only good as a last ditch..nothing else around to light a
fire method..candle stubs --heat tabs--Sterno cubes..wax
and saw dust..all are less of a mess and will do the job
much better..the cotton ball trick is right up there with
the nine volt battery and steel wool or the fire piston..
it's survival not a boy scout demo on odd-ball fire starting
methods..
as for other use's--zip--zero..better to put more matches,
meds,fish hooks..in that space