I tried out mineral oil on cotton as tinder. It works well. I heard somebody say mineral oil burns hotter than petroleum jelly (PJ), but I couldn't find any data to prove that. Mineral oil is cleaner to manage (not a big deal). However, PJ has more alternative uses I think.

For tinder, do you carry mineral oil and cotton, or PJ and cotton?

Having tried a number of things, I'm carrying Tinder-Quik. I've got Purel as a backup.

I reckon,

You need 1more option, Sometimes. Like Chaosmagnet, I normally carry Tinder-Quick, but sometimes go back to PJ.

Respectfully,

Jerry

Tinder-Quik is in a tough market. I can get 13 ounces of Vaseline and 500 cotton balls for about $7, and these items have many other uses besides fire starting.

True, but I think Tinder-Quik is among the best quality products you can find. Cotton balls and Vaseline work but it's messy. The Tinder-Quik are premade, very water resistant and very compact. I'd rather use them than cotton balls in a pinch. But of course, the cotton balls work great and are a lot cheaper.

I've used the PJ and cotton balls, but they are messy. They do work well.

I picked up some o those Tinder Cards a few weeks back, haven't had a chance to try them out yet, but will on my next camping trip.

They are messy , but if I have to use them instead of a lighter or match, I am already in a MESSY situation. I won't mind anything to start a fire.

Oh, and the excess PJ ?
I won't mind smearing that over my hands.
Can't do that with mineral oil.

Interesting. PJ cotton balls are my PREFERRED way to make fires. Cheap, works well.

I've never tried mineral oil but, when I'm out & about in the outdoors, a firesteel & PJ cotton balls are my primary fire starting method. I do also have some Tinder-Quik, but they are tucked away in a kit as a back-up item.

As mentioned, the PJ & cotton balls are inexpensive and as so are my go-to item for regular use.

I don't find them too messy, but I don't tend to go too heavy on the PJ. I tried making saturated ones once but wasn't able to come up with a combination that used a lot of PJ that I was still able to light easily.

Using only a little PJ leaves the cotton ball fluff intact. Saturated cotton balls require about 30 sec of fluffing up before it will take a spark.