Permanent Match at KaiDomain $1.48

[Eskimonio]

http://www.kaidomain.com/WEBUI/ProductDetail.aspx?TranID=1555

Good news is...cheap.

Bad news is...if it's anything like the ones on CountyComm that the guys @ EDC forums have picked up, it's a plastic reservoir with a thin metal shell covering its 3 sides, and a few on EDCFor say it doesn't seem to really hold fluid for long.

Has anyone found a good price for an ALL METAL permanent match?

 

[gorn]

That one is like the countycomm ones. I've had a plastic permanent match since the late 60's. It still works fine. You can also find them at budk.com

 

[Aloft]

I found these fairly cheap a couple years ago too ... the ones I got were plastic with the metal shell like you're describing. I filled 'em, carried one in my 'dog walking' jacket, and tried to light it up every time I took the dog out. They NEVER seemed to dry out of fluid, though after several hundred lightings over more than a year, I had to refill it one time. But even after several months of summer where I didn't wear the jacket, the plastic permanent match lit right up the first time I wore the jacket again in fall. The others that were not used regularly, still retained enough fluid to light right up after more than a year.

That being said, the permanent match can be tricky to light. I found it almost impossible in any kind of wind, even when sheltering it behind my body. In a cave or other well protected place, it probably won't be so hard, but nonetheless, it seemed to take a bit of practice.

I did throw one in each of my Trangia Stoves though ... even if the match doesn't light, the sparks are sufficient to ignite the stove (as long as the temperature is above freezing). Overall, I think the permanent match, even this 'cheapo' one, is more reliable long term than a seldom used Zippo lighter which dries out fairly quickly. If you use and refill the Zippo regularly though, it wins hands down for ease of lighting.