2 Packs of New NATO Water and Windproof Matches

by Proforce Equipment

Product Features

• Wind & Waterproof Safety Matches.
• Burn In The Strongest Winds And Rain For Approx. 12 Seconds
• 25 Matches Per Sealed Plastic Vial With Striker.

Product Description

WATERPROOF, WINDPROOF Survival Matches. NATO-approved Weatherproof Safety Matches for guaranteed light. Hand dipped and varnished to burn in the strongest winds and rain for about 12 seconds. You get 2 waterproof, pill-bottle style containers, 25 Matches each. Condition: new, never issued. 2-pack New Water and Windproof Matches 2 Long-Burn Candles Burn up to 11 hrs. each.

Product Details

• Item Weight: 1.8 ounces
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• ASIN: B000UVQ0H6
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #17,001 in Sports & Outdoors (See Top 100 in Sports & Outdoors)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

118 of 121 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Work, but not what I will carry, July 28, 2007

By 

B. Beach (Telluride, CO United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

You must look at the pros and cons of these matches and not be sold on the name. To counter a previous review I found these easy enough to light on the striker provided on top.
PROS:
1. Burn fiercely when lit and would probably do well in wind/rain.
2. Will not ignite accidentally as they are not strike anywhere.
3. These are 'NATO' matches!
CONS:
1. Go out after coated top burns to wood. A regular wood match gives you more time to light tinder due to the wood burning.
2. Not strike anywhere. When I am cold and hands numb I want matches to ignite. Ignition when cold is more important than protection from accidental ignition. To safegard against accidental ignition pack half up and half down, put cotton at heads (doubles as emergency tinder), and split in two containers. Also waterproof the heads (I've only used parafin, but I hear a light coating of clear nail polish works well and doesn't melt in heat).
3. The striking surface is not protected (though it would be easy enough to fold one up and put it inside; worth having even for strike anywhere matches).
4. $7 for about 50 matches vs. about half that for 750 strike anywhere (at a store near me)!!!
BOTTOM LINE: I can get a lot more strike anywhere matches at the store that stay lit longer. If I was in high wind or rain I personally would seek shelter before trying to build fire. Standard strike anywhere matches can be lit in wind easily if you have the knack (ask a smoker). As a kid I remember being out in winter with safety matches and a wet striker lid (it got wet when I took it out of a plastic bag to light a match) cursing the fact they wouldn't strike anywhere. The key isn't a match that keeps burning due to a coating, but carrying/finding good tinder.
Don't be sold by the name. Test all products at home in worst case conditions before going out.
P.S. If it came to down to carrying 25 matches or a cheap bic lighter I would take the lighter (depending on conditions). 25 lights or 250+? Don't take matches just because they seem more 'survivally' (?). Be practical.

28 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars They light easily and forcefully, May 22, 2007

By 

Ross (Santa Monica, CA, United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

I bought a few bottles of these as they are advertised as being windproof. I opened one to try them out before taking them into the wilds. Wow! One scrape and it's going so strong, I'm trying to find a place to put this thing down! They go really strong for about five or six seconds, certainly long enough to get tinder going. If you can't light a fire with this much energy, you've got bigger issues to deal with.

I tried to light them on other surfaces and discovered they are true safety matches and will only light on a red phosphorous striking surface. This is a mixed blessing. On the upside, you can pack these in your checked luggage (which you can't do with "light anywhere" matches). On the downside, you have to have to have the right surface around or there's no way to light them, so they aren't quite as useful if everything else is going completely wrong.

If you're looking for a safety match striking surface, all matchbooks are safety matches, so an empty matchbook has the right surface on the back. When I pulled six of these matches from the open jar for my mini survival kit, I cut up a matchbook cover, folded it over, and put that in for striking (it's folded over to make sure a match head can't contact the striking surface, which could be very bad).

One quibble (not worth taking away a whole star): the lid isn't very secure once you've opened the jar. I used a piece of tape to keep the jar closed tight, but I wish I didn't have to.

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Find another method that works for you, January 7, 2010

By 

Radio290 - See all my reviews

This review is from: 2 Packs of New NATO Water and Windproof Matches (Misc.)

I once carried these for emergencies. However, whenever I would practice with them, I never could get them to light using the provided striker. The only time I have been able to light one is with a kitchen match. Sort of defeats the purpose. Some people may have mastered their use but if your life depends on it, try another method. Even if you ARE successful using them, if you are laid up, it may be someone else who has to try to use them. I can't recommend the lifeboat/storm matches.