I went down that rabbit hole a couple years ago. Short answer: black match is doable but you won’t save much money unless you’re going through a LOT of it. The consistency thing is real — getting a uniform burn rate takes practice and good quality chems.

The moisture cure part is definitely annoying. You gotta hang the stuff for like 24-48 hours depending on humidity, and if it’s not dry enough you get erratic burns. Not ideal when you’re relying on it for timing in a show.

One thing that surprised me — it’s actually kinda dangerous if you don’t know what you’re doing. Mixing and corning powder indoors is a no-go. I’d say learn it for the experience but keep buying pre-made for actual shows lol.