Favorite Matches!

[Poncho65]

Here is the video that made me remember that they made the giant ones

[Poncho65]

That's a good point Poncho, there are two sized of UCO matches. What I do wish with the UCO is that the wood handle would catch fire once the 'head' has burnt down like a regular match does.

I know what you mean Regular matches will burn til all the wood is gone I don't know why this wood doesn't burn all the way out though

[Poncho65]

Well y'all have me thinking I need to use matches more often and upgrade from my cheapy Army surplus green plastic safe I keep in my bag. Does anyone currently participating in this thread happen to have an Exotac Matchcap? If yes, any thoughts on it? If no, I suppose I'll just have to pick one up so I can be a guinea pig for the forum friends...

I don't have one but if you want to buy one please do as I have wondered about those as well

[Poncho65]

Other video just above was the wrong one but still a cool video Here is the right one

[thatotherguy]

Hum... i do happen to have a $5 amazon credit from bing rewards I've got no plans for... and i just sold a knife i got as a gift a couple years back and never used...

Let's see if i can enable myself enough to pull the trigger on one. Basically already there, but can't decide between the gunmetal and orange variants.

[Poncho65]

Hum... i do happen to have a $5 amazon credit from bing rewards I've got no plans for... and i just sold a knife i got as a gift a couple years back and never used...

Let's see if i can enable myself enough to pull the trigger on one. Basically already there, but can't decide between the gunmetal and orange variants.

I do the orange for fire starting stuff but the gun metal is sure nice Either way

[Poncho65]

A very cool little gadget here an LED light that is a match safe Plus it has the UCO Stormproof matches

https://www.ucogear.com/firefly-match-case-flashlight-mt--e--firefly

[thatotherguy]

Hum... i do happen to have a $5 amazon credit from bing rewards I've got no plans for... and i just sold a knife i got as a gift a couple years back and never used...

Let's see if i can enable myself enough to pull the trigger on one. Basically already there, but can't decide between the gunmetal and orange variants.

I do the orange for fire starting stuff but the gun metal is sure nice Either way

Orange is a big plus for visibility in the boonies but gunmetal fits my usual style a bit better, so it's six of one and half a dozen of the other at this point.

Who knows, if I get one and end up liking it as much as I think I will, I might just end up with both of them...

[Poncho65]

I didn't know UCO had so much different fire starting things

https://www.ucogear.com/firestarters/

[Max Stone]

Here's the little bottle I carry - Coghlan's Waterproof/Windproof Storm Matches (made in UK). Nice and compact. Strikers on both ends.

[Poncho65]

I have heard good things about those they have been around several years, correct? 

[Max Stone]

Yes, I've had a stash of them for a few years. Popular in the camping shops in South Africa. Nice and compact 

[thatotherguy]

Here's the little bottle I carry - Coghlan's Waterproof/Windproof Storm Matches (made in UK). Nice and compact. Strikers on both ends.

Those look almost identical to the "Royal Navy surplus" UK-made lifeboat survival kit matches I used to see all over the place, plus the Coghlan branding. Maybe they're made by the same contractor. Neat!

[Poncho65]

Here's the little bottle I carry - Coghlan's Waterproof/Windproof Storm Matches (made in UK). Nice and compact. Strikers on both ends.

Those look almost identical to the "Royal Navy surplus" UK-made lifeboat survival kit matches I used to see all over the place, plus the Coghlan branding. Maybe they're made by the same contractor. Neat!

Both being from the UK, I would say it is very likely they are made at the same place

[thatotherguy]

Well darn you all, I've got a brand new box of matches sitting on my desk and have a gunmetal Matchcap on the way

[Nix]

 

Our work here is done...... 

[Poncho65]

Our work here is done...... 

 

 

[Poncho65]

I have a few goodies on the way One of them that I am really excited about is the UCO Firefly match safe/LED flashlight I hope that it is made well and works well We shall see

[Max Stone]

Create light and heat. Two essentials. Show us when it arrives Poncho65. 

[Poncho65]

I will put some pics up for sure and put my thoughts of it in here as well

[Grant Lamontagne]

I am glad that this thread got bumped as I have a few things to add to it.  First off, some of Spork's favorites:



Over the summer I bought a used kayak and it included some extras, like a paddle and dry bag.  The paddle was donated to my nephews' use as they are hard on things and I don't like aluminum shafted paddles, and inside the dry bag was this brand new pack of Coughlin's waterproof matches, or "greenies."



I haven't used any of them yet, although I did notice there are a few doubles in there, so there may be about 5% fewer matches in there than expected!  Still, the pack seems as full as a pack can get, so I'm happy, especially since they were an added bonus I wasn't expecting.

Next up are some of my regular matches from Redbird.



I keep them in an old prescription bottle with a spare striker from one of my UCO kits.  The setup isn't waterproof, and neither are the matches, but they keep dry enough inside the bottle, inside a pack.



They aren't anything special, they are just one of the most commonly available wood match brands here, and they are dirt cheap, so I can strike half of the pill bottle at once to get a decent flame if needed.  I think a box of 500 is something like $5, so pretty affordable.  (EDIT: The price has apparently gone up.... https://www.canadiantire.ca/en/pdp/redbird-matches-2-pk-0761902p.html#srp although I am certain they can be gotten cheaper elsewhere) I can replenish this pill bottle (or make many of them) or less than a bottle of Pepsi, so it makes sense to have them everywhere.  And, my parents have enough prescription bottles left over to feed an army.   

And speaking of my parents and armies....



My father gave me this little gem the last time I visited him.  It is a Canadian Armed Forces issue match safe, complete with 50+ year old matches.



The case is thin aluminum with a screw on top, and I have no idea what the label used to say.  There's not enough of it let to guess. 



It has five bags in it, one with strikers, three which have six matches in them, and one was opened and one match has been used.  The rest are all original- I think Dad found them to be a bit overkill for lighting cigarettes and put them away for when he needed them... then either never needed them, or didn't have them handy when he did! 



They appear to be windproof matches, and possibly also waterproof, or at least may have been at one point.  They are similar to the modern UCO matches, only a lot smaller.  They are also over 50 years old, and I am not sure if that means they won't work, or if they will explode in a bit of a fireball.  One of these days I will get brave enough to try one!

Here's a comparison of all three:



One of these days I will toss the pill bottle in some water (after taking the matches out!) to see how waterproof it is.  I think it is only good for keeping rain or the occasional splash out, and so far that has been good enough.  I'd probably stick to the UCO ones for kayaking trips though.

Def

[Aloha]

Our work here is done...... 

 

 

 

[Aloha]

Boss, those old matches are really neat.  They certainly look like the UCO matches albeit smaller.  The need for a wind/water proof match has been around for a while.  That match safe is really neat and more so that it was your dads.   I'd be inclined to light one match just to see how/if it would light.   

[Grant Lamontagne]

I fully intend to... I'm just not sure what would happen.  Do the chemicals degrade over time?  If so, do they get more or less flammable?  Is the wood so dry that it will burn super quick?

Could be fun.... 

Def

[Poncho65]

Great pics Grant I just bought some of the Coghlan waterproof matches but mine are red tipped Does it mean they are older or newer Still have yet to get any of the Red Bird matches I still love the look of their boxes and that old match safe and stormproof matches are excellent I would have l already have lit one Even neater that it was your dads

[Grant Lamontagne]

I can't comment on a timeline of colors on the Coughlan's matches.  Maybe Spork will be able to shed some light on it. 

Another favorite is the Coghlan's Waterproof Safety matches in the wooden sleeve box. I call them "Greenies"...but the last pack I bought have brown heads, so I guess I'll have to start calling them "Brownies" 

I like the Coleman Waterproof matches...the boxes they come in are made of a durable plastic coated cardboard.

That leads me to believe that the green ones predate the brown ones, but I am not sure where in the mix pink ones may be.

And yes, the plastic coated cardboard is very cool. 

Ponch- if you really like the Redbird box art I can send you a box if you like.  Probably just the box though, as I imagine the PO would be very upset at the idea of mailing matches.... 

Def

[RF52]

Got some matches in the mail today, which will be tested next time I'm outvin the woods.

Sent fra min FRD-L09 via Tapatalk

[Poncho65]

I appreciate the offer Grant but don't worry about it not a big deal and it is cool enough to see the pics of the boxes on here

[Nix]

I loved seeing that old Canadian forces match safe!      

[Max Stone]

Grant, the vintage aluminum match tin is awesome!

Match TIMEX is an interesting question. I am sure the chemicals would degrade and fail to light, rather than go in the opposite direction and become less stable and explode. Could not find anything definitive, but this short post here https://blog.cheaperthandirt.com/quick-prepper-tip-playing-fire/

"...Although most boxes are not marked with an expiration date, matches do get old and can loose their ability to light. Good matches are bright red in color (think Santa’s suit) if the color is more along the lines of burgundy or dull red these are typically older matches. Matches do come in other colors but red is most common."

For lifespan, I found someone who said that he had "...matches from my parents' wedding that were still working after 55 years." https://www.reddit.com/r/NoStupidQuestions/comments/4wn3g4/how_long_do_bar_matches_fire_producing_ones_that/

So Grant, you have to try one of those old matches and let us know - just have a fire extinguisher nearby 

Something fundamentally attractive about the simple match - great thread.