OK OK.... I give! You all make sense. Back to the firesteel. I will still carry lifeboat matches, 2 bic's, and a Zippo or Peanut flint/wick/fluid lighter (yes... I understand the fuel volatility problem - but I have a reserve tank that's lasted years). I agree that tinder is the real issue: I carry tinderquick and several petroleum jelly/cotton "straws."
BTY, I've made fire in sub-zero weather at high elevations with all of these methods. I HAVE had to warm the bic, but not the Zippo.