Strike-Anywhere Matches

[Doc Manhattan]

Does anyone know if they've changed the makeup of strike-anywhere matches in the US?

I couldn't find them anywhere in CT for what seemed like a long time, and now they're back, but it seems like they don't strike quite as well as the old ones. The old ones would strike on almost any non-smooth surface-the recent breed, won't even light off of well--worn brick.

This is pure speculation, but I thought one of the reasons they were restricted was the match-heads could be repurposed for cooking meth. So is this another Sudafed deal, where they changed the formula to get around that? Or is it just nostalgia, and I'm remembering things better than they were?

 

[shootist51]

At one point, strike-anywhere-matches had to be handled as if they were gunpowder. This means that the shipping regulations were different from other grocery goods, which created enough hassle that most locations opted to carry stike-on-box matches only.

It is possible that the strike-anywhere matches have been re-formulated in order to circumvent the restrictions they faced. This would account for the difficulty in lighting.

I use the strike-on-the-box matches from Penley. They are made in India, but do a passable job. Haven't seen any Diamond matches for years. They were the best for my money. I wonder if they have gone out of business, or just moved to some 3rd world country.

 

[Doc Manhattan]

All my matches are Diamond, both on-box and anywhere style, and I am pleased to say they are still made in the USA.

 

[stan41]

Does anyone know if they've changed the makeup of strike-anywhere matches in the US?

I couldn't find them anywhere in CT for what seemed like a long time, and now they're back, but it seems like they don't strike quite as well as the old ones. The old ones would strike on almost any non-smooth surface-the recent breed, won't even light off of well--worn brick.

This is pure speculation, but I thought one of the reasons they were restricted was the match-heads could be repurposed for cooking meth. So is this another Sudafed deal, where they changed the formula to get around that? Or is it just nostalgia, and I'm remembering things better than they were?

 

[Kapnismologist]

Doc,

Being a 'match-only' smoker, I feel your pain. Diamond brand has been my regular, faithful companion for years and years.

The new "Greenlight" Diamond matches (both the 'strike on box' versions and the 'strike anywhere' versions, either the kitchen size or penny size) are terrible. I have compared both the older re-tipped versions side-by-side with the newer green-tipped, and the latter perform much less well (plus, they give off a different odor as well). I have begun stockpiling as many of the older versions as I can still find on the shelves locally (most retailers just stock the new ones, but sometimes I come across a cache of old stock and then buy every last one). There are a few eBay sources where you can still get quantities of the older ones, although once those are gone, they are gone forever.

I guess I am cellaring matches now as well.

Alas.

 

[Kapnismologist]

x

 

[Harlock999]

Nice work! I've been re-using a nice matchbox I found in a curio shop in Chinatown. I just keep filling it up with new matches every now and then, but I like your idea!

 

[Richard Burley]

I just burned hell out of my finger trying to light my meerschaum with a Penley match. These strike-on-box matches used to be the best, in my opinion, because they ignited so easily. (I never liked the strike-anywhere matches because of excessive fumes and flying particles.) The ones I have now are very difficult to light because the material on the box wears off almost immediately. I tried to e-mail the company and I got a return message stating that the address was no longer in service. I Googled them and the company website wouldn't come up. These matches were made in India. The ones I remember were made somewhere else, possibly Chile. What crap. The ones I have left I am igniting with a lighter. They might as well sell sticks of wood. I would bet that they were forced to make a "safer" match, i.e, one that won't ignite. Is this going to be another industry destroyed by safety Nazis? Is this going to be another pain in the ass for pipe smokers? You can't even buy matches that work? Ridiculous. To the extent of my knowledge, Diamond wood matches are still sold in grocery stores here in upstate New York, so I'll give them a try, but I'm not expecting much.

 

[Cody V]

(I never liked the strike-anywhere matches because of excessive fumes and flying particles.)

After having the entire head of a match fly off and ignite on my arm I definitely will not be buying any more strike-anywhere matches :shock:

 

[SingleMalt]

Yeah, Doc, I've noticed the same thing. The Diamond green head "strike anywhere" matches I bought recently are awful. Sometimes it's even hard to get them to light off the BOX.

I too remember the old red and white headed strike anywhere matches as being able to strike off most any porous rocklike substance, like brick or concrete. Hell, I even remember striking them off a rusty tailpipe. These "green" matches are best lit with a butane lighter. :|

 

[user 1862]

Our realm continues to shrink...

I think "they" are most concerned about the explosive potential of the old style matches. Years ago, there were so many good/bad things that could be bought of the shelf--fireworks, explosives, et al. With time, most everything has become regulated. If you had sufficient quantity of the old style matches, you could snap the heads off of them, drill a small hole in a tennis ball, and fill it with the match heads. Then you would carefully throw it against a hard surface. Amazing, but now that I reflect upon it, a complete waste of reliable matches I now could use.

It's possible that a good alternative might be found from outdoor suppliers, or from Civil War reproductions of Lucifers. Somehow, I'm certain neither of those will be cost effective.

 

[msmith1956]

Yeah, Doc, I've noticed the same thing. The Diamond green head "strike anywhere" matches I bought recently are awful. Sometimes it's even hard to get them to light off the BOX.

I too remember the old red and white headed strike anywhere matches as being able to strike off most any porous rocklike substance, like brick or concrete. Hell, I even remember striking them off a rusty tailpipe. These "green" matches are best lit with a butane lighter. :|

I can remember striking them with my thumbnail back in the day!

 

[Doc Manhattan]

I recall my pyromaniac friend lighting his strike-anywheres on his jeans... which he then would squirt zippo fluid on and set aflame. Not the brightest bulb in the Lite-Brite. (Now, some fifteen years later, he's a professional knifemaker--always flirting with danger, that guy.)

 

[user 1862]

I recall my pyromaniac friend lighting his strike-anywheres on his jeans... which he then would squirt zippo fluid on and set aflame. Not the brightest bulb in the Lite-Brite. (Now, some fifteen years later, he's a professional knifemaker--always flirting with danger, that guy.)

It kind of goes with the territory. Grinding throws sparks, and different steels throw different colors. Torches and plasma cutters are fun too. Liquid nitrogen takes the cake. I'm not a professional by any means, but I have considered investing in one of those programmable chests to offer sub-zero quenching for a variety of items, might even try it on some briar and see if it does anything... Yes, it's a sickness.

 

[Maiser]

Addendum:

Since we are on the topic, sometime back I finally figured out what to do with the labels of McClelland 100g. tins, which are just too lovely to put out with the recycling:

For a moment I was getting giddy... McClelland Matches! But alas...

 

[Koobers]

Doc,

Being a 'match-only' smoker, I feel your pain. Diamond brand has been my regular, faithful companion for years and years.

The new "Greenlight" Diamond matches (both the 'strike on box' versions and the 'strike anywhere' versions, either the kitchen size or penny size) are terrible. I have compared both the older re-tipped versions side-by-side with the newer green-tipped, and the latter perform much less well (plus, they give off a different odor as well). I have begun stockpiling as many of the older versions as I can still find on the shelves locally (most retailers just stock the new ones, but sometimes I come across a cache of old stock and then buy every last one). There are a few eBay sources where you can still get quantities of the older ones, although once those are gone, they are gone forever.

I guess I am cellaring matches now as well.

Alas.

about a year ago I finally found stock of Diamond kitchen and penny strike anywhere matches (white head) at my local Albertson's. I always just thought that they quit making them so when I saw them I bought their entire stock. I will have to go back now and see if they have any of the old ones left and grab them up if they do.

 

[Lesepfeife]

I need the strike anywhere matches for 19th century living history and didn't like the green color of the new matches so bought a cellophane wrapped package of the penny size red ones a few months ago when I found them. I more recently bought a package of green ones and was using them when I took up smoking a pipe but decided I wanted longer ones so in recent weeks have been stopping at every supermarket I was able to in search of long strike anywhere's green or otherwise. I was beginning to think that they were simply out of production so decided to search BoB to see if there was an answer.

Somebody in this thread mentioned eBay as a possible source so I just went and did a search there. It was an education. There was a single box of old Ohio matches with a bid of $18.50+4.95 shipping. Information in listing #180705296908 (a case of Penley red tips (9000 matches) for $120 delivered, indicates that Penley matches are now out of production and that in fact the formulation on the new green matches is inferior to the red tips. Another interesting tidbit is that the seller will not ship to NY state, which may be one reason why I wasn't finding any where I was looking. He also restricts sales of his lots to 2 purchases per shipment due to cost of shipping more matches. There are a number of options available for the Penley matches. The least expensive is the case at $.013 per match/$3.33 per box. You can get over 200 divided up into 5 waterproof cylinders for .03975/match for $7.95. Probably the best mix of cash outlay, unit price, and quantity is the 6 boxes (1500 matches) for $62 delivered. For less than twice that it's tempting to just get a case and hopefully have a lifetime supply.

Another suggestion was reenacting supplies of lucifers. I have seen what are advertised as reproductions of the originals, which are a slab of attached sticks with one end dipped in phosphorus or some such material. I don't recall the price but I'm sure they would be even more expensive than the ebay options. Most reenactors just use the strike anywhere ones relabeled as Lucifers.

 

[monbla256]

My local Kroger and Tom Thumb grocery stores still sell them though they are almost 3x the price of the "strike-on-the-box" matches even though both are made by Diamond Match Co. here in the US. Seems the make-up chemically of the "strike anywhere" matches places them in a Hazmat catagory and the distributors charge more for shipping them because of this. My local Family Dollar store sells a wooden "strike on the box" match that is made in California and works GREAT and they burn slow and cost $1.25 for two boxes of 350 matches ea. :cheers:

 

[williamcharles]

Diamond made the old Ohio Blue Tip and later started making a red strike anywhere with a white tip. Not nearly as good but they still work. Seems like all I find these days are the SOB (in more ways than one) matches. Diamond was still in business in Cloquet MN according to the address on the two newest boxes I have. Jarden are the current owners as far as I can find out.

 

[Lesepfeife]

My local Kroger and Tom Thumb grocery stores still sell them though they are almost 3x the price of the "strike-on-the-box" matches
My local Family Dollar store sells a wooden "strike on the box" match that is made in California and works GREAT and they burn slow and cost $1.25 for two boxes of 350 matches ea.

I'll be in PA this week so will have to check some places there to see what's available. PA laws tend to be somewhat less restrictive than NY (one of the reasons we want to move there) so I may have more luck. I did some more searching after my post and into some time last year it appears that the Penley matches were still available in a number of places in the south. My guess is that most if not all of these sources have run out of their stock. One of the dollar stores was a seller but the link resulted in a 404 error. Too bad there wasn't a warning about this disappearance of such a common thing like there was about incandescent light bulbs. I probably wouldn't have known of my future need to stock up but some people would have.