Personally, I'd take a 99 cent mini-Bic lighter over any number of waterproof, strike-anywhere matches. Granted, if the darned thing is cracked and you lose all your fuel, it's not that easy to start a fire with the spark alone (I just tried lighting a piece of single-ply TP with one; after 50 sparks - with the paper inserted into the opening - I took the end of the paper out and it was glowing, but I wasn't able to blow it into a flame. With cold hands and no dry tinder, I think you'd be screwed. But I can think of a lot of things that might go wrong with matches, too.

I think both of them would work about equally well, over the short term. But if I could only have one, I'd choose a good lighter.

Did you take the little metal safety sheild off that bic lighter first? Sounds like you didn't cause I don't think there would be a "little hole" if you had. Muuuuuuuuuuuuch easier without that blasted thing in the way. <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> Take the sheild off then get a cotton ball instead of TP and I bet you get a flame. <img src="/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

Try this thing:

http://www.countycomm.com/AVIATIONFIRE.htm

Also:

http://www.countycomm.com/issuefirestarter.htm

http://www.countycomm.com/FIRESTARTER.htm

Another little trick, is to rotate the wheel of a bic lighter lightly as not to make a spark. What you are trying to accomplish is an accumulation of flint dust (for a lack of a better description.) Do this about 30 or more times and then throw a spark with the wheel. It will create a lot of sparks on your tinder, cotton ball or whatever. Try it out, it's worked for me many times, versus creating a spark with every strike.

--Chris

Another consideration in the subject comparison - In general, lighters are designed to make a flame go upward (I appreciate that flames naturally go upward anyway :-). With Bic-type butane lighters, a user is required to keep a finger, usually thumb, near the flame.

Since I am almost *never* beneath a fire-lay, I find holding a lighter near the flame in a downward position to actually get the flame in contact with tinder to be awkward at best. Sometimes I smell flesh burning before I get wood smoke.

Personally, I find matches and strikers preferable. In exchange for limited fires, matches offer some length and an extended burn time without holding a valve open. Strikers produce basically unlimited brief sparks, which can be turned into similar numbers of fires. A use of strikers offers the added advantage that they force one to prepare good tinder!

/Neal

Saunterer:

Are you saying flint burns?

Since there is no friction or impact on the flint dust you created, it would have to burn or are the sparks created because the tinder is burning and vaporizing the flint dust?

Bountyhunter

I'm not a chemist, nor do I attempt to pretend to be one. But to answer your question with a best guess, I'd have to say the flint burns. It's actually more of a sparkler effect; but only lasting for less than a half second. Works best when you remove the flame guard, so you can get the "sparkly dust" <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> closer to your tender when you throw the spark/dust combo.

I discovered this many moons ago when I was a smoker. While watching TV, I would rotate the striking wheel of my bic for a few minutes and when it came to light one up, I noticed this. I'm not saying that this method turns your ordinary Bic into a Blastmatch, but if you could gain let's say a 5x amount of sparks it could possibly be the difference between frostbite or a cool night under the stars, providing the conditions are right.


--Chris

Lighter flints are metal rods. Like most metal dust the dust from those rods burns. The flame is not as hot as magnesium but some tinder can be lit with it.

Definitely a lighter, more lights than the matches, but why just one or the other?

Two is one, one is none. Neither one is that heavy, carry both. Always have a back-up, even just out in the yard.