Methinks there may be a class divide here. To turn light my water heater, I must go out of the trailer; open up the heater cover, spent a minute or so trying light the pilot holding the switch and the lighter; and then turn on the heater and make sure that the main flame catches properly; then close up the cover and go back inside. If there is wind blowing, the pilot lighting ceremony goes up to 10 minutes. If it is raining, it does not occur at all, because being a Southern Californian, I tend to melt in the rain,
Electronic ignition has its points.