Non-smokers - what lighter (matches ???) do you keep at home to start a fire?

I'm not not talking survival stuff good for Everest Camp 4, just for basic home use.

Nor is this important enough for me to become a Zippo fetishist. I don't need fire often enough to bother hassling with refilling one of those.

Plain old Bic butane? Do they last long enough?

And no, I'm not a heroin addict.

https://www.salisburypost.com/wp-con...in-622x400.jpg

Bic and some others make ones with snouts and can be refilled. Good for candles, grills etc. but if matches are your thing a good old fashioned box of Diamonds safety matches is the way to go.

For industrial stuff (fire pit in the yard, grill, frying setup, etc) - I just use a blow torch, trusty rusty Benz-o-Matic. Everything else, Bic lighter. No reason to complicate it.

A brief incantation usually works well for me.

I've had this Brunton Helios Stormproof for about 6 years. Never fails and seems to go forever on a charge.

Brunton Helios stormproof :: Moontrail

We keep a few of those long-necked lighters around the house, and use them a lot for starting the grill. They last a long while. The long snout makes it easy to get the flame into stuff. The ones with a flexible neck are my favorite. Buy a double pack at the grocery store (should be right next to the charcoal) and you'll get years of use out of them.

Yes, those long neck "aim-a-flame" type lighters are what I keep around the house. I've never had an issue with one of those not being able to make fire due to environmental conditions. They last long enough that I can't remember the last time I had to buy one. Most importantly, I've never burnt my fingers with one of these.

Eat dinner at a nice restaurant and grab 2-3 boxes of matches. Do this a few times and you'll be flush in fire sticks.

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Originally Posted by gt6267a

Eat dinner at a nice restaurant and grab 2-3 boxes of matches. Do this a few times and you'll be flush in fire sticks.

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Do restaurants still give out free matches?

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Originally Posted by Mabouya

I'm not not talking survival stuff good for Everest Camp 4, just for basic home use.

Plain old Bic butane? Do they last long enough?

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Yeah, get the plain old Bic. It'll last for at least three months after you lose it.

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Originally Posted by defspace

Yeah, get the plain old Bic. It'll last for at least three months after you lose it.

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i don't think i've ever bought a bic, but i possess a fair lot of them.

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Originally Posted by Saab2000

Do restaurants still give out free matches?

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Absolutely. I've been lighting my BGE with restaurant matches for 3 years now.

After watching Jim Jarmusch's film "Paterson" I will have to recommend Ohio Blue Tip Matches.

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Originally Posted by Saab2000

Do restaurants still give out free matches?

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The best free matches in NYC come from Sakagura, a Japanese restaurant. Nice box, wood matches, good tips.

In the country, I use matches to light something longer so I can reach the gas jet on the grill without igniting my arm hairs. The piezo igniter appears to have been gnawed to pieces by something. Probably had some grease on it from a previous user and a squirrel found it to their liking.

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Originally Posted by bcm119

After watching Jim Jarmusch's film "Paterson" I will have to recommend Ohio Blue Tip Matches.

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Ohio Blue Tip matches FTW.
Zank will concur.

Umm... :::scratches head::: I bought a box of wooden kitchen matches from the supermarket, oh, geez, probably 15-20 years ago. I think it's still half-full. There just doesn't seem to be much need for fire in my life these days




...unlike the 1960s and 70s. :shaggy:

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Originally Posted by Saab2000

Do restaurants still give out free matches?

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The last restaurant where I saw good matches next to the mints was The Fireside in Detroit Lakes. I grabbed a half dozen when the hostess walked away from the stand.

Also, where's @mainemike when you need him? I bet he'd have a great answer to this question.

Personally, I'm partial to the crème brûlée torch.

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Originally Posted by caleb

The last restaurant where I saw good matches next to the mints was The Fireside in Detroit Lakes. I grabbed a half dozen when the hostess walked away from the stand.

Also, where's @mainemike when you need him? I bet he'd have a great answer to this question.

Personally, I'm partial to the crème brûlée torch.

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I had always assumed matches in restaurants were relics from the days when smoking in restaurants existed. And on that subject, isn't it amazing how quickly minds changed on that? I know it's been what, like 20 years, since that was phased out. I expected much resistance and I personally didn't even have super strong opinions on the topic but it's impossible to imagine going back to those days.

Smoking section in a restaurant or airplane? They may as well just have a peeing section in a public swimming pool.

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Originally Posted by Saab2000

They may as well just have a peeing section in a public swimming pool.

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I believe that's called "the whole darn pool."

When I was a kid my grandparents used to smoke and it disgusted me. It was especially bad in the car, so I've always hated cigarettes. In my entire life I think I've taken one drag on a cig. And that was probably 45 years ago. Can't remember if I inhaled or not.

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Originally Posted by Mabouya

I believe that's called "the whole darn pool."

When I was a kid my grandparents used to smoke and it disgusted me. It was especially bad in the car, so I've always hated cigarettes. In my entire life I think I've taken one drag on a cig. And that was probably 45 years ago. Can't remember if I inhaled or not.

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I didn’t love it but I didn’t hate it. My grandfather and several uncles smoked. I associated the smell with them and since I liked them the smell didn’t bother me. Today I hate it.