Old School Strike-anywhere matches.

Well, I never in a million years thought I'd do this but I just spend $15 on three 250ct boxes of Diamond Strike-Anywhere matches! Here's the deal...I don't smoke, and really don't have a lot of use for matches. I do like to keep some around the house for emergencies, mostly for lighting candles, stoves, sterno etc for power outages. Generally I have a few lighters around and some UCO matches for hiking and camping.

Now you folks will probably think I've been living in a cave for the last few years, and maybe I have, but I hadn't realized til relatively recently that the good old red-and-white strike-anywhere matches were discontinued in 2010 in favor of "greener" ones that must be struck on the box. True, you can still get ones that claim to be SA but in my experience they don't work with spit unless you strike on the box. I suppose it's mostly for legal reasons that they made the change but for wilderness/survival use I really like to have matches that can be struck on something besides the box. After all, the box can get wet and the striker rendered useless, and of the strikers can get used up before the matches. My favorite improvised striker is a kydex knife sheath.

Anyone else here rathole away a bunch of matches before they were discontinued?

The modern day SA matches I've tried are worse than dollar store strike on box matches. I think the best option you have is storm matches, burns when wet and in wind, the the plastic container is pretty watertight.

Another vote for storm matches as a backup ignition source. A good container is quite important. I generally use a Bic as my routine appliance for this task.

I had a couple Bic lighters including the one I found frozen in the park last winter. Based on the found lighter's resilience to bad times I bought a 5 pack of Bics to populate all my kits (packs, vests et al). Recently I bought another 5 pack just to stash away. Bics in general are inexpensive, and they hold up well to rough and wet handling. It's hard for me to justify buying matches.

I squirreled away about 10 boxes of Ohio Blue Tips years ago when I heard they were going out of business. Glad I did, as it's pretty much impossible to find a good strike-anywhere match nowadays. Even regular kitchen safety matches are getting harder to find around here. I guess people just don't buy matches like they used to.

two mini bics in every coat pocket and kit.

but still use old SA matches when starting slash piles that need cleaning up in the late fall/early winter.

They had to get rid of them because mice could chew on them and cause a fire.

Well, at lease that's what my grandma told me when I was 5.

I have several boxes of the green tip SA type. Not nearly as good as the ones from years ago.

But I also have lots of storm matches, including a couple tins of Coleman collectibles. What great packages.

Used to be able to strike matches on my zipper. The new ones fail.

A while back I bought some strike-on-box kitchen matches (the 2" long wooden ones). It was a five-pack of boxes, each box containing 250 matches. These were intended for emergency kit use, even though they were only strike-on-box, which is all I could find. They are "Kroger" brand - our local grocery store. These are worthless. When you strike them, something happens because you see smoke. But they never burst into flame and are totally dead after the phosphorus (or whatever is on match heads these days) finishes smoldering. You couldn't light a fire with these worthless sticks if you had too.

Are the newer strike-anywhere matches even worse than these? Are these new, devolved, matches a result of some lawyer/lawsuit thing, or just poor quality control and corporate desire for profits by making things as cheap as possible?

Strike anywhere are pretty difficult to find today, I can only seem to get the Swan Vesta Matches from the local Supermarket.

http://www.tesco.com/groceries/Product/Details/?id=255284203

I can't find the Scottish Bluebell Matches anywhere! Get them while you still can.

BCB NATO Windproof matches are pretty expensive but they work and they work very well.

http://www.strikeforcesupplies.co.uk/index.php?method=stock&id=20012&from=40

I really like the UCO Stormproof matches, and I have quite a few of them. FWIW the matches I just got are older ones but still sealed in celophane; they're the old Diamond ones. I opened a box to try them and they do indeed reliably strike on kydex, and they worked on a DMT diamond sharpening stone I had laying around.

Obviously they're a curio. Once I use them them up there won't be any more, and certainly the limited remaining stock will get scarcer and poorer as they 'age'. Just wanted a few high quality SA for my kits.

This is a very good point. I remember reading once that when the 'sulphur match', the modern strike-anywhere, was invented the president implored them to release the patent rights "for the good of all mankind." The modern match was that big of a deal. But fast forward to 2013 and the match is nearly obsolete. I almost never use them at all. Most smokers use a lighter. I guess that naked fire is not much used now by the average person, and when it is there are better ways to light one than a match.

Still, I dig having some old red tips!

For lighting a fire in a survival situation, you can use both a strike anywhere match alternately pushed into cardboard with a windproof match. Make a row of about 10-15 alternating strike anywhere and windproof matches then dip everything in melted wax. This will keep both matches safe and dry from water or dampness.

To light a fire cut off section of one strike anywhere and one windproof match, expose the strike anywhere match head then strike to further ignite the windproof match, the wax covered cardboard will further burn for an additional 1-2 minutes.

If you can't get a fire going using this match setup then you need bring along some Coleman gas or Methylated spirit as well

Knowing how to light/stike a match could be crucial as well.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UsbSMplJ6g4

once again i did not read every response to the first message...but..
here in Minnesota strike anywhere's are back and better that some years ago.the company must have responded to the complaints and the matches have more of that "white stuff" on the tip and seem to be a bit larger,more wood.
i put about six big box's away in plastic jars, still in the plastic wrap,when it looked like they were being discontinued.
i keep storm matches around but for everyday jobs the wood ones work fine.
a better match for lighting gas lamps are ones i found in a Swedish stuff store.they have long sticks but not as huge a fireplace matches.

Strike Anywhere @ Amazon Whodathunk that Amazon would have something like that?

It looks like all the Amazon ones are either the crappy new style of green ones or NOS red ones selling for $40 per box. Essentially the same price as ebay or higher.

But I will have to check out the new ones if there's a good option. I'm pretty close to the MN border.

I gave up on strike-anywhere matches a long, long time ago. Never could get any that were reliable after any time in storage, even carefully sealed. The white tip would rub off and that was it. In fact, the way I would guarantee that the matches would work was to pack a safety match striker strip (folded over onto itself) with the strike anywhere matches.

I actually had better luck with good ol' paper matches. They would work even after being soaked and dried out. Just tear out about four of them including the base they are held by and you have yourself a surprisingly decent match.

Bics replaced them and I've never looked back. I still carry lifeboat matches for extreme situations, and they do seem to hold up over time.

You have a good point, Doug. There's a reason I don't use matches much, just wanted to have some of the older kind. UCO Stormproof matches are about as good as it gets IMO, and all my kits have some of them packed inside. A Firesteel.com GobSpark Armaggedon with some Tinder-Quik is my main go-to fire tool, though.

Hard to argue with a Bic! They work great and are cheap. I have some Bics but my favorite lighter is the Numyth Tohil peanut lighter. It's waterproof, very very well made and has been completely reliable so far. A little expensive but good gear often is. Plus, it's a long term investment. And it doesn't hurt that I got two of them when GoingGear.com had a 30% off sale.

The new ones are just as lousy, and I've no idea why.

Ditto. If needed, can light with a lighter.

I do occasionally use a Green tip strike on box match, they seem to work fine. I gave up on strike anywhere matches years ago; they just aren't the same quality. Just another reason I switched to Bics.

while the exterior case is lovely, it would appear to contain the same lighter as the standard Peanut lighters now available for under $5 on ebay. i do agree that the Peanut is a good one. its the most reliable lighter i've found after a long search (that's not to say its 100%, nothing is!). in fact, this unknown product was something i came across back in 2007 -

see post #6 here: http://edcforums.com/threads/can-any-recommend-some-good-keychain-sized-lighters.42660/

The design is similar but it is much larger than the peanut lighter from County Comm. The Numyth Tohil lighter section is about 1/3 bigger diameter and similar height to the peanut. With the peanut being steel to the NT lighter's aluminum, the weight is about the same.

The Numyth Tohil is a really exceptional piece of gear. Probably the guts are pretty standard (and well made) but the machining is immaculate. The O-ring seal is great which prevents it from drying out. The threads are well machined and it works smoothly. Mine is a bright orange finish which minimizes the chances of losing it if you drop it. And the bottom is flat, allowing it to stand up well for use as candle.

Also, it's got a much better seal. Looks like about 1/16th inch and is held between the body and cap by a lip on the cap. The seals on the peanut I've got can be easily rolled from between the two with a finger with it closed.

Not true. I can - and do - buy strike anywhere matches at local stores in Pennsylvania. They are banned by local fire marshalls in various states. I can't get them in NJ.

You can buy them online:

http://www.amazon.com/Diamond-Strike-Anywhere-Kitchen-Matches/dp/B000WR82QK

And the corporate web site shows their range of Strike Anywhere products:

http://www.diamondbrands.com/pages/matches/28.php

Still made.

http://www.diamondbrands.com/pages/matches/28.php

Still for sale - Go to Amazon.com Order as many as you like.

Martin, two of those three links are to the newer, clearly inferior products that replaced the red tip matches. The other is to the old matches, but 1) they're now $45/box of 250 and 2) the reviews (if you look at the dates) indicate that most people aren't getting the original red tip match. All of the information I can find shows that the original red tip version was discontinued. From reviews, and my own experience, the newer green tip versions are very poor, or at least don't light well unless the supplied striker is used. Diamond's own website lists only strike-on-box matches.

I could be missing something but it appears that current production of strike anywhere is limited to the green and white matches. There is one other brand that's red tipped but the reviews are pretty uniformly poor.

If you're finding them in local stores, I wonder if they're NOS or being produced for regional distribution? I'd love to see a picture of what you're finding in your area.

Do the green tip still work to re-prime centerfire primers? Or as smokeless powder
replacement?


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u7nphPRG6JA

I would say probably not. I do not re-load primers, but given the poor performance of the igniter in the new formula, I can't see where they will function reliably in a firearm.

" I do not re-load primers"
I've never heard of anyone reloading primers. Do you mean reloading Ammo?

Follow the link to a youtube video. There was interest when people could get primers a couple of years ago.

Its is possible to reload primers, its just not as simple as reloading the rest of the ammo.

I have heard that strike anywhere matches are used in the making of certain street drugs.This is why they are not what they used to be.The same can be said of Polar Pure iodine crystals.Last I knew they are no longer available.Again the lower element causes restrictions on the prepared minded.....

BOATMAN
John

You know, I didn't even think of that. You can't even buy two boxes of cold medicine nowadays. That's a shocker to folks like us that buy cartloads of stuff to be prepared.

That may have a lot to do with it, but I'm not sure. After all, didn't they just move the stuff from the tip of the match to the side of the box?

I'll pick some up on the way home and take pictures. These are such an ordinary purchase here that I don't even have to think about it.

They are, as they have always been, red matches with white tips. They work fine. I use them to light my wood stove and fireplace and the fires in my fire ring. I keep a few in a waterproof case and I've even wax-coated some for long-term storage.

They are routinely available in multiple local stores for a few bucks a box. If you want me to send you some, private message me and I will.

I have been using Penley stike-anywhere matches with good results. They are getting harder to find here in NY though.

I do like the thicker wood on the green tip matches. They don't break as easily when struck and burn a little longer.

In Canada you can get SA Matches at any Canadian Tire. 250 full sized Redbird Matches cost around $3 CAD with Tax.

Redbird SA Matches

With all respect, though, the matches I see now (esp. the Redbirds) are half the match you used to be able to get.

I mean the "half" comment literally: half the wood, half the red stuff, half the phosphor tip.

IMO they've been dumbed down (or thinned down) to the point where they are good for lighting a cigarette or propane stove but not much else. When they're dead fresh they're usable, but they don't hold up over time, and after any moisture exposure the "SA" portion is unreliable; pack a phosphor striker strip if you really need flame.

[end of rant mode]

That's a common problem with stuff nowadays. I don't want to start another "back in my day..." rant but things seem to be shoddier across the board. Some things are still very high quality (HK handguns come to mind), but quality seems less common.

I still really like UCO Stormproof matches. And I'm anxious to try out the NOS Diamond ones I bought.

You can also still buy Scepter military style gas cans.

(and Tim Horton's, though there's a few in the US)


Grrrr .... other than the frigid weather, you guys have it pretty good up there!

Strike anywhere matches are still sold in the UK, but are much less used than in years gone by.
Certainly useful, but large stashes of matches, especialy strike anwhere ones make me a little nervous.

I read somwhere, but can not substantiate, that strike anywhere matches were prohibited on board ship on account of the fire risk. One could certainly see the risk in rough weather of a box of matches being struck by some heavy article and igniting.

A well known brand of safety matches in the UK is the "ship" brand, and it is alleged that at one time this brand was the only brand allowed on board ships.