Estes starters?

Just came across this while browsing the Estes website: https://www.estesrockets.com/coming-soon/002302-model-rocket-starters

Have they just renamed them, or has Estes changed their igniters?

Also who came up with the name "starters"?!!!

I`m not sure who started that term ,but I suppose it sounds less "benign" than the scary word " igniter".....you know how the world is changing

Piers Morgan probably has something to do with this :rofl:

Those IGNITERS seem to look like the old ones, hard to tell.


Paul t

sodmeister said:

I`m not sure who started that term ,but I suppose it sounds less "benign" than the scary word " igniter".....you know how the world is changing

Piers Morgan probably has something to do with this :rofl:

Those IGNITERS seem to look like the old ones, hard to tell.


Paul t

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Now that's funny right there :lol::rofl:

That would be my guess too. Perhaps shipping companies could have seen the word "igniter" and thought it could be pyro- related/hazardous to transport, and starters is just a benign term

Igniters are are theoretically regulated by the ATF with all its resulting hassles, whereas lighters are not.

terryg said:

Igniters are are theoretically regulated by the ATF with all its resulting hassles, whereas lighters are not.

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Exactly ,better to use a term nobody can really pinpoint just what it is in that box when it say "starters or lighters",and thus easier to ship without the hassles (for now)

Crackpotism at it`s finest.

Paul T

I was wondering the same thing. They do seem very similar to the old ones...

There's a thread somewhere regarding this, I don't know where. The new starters are different, they have no pyrogen - just wire. I think that's what it said, Fred?

Here is a shot of the new Estes starter next to an old Estes igniter. It came in a package of the new F15-6 engines I purchased about 3 weeks ago at Hobby Lobby.



The starter has a transparent material between the bridge wire. I don't know what the composition of this is. When test firing one outside over a water bucket, the bridge wire glowed red hot and melted but no spark or flame was visible as we have come to expect with the old formula black pyrogen material. I think it's safe to assume that these new starters went through some rigorous testing before being released.

sodmeister said:

I`m not sure who started that term ,but I suppose it sounds less "benign" than the scary word " igniter".....you know how the world is changing

Click to expand...

*more* benign, not less.