I don't know much about lighters except from being a former pack-a-day cigarette smoker who lit a lot of cigarettes outdoors in all different weather conditions. My experience as a former consumer of many plasitc Bic lighters was that they were generally reliable and they seemed to last forever. IMHO, the cheap, redundant, plentiful choice (a couple of colorful plasitc Bics plus waterproof camping matches plus alternative fire starter) is a terrific way to go. The combined weight and bullk is nothing, you can share some if need be, and you can spend the savings on something nice for your wife (which is another survival topic altogether). <br><br>If you really want to spend the large $$$ (i.e., $15-20), buy a Blast Match or Strike Force firestarter. While both designs can be criticized, they really do make decent firestarting sparks without much effort, and I wouldn't want to be without one.