I thought you were posting about mechanical WATCHES before I rinsed the sleep out of my eyes with coffee. All systems have shortcomings. You must practise with all until it's beyond automatic. Anyone can wow a crowd with a tunisian ice lens at a boat show. Try starting a fire with a broken ( and main using) arm with a single match from a paper book. MULTIPLE SYSTEMS ARE MANDATORY in this most basic of needs. I use the following story to illustrate: Lundgren, Kochanski, Brown And Mears are at a survival seminar and get hit by an avalanche. A troop ofGirl Scouts troops by and nudges the hypothermic victims with their toes. Hey misters! want to buy some cookies? When they realise somethings wrong they rifle their pockets and come up with a bowdrill, box of kitchen matches, blastmatch and knife and steel. Now, what would you, as a girl scout feel competant with? What is now the most reliable? Postscript: The mint chocolates are the best with Earl Grey for our group of avalanche survivors. On this I do have a preference <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />