Can we talk about whether a striker or a lighter belongs at the forge?

A guy at the Indiana blacksmith meetup told me my fire was running cold because I was using a cheap lighter to light my coal, and he said I'd never get an even burn that way. I switched to a flint striker and a little paper and wood shavings three months ago, and my first heat comes up way more even now, no more hot spots on one side of the pot. But my buddy Rick says that's nonsense and he's been lighting with a propane torch for 12 years with zero issues. I timed both setups last Saturday and the torch had the fire going in about 4 minutes versus 9 for the striker, so honestly I'm torn. Is the striker thing real or was that guy just set in his ways? Curious what the rest of you use to get your fire going.