Strike Anywhere Matches

Old Virginia Joe · May 10, 2015

I find that as much as anything about this modern-day match quality-control problem, the striker pad on the paper box of wooden matches is of poor quality, as it deteriorates and becomes useless well before the matches even run out

Old Virginia Joe · May 10, 2015

Here's a little "strike-anywhere match" story of my own. My ex-wife was having one of her fits with me once, back in about 1988 at our house in Columbia, SC. She angrily threw a full box of strike-anywheres at me that I kept on the fireplace mantel. I ducked and it hit the wall behind me and fell behind the couch. After her rage subsided, I smelled and noticed the room engulfed in a thick cloud of white smoke near the ceiling. I later found it was the box of matches, behind the couch. Every one of them was now ruined, each head ignited and then snuffed out for lack of oxygen, in the still tightly closed box, thank goodness! The impact created a spark, and that was it!

Codger_64 · May 10, 2015

Old Virginia Joe said:
Here's a little "strike-anywhere match" story of my own. My ex-wife was having one of her fits with me once, back in about 1988 at our house in Columbia, SC. She angrily threw a full box of strike-anywheres at me that I kept on the fireplace mantel. I ducked and it hit the wall behind me and fell behind the couch. After her rage subsided, I smelled and noticed the room engulfed in a thick cloud of white smoke near the ceiling. I later found it was the box of matches, behind the couch. Every one of them was now ruined, each head ignited and then snuffed out for lack of oxygen, in the still tightly closed box, thank goodness! The impact created a spark, and that was it!

Back in the day we kids used kitchen matches and soda straws to make ignite-on-impact "darts". Maybe that is the reason they were retired. And FYI, when a bic lighter is punctured it just spews cold in the absence of any ignition source. My dog finally learned not to chew them after the third or fourth time.

bravodelta · May 10, 2015

The UCO storm proof strike anywhere are much much higher quality than the POS Diamond

$7 delivered for 10 boxes on Amazon

druid189 · May 10, 2015

Codger_64 said:
Back in the day we kids used kitchen matches and soda straws to make ignite-on-impact "darts". Maybe that is the reason they were retired. And FYI, when a bic lighter is punctured it just spews cold in the absence of any ignition source. My dog finally learned not to chew them after the third or fourth time.

not that particular reason but you are close....

they were a shipping hazard. Carting the truckloads of matches over rough terrain sometimes caused them to ignite because they would jostle inside the boxes as the load rattled from the terrain. "Strike anywhere" also includes the inside of their container and also against themselves. One good pothole and *POOF* big rig of mayhem.

It is very likely they were "dumbed down" because of this occurrence.

tholiver · May 10, 2015

Old Virginia Joe said:
I find that as much as anything about this modern-day match quality-control problem, the striker pad on the paper box of wooden matches is of poor quality, as it deteriorates and becomes useless well before the matches even run out

That's my experience as well. I have a 50 cal ammo can full of boxes of matches which i'll probably never use! I mostly use my keychain peanut lighter, Zippo with Thunderbird insert and occasionally disposable bics.

Bob W · May 10, 2015

As I recall, the red-tip kitchen matches sucked. The striker didn't work, the matches broke, and even if a match did light it would quickly flare and die out.

The blue tip "Ohio" matches were the good ones.

It's been a while since I've used kitchen matches. Maybe they all suck now?

Grubbster · May 11, 2015

Codger_64 said:
Back in the day we kids used kitchen matches and soda straws to make ignite-on-impact "darts". Maybe that is the reason they were retired.

We used to do this too. We would shoot them out of a rubber band slingshot and they would pop like a cap and usually ignite. Good times....

Ausseknifeknut · May 12, 2015

I'm ordering two sets of the uco storm proof matches soon , the ones that come in the round case.they look pretty cool. Sorry I know this isn't related to strike anywhere matches.

TAH · May 12, 2015

Here's an interesting review on the subject.

http://kissurvival.com/strike-anywhere-matches/

billym · May 12, 2015

How to dry out a wet Bic lighter;

Blow into the lighter top to push out as much moisture as possible. Do this several times.
Turn the lighter upside down and rub the sparker wheel on your pants leg, palm of your hand gong both front and backwards.
After a that try lighting. It should work.
If not repeat rubbing the sparker wheel back and forth until you can light the lighter.

I no longer carry matches of any kind. I just carry extra Bic lighters and ferro rods.

Medic17 · May 12, 2015

Strike anywhere matches were phased out due to kids making tennis ball bombs, and meth heads.

UCO Strike anywhere ones are decent but they are no Ohio Blue Tips...

TAH · May 12, 2015

Has anyone tried these?

eomeo · May 12, 2015

I have the Redbirds and they are the same as the UCOs. Hard to find either of them in a store due to the shipping restrictions. Bass Pro shows them on their website... I don't know if they would ship them though. There's a bigger stormproof match coming out soon. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t8jcIDnZh1Y

hiwa · May 12, 2015

I just got a couple of Exotac XL matchcases ( excellent product , btw.) I wanted to start carry some matches again. The only strike-anywhere's here in Canada I know of are Redbirds. They are not bad , but I put some UCO's in there also. For safety matches , it's just as important to keep the striker dry as is the match , and the matchsafe does that.

I carry a Bic , ferrorod , and matches and use whatever suits the situation.

Raymond1000 · May 12, 2015

hiwa said:
I just got a couple of Exotac XL matchcases ( excellent product , btw.) I wanted to start carry some matches again. The only strike-anywhere's here in Canada I know of are Redbirds. They are not bad , but I put some UCO's in there also. For safety matches , it's just as important to keep the striker dry as is the match , and the matchsafe does that.

I carry a Bic , ferrorod , and matches and use whatever suits the situation.

Personally I like K & M Matchcases.

Before I add any matches I cut some waxed paper that will spiral a few turns around the inside circumference. Thats valuable itself, if Im really stuck for tinder.

When rolling the waxed paper up, I include two or three match strikers. Surrounded by waxed paper, they wont accidentally ignite any match.

It works a treat.

TAH · May 12, 2015

With all this talk about matches and match cases, this thread needs more photos.

Raymond1000 · May 13, 2015

TAH said:
With all this talk about matches and match cases, this thread needs more photos.

Thats a K & M Matchcase. The knurling gives a good grip and sparks a strike-anywhere match.

K & M cases are pass-it-down-to-your-son quality. Made by a Mom and Pop shop in Idaho. Theres no telling if the business will continue once old man Lunder retires.

neeman · May 13, 2015

Matches?
Non safety matches?
Why?
I flick my BIC...........

UCO storm proof matches are longer burning and wind resistant
Useful
So they give more than a non-wind resistant BIC

Gaston444 · May 13, 2015

TAH said:
Has anyone tried these?

These are the ones I recently found at my local Canadian Tire stores (after decades of not knowing where to find strike anywhere matches)... These are the ones I put into my survival knives: I do not mind that they are a bit harder to start (given what I just heard about "good ones" being shook), and I usually include within the knife, or its pouch, the box's cut-out side striking paper, which does not take much space. They will strike up by themselves on a Chris Reeves one-piece handle knurling, but it does take several tries... They are sometimes a bit inconsistent in the amount of white on the tip, so you should pick the better ones out for a kit: Usually it is not bad, and less than 10% are on the iffy side with just a very small amount of white... I think they are similar to the ones in my youth in general, just harder to start than the "blue with white tips" I remember could be had anywhere in the 80s...

Safety matches are impossible to start without the box side striker, which usually wears out from about 60% of repeated unsuccessful tries before the matches run out...: A poor choice in comparison, since the striker works far better on the "Redbirds", and so can last the distance...

Gaston