IME: They work OK. Vulnerable to wind until they are fully "involved", bulky and heavy, and you need a match or lighter to ignite them. I think of them as "Cub Scout" fire starters - which is not meant to be derogatory. I just threw out a *case* the scout troop had made a few years ago - my scouts sneer at them. They have become huge afficiandos of cotton-wool + petroleum jelly, ignited by a spark. Snobby boys...? Anyway, the stuff you describe works OK. I think they may be a little better than impregnated cotton wool at dealing with truly wet wood that has not been properly prepared (splitting into small kindling), but that's an impression - nothing scientific.

Make some up and see what you think. If you want to compare, try melting in 1/3 to 1/2 petroleum jelly by volume to the melted wax - IME, it makes them less difficult to ignite than straight candle wax. If you over-do the jelly, they are a bit greasy and should be carried wrapped in plastic film or bagged in plastic. In any event, use a double-boiler to melt the stuff - a tin can inside a sauce pan keeps the home kitchen a happier place than using the chief cook's snazzy double boiler <img src="images/graemlins/blush.gif" alt="" />

HTH Tom