fire starter

[Timelord]

Those butane jet lighters sure use a lot of gas and I have read reports from squaddies who found them of unreliable quality in the field. How often do you really need a fierce jet of flame that can melt solder? It is an expensive way to rapidly use up precious fuel. What if you are mobile on foot, will you have to carry a gallon of gas to last the next 10 years? How often will you need to refill it? Often I would think.
Finding ways to create fire without the need for a catalyst fuel is a wise move. The commercial fire pistons may use rubber seals for ease of manufacture but I doubt rubber seals were used in older times. I am sure the device could be manufactured without rubber seals and just using a better tight tolerance and possibly a slight smear of some lubricant - that could be found in nature easily or made up simply with water and a binding agent.
Cheap disposable lighters are unreliable anyway and often break. They can be broken when knocked in ones pack or pocket and constitute an additional hazard. Only better quality maetal cased types like zippos or any of the other alternative brands/designs should be considered for serious longterm repeat use. Why buy crap fragile lighters when the better proven item is not that dear anyway? 2 good lighters are worth dozens of poor quality ones. You need to know it will work when and immediately that you need it and also that it is maintainable in the future. (They usually come with spare flints inside the body)
Fire pistons are a combination of ancient practical tech and now with modern engineering understanding they are proven to be simple efficient tools for whatever stage of caveman existance you find yourself living in.