Mar 28, 2016
DuxDawgThanks @DuxDawg for the input. I would agree that these "are more like mini road flares than matches." Our product photographer tried to get some pictures of the Titans lit up, and we nearly had to evacuate the office. There was smoke everywhere and the flame was substantial. They literally could not extinguish the match with any method.
beesings
83
Mar 31, 2016
DuxDawgInteresting post. Can you elaborate on what you mean by starting fires with "empty" lighters? Are you talking about that trick with the flint?
DuxDawg
107
Mar 31, 2016
beesingsAs a lifelong aficionado I could easily write a 400 page book on the nuances of primitive and modern fire ignition, yet I will attempt to be brief here. There is a tiny ferrocerium fire starter (aka ferro) in conventional lighters. This is commonly called the "flint". As we have all seen, this throws sparks when scraped by the wheel. When the lighter is out of fuel, we can use these sparks with many of the better tinders to create an ember. The ember is then coaxed into flame in a tinder bundle the same as an ember from any other non flame based ignition method, ie Percussion Fire, Friction Fire, Solar Fire, etc. With a little know how and skill, we can make hundreds of fires with a single empty disposable lighter.
Any properly charred material from plants or fungi will catch sparks from any ferro. Some piths, plant fluffs, certain parts of certain fungi, etc work raw (uncharred) as such tinders as well. Cotton fluff from socks or jeans, toilet paper and many other scrounged modern materials will work. Sometimes flame can be produced directly with an empty lighter and certain tinders. However, embers are more easily and reliably achieved. Speaking of easy and reliable, when a lighter with fuel is giving us fits due to high winds, cold, altitude, etc we can use the "Empty Lighter" techniques and still achieve our fire.
Notes: I denote "conventional" lighters because there are piezo lighters. Thus far I have been unable to ignite anything other than vapors with piezo sparks.
Percussion Fire: Flint & Pyrites, Carbide Steel & High Carbon Steel, F&S aka Flint (the rock) & (high carbon) Steel. While both F&S and ferros use sparks, F&S is very different from a ferro in the temperature and longevity of those sparks and consequently the tinders that will yield an ember with them.
Friction Fire: bow drill, hand drill, Rudiger Roll, fire saw, etc.
Solar Fire: fresnel lens, soda can, tablespoon, water bottle, ice lens, etc.
beesings
83
Apr 2, 2016
DuxDawgThat's fascinating and useful. Thanks Dux!
beesings
83
Apr 3, 2016
DuxDawgThanks for refreshing my memory on the 'flint trick'. I learned that one in the boy scouts and forgot about the specifics.
boss429
19
Apr 4, 2016
DuxDawgThose bic lighter flints are quite long and usually only 1/3 used when the lighter runs out. I take them out and put into my Zippo, lasts a lot longer than regular Zippo flints