Matches vs Lighters

This thread has been moved to Magic Items from Misc Topics.

Half the threads I make are moved from Miscellaneous topics to something else... But thank you everyone. And that was funny about the chat room. Anyways, who else would like to say what they use and state their reasons for it?

The reason for the move is simple. In the miscellaneous section this very nice thread will be quickly devoured by the never ending threads made there. Here it will float comfortably at the top for many weeks where more can view it and reply.

Thank you WhiteRav3n but when I said reasons and such I was referring to what the thread is about: matches vs lighters. But that's a very valid and considerate reason for moving the thread. Thank you.

You're welcome. :)

I can't really see much difference in using a lighter or a match. But I will say this.A lighter produces flame by a spark; so it is "natural" fire. A match doesn't really have much sulphur, it's mainly red phosphorus; but it is an explosive, so not natural fire. So, lighter or match, I would use either!

I prefer a lighting stick. I light these from my working candle. This candle is created from the flame of my original by transferring the flame from the old candle to the new one. I use a snuffer on the candle and will relight it with what ever is handy. Some candles I will specifically use a match if I would like to add the chemicals often used to create them. I never light a candle for a magical working with a lighter unless it as already been lit at some point.

Kts, why do you choose not to use a lighter? Also, define "lighting sticks", if you will.

And how is a lighter more natural than a match? A lighter, also, uses chemicals. Though the spark is what lights those chemicals.

A lighting stick harkens back a little to more traditional methods, when candles and lanterns were lit via a stick (or tightly rolled newspaper in some cases -- old school recycling) lit from another source, say the hearth fire. Since both matches and lighters were not invented until the 1800s, and modern lighters didn't come into commercial viability until the early 1900s, they're considerably modern in comparison to what are now considered primitive fire starting methods (flint and steel with char cloth, friction-based methods, the need to keep tinder on hand, etc.).

I have run into some spells and practices (just reading a few, seeing what was out there) which said candles should be lit from a living flame. That simply means an already burning fire, such as an already lit candle. The instructions did not give a reason for this, however, so I have no feedback beyond parroting that bit.

It is the spark of a lighter that is "natural", not the fuel that it lights.The wooden shaft of a match is "natural", but the head of a match is a low explosive. (As opposed to dynamite which is a high explosive.) I know the distinction is not a great one; but, after all,there is nothing "natural" about a candle! It is a manufacture; just as a match or a lighter.