The only special trick I know of with the NATOs is that you can only light them on the striker built into the lid. I never found a way to light them on a normal striker or anything else for that matter.
Problem is, that striker isn't very water or friction resistant. Protect it at all cost if you are going to use them. This is my least favorite part of the whole design.
Me, I've got other options. *grins* I had a couple of tubes of these in the late 90s, finally tested them shortly after Y2K, and discovered that they had a shelf life. Or I had a really messed up lot.
EDIT: Yes, they should be struck, not pulled, across the striker. Hold the butt of the match against your finger, and jab downward, a short, swift stroke, of the black tip down the striker. That was the only way I could get them to be reliable- the stems were to thin in my batch, they broke about half the time if you tried to normally draw across the striker.
This technique also applies to normal stick matches- you can light them off a bit of striker the size of a first class stamp this way!
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-IronRaven
When a man dare not speak without malice for fear of giving insult, that is when truth starts to die. Truth is the truest freedom.