I needed an intellectual diversion today, having voted @ 7A.M. Perhaps the smell of sulfer will cleanse my nose. So, on to the great Strike Anywhere test in the tradition of the condom test. First I read everything there is to know about the things @ www.diamondbrands.com. I then randomly opened one of my 5 boxes of strike anywheres. On to a count and sorting ; 250 as advertised, 18 had undersized white tips, 9 deformed,2 broken and 1 missing the entire head. That left 230 well formed matches. Burn time with a good match ,held head down @ 45 degrees in still air is 30 seconds from ignition to burning fingers. Of the 18 undersized white tips, 5 literally popped off on ignition, flamed out and left a redhead requiring use of the box striker. 13 readilly ignited with a little care and burned normally. All9 deformed matches igniited with care to strike the white portion. The broken matches could not be ignited. Striking surfaces used were my living room wall, leather boot soles and provided box striker. That box striker is also the only strip I can also reliably ignite lifeboat matches with on a hard surface. Shipping regulations are making it harder to find strike anywheres. Matches are also denigrated in survival literature as " finite and fragile." As a final test I asked my next door nieghbor, a recent immigrant from Nepal to start a barbeque fire. Displayed were a metal match and hacksaw blade, disposablelighter and box of remaining matches. She immedietely reached for the matches. In a real life scenario WE may be incapacitated.The 12 y/o child or asphalt pounder possibly won't understand a firesteel, but everyone knows about wooden matches.