I lit the cotton balls sans the vaseline before, with just the spark lite, and they caught no problem. I did look up online a little while ago, and, it seems that you are correct; I didnt fluff them. I guess I should have figured this out on my own, as you gotta fluff up the tinder quik. Go figure. Ah well, better to practice & learn when it isnt needed, then learn on the fly. Thanks for the help!