I just bought some of this:
http://www.1sks.com/store/ultimate-survival-wet-fire-tinder.html

but I got to thinking. Tinder Quik seems more widely used, and is what's in Doug's kit. I wonder if I made the right choice!

If anyone has used both (or even just one) can you give me your thoughts as to the merits of the two?

I've got both, but I'm rather a newbie at this so take these comments with a large salt lick. TQ pieces are a lot smaller, so on a per-fire basis it saves a lot of room. To get it to take a spark, you just have to tear it open to expose some fibers. WF doesn't seem to take a spark unless you shave it down, and if it's windy those shavings blow away. I haven't tried either in the rain though, and WF advertises that it works great in the rain. Maybe the way to go is to take a bunch of TQ, and a couple of WF in case it's inclement.

Don't forget to compare with cotton-ball/vaseline tinder.

By the way, I've also tinkered with Coghlan's tinder. In all situations I've tried them with, they've been harder to get going than anything.

Hi Burncycle,

In my unscientific opinion, here's some random observations:

They're both fairly easy to light.
The WF stays lit better than the TQ.
The WF burns a little hotter than the TQ.
The WF is 100 times more prone to failure. If the wrapping becomes punctured, the active chemicles will evaporate and render the tinder uselss.
IIRC the WF is much more expensive than TQ, and you can make your own TQ tabs.
The WF takes much much more space in a kit because of it's sensitivity to the enviornment and packing.

So, do whatever you do, but experiment and get good at it. Try starting fires with your WF with a spark lite, (or old flint lighter) and a ferro rod. Then buy (or make) some TQ tabs and experiment some more. See what you like about both and make it your choice.

I started with WF (actually some similiar thing they don't sell any more) and now almost exclusively use TQ style tabs.

I like cotton-ball/vaseline best, as long as it is made right I haven't found anything better. <img src="/images/graemlins/cool.gif" alt="" />

Actually, the Coghlan's tinder is not too bad when used with their permanent match.
When you follow the instructions to squash the tinder tab flat then pull the flattened tinder tab sideways to expose the fibres, they light pretty easily.

Of course YMMV. <img src="/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

Coghlan's and TQ have both worked great for me with a only a spark to ignite it in mostly dry conditions. I haven't tried WF yet nor have I tried any in extremely wet conditions.

I've used both and keep them for difftent reasons. The TQ is small and you can squish them down really flat. I keep 3 in my wallet and don't notice that they are there. They fluff up easily and are easy to light with just about any spark. If TQ gets wet, it will still work but it needs to be dried out a little bit.

WF on the other hand crumbles in the wrapper and can become non-usable. It needs to be scrapped inorder to get it to light. When wet it will still light as long as the water is wiped off the surface. The WF will burn longer then the TQ. So I use it for those times that I want longer burn time and in wet conditions.

YMMV -

S.

You DO know that the instruction that come with their permanent match are TOTALY WRONG(about the match, not about the tinder.)

Those Permanent matches have been sold for YEARS(some are antiques that are worth some money...)
You are supposed to put some lighter fluid in the thing and then you use the flint to light the MATCH(not the tinder!) You can start a fire in almost any conditions with that thing...
I LOVE mine, and have 3 more ordered...
I am thinking about ordering one with a mini-golfball for a grip rather than the tiny metal grip, for a friend that is a golfer and cigar smoker(He took it up AFTER he had a heart attack(WTF???)

Yep, I know that it is actually a permanent match which they are just using for a flint striker. It does however generate a lot of sparks for the size.
I've tried filling mine with lighter fluid, but it kept evaporating, even when I replaced the o-ring on the thing. Anyone else have this problem? <img src="/images/graemlins/frown.gif" alt="" />

With the lighter fluid, this thing will light anything. But if you're just using it as a source of sparks, it works well with the supplied tinder.
Never had any problems with it. I even use it to light my alcohol stove......

I have used my PM with and without lighter fluid. I have no complaints. I love it. Smaller than a mini bic too which is nice.

Trusbx:

There are "O" rings made of different materials, and the ones you installed may have been damaged by the ligher fluid. If you bought the "O" rings from the maker of your permanent match, maybe you ought to send the whole thing back for them to fix it.

Bountyhunter

wetfire came in today

I used one to try it out. A couple of observations

-It has the consistancy of soap or a solid deoderant. You can flake it off about as easily as you can flake off bits of soap.

-It was fairly easy to light (both in flake form, and the larger solid piece form.)
I used a knife and firestarter. It took about 5-6 showers of sparks before it lit, but I was keeping my distance and was using moderate force.

-Both caught fire well, and both burned well. The flakes burned for several minutes, the large chunk (about half the cube) burned for about 5 minutes.

-It seems fairly wind resistant. The chunk obviously didn't blow anywhere, and even in the wind the flame was a constistant 6-8" or so.

-It did not seem very waterproof. Not nearly as much as advertised. I removed a tea-candle from it's metal holder, and used the holder to hold a moderate amount of water.
Test 1: Poured a little water on the flakes. The flakes went out.
Test 2: Floated medium sized chunks in the water, tried to light them with sparker, didn't work. Tried to light them with a lit stick, didn't work.
Test 3: Put a large chunk on the end of a stick and lit it. Placed it on top of the water as if it was floating. It went out.
Test 4: After setting the doused chunk aside, tried to light it with sparks. Didn't light. Cut chunk open to reveal the fresh inside, tried to light it with sparks. It caught and burned.

Final Observations:
Considering it doesn't seem to have as impressive an advantage in wet weather as I had previously anticipated, Tender Quik might be the better option. I haven't tried it, but I'm willing to bet both burn fairly well even in moderate wind. The tinder quik has an advantage in that it does not need to be sealed in an airtight package, and can be stuffed into small spaces.

I also tried cotton and vasoline. It didn't burn very tall, but it will probably get the job done as well. Kinda messy though with the vasoline.....

Thanks for the comments and advice everyone <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

I bet you used too much then, it shouldn't be messy.

Thanks for the tip.
Unfortuantely, the cost and time involved in sending the thing back to coghlan's from Singapore negates the potential benefit of them (hopefully) fixing it.
<img src="/images/graemlins/tongue.gif" alt="" />
Anyway, the whole thing is made in Hong Kong, and didn't come with an O ring in the first place <img src="/images/graemlins/mad.gif" alt="" /> As a striker, it works pretty well and I have several stashed away to light my alcohol stoves. (No need to carry matches).

I will look for different O rings and try my luck.... <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

One difference I found between tinder quick and wet fire is that you can start TQ with a magnifying glass, but I couldn't get WF going with an 8x10 magnifier on a clear day at noon. It just sort of sizzles and turns black and smokes. A little piece of wood or something next to it gets it going though.

Trusxbx:

Here in the states, the best place to find high quality "O" rings made of different materials is at a ball bearing supplier.

Take the match with you and they can match the size and look up the type of "O" ring material that will work best for your situation.

Good luck!

Bountyhunter