Emergency Fire Starter
by SE
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List Price: Our Price: $0.49 You Save: $6.51 (87%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Category: Tools See more product details |
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Tools and Hardware Reviews of Emergency Fire Starter
Customer Review: utilitarian, works for the price, but could use an improvement
Summary: 3 Stars
I ordered this product to keep in my Jeep, in case of problems when 4-wheeling in the back country. It is a fine product, and works as advertised, but is very basic and has some issues.
Pros:
Very inexpensive - buy several and stash them in backpacks, vehicles, etc.
Lightweight and compact - will fit in a pocket.
Fairly easy to use.
Cons:
-Scraper/striker tool is very small and thin - definitely hard on the hands if attempting to start a fire in less than optimal conditions. Cold hands trying to hold this would be quite a chore.
-Chain holding striker to magnesium/flint is very flimsy - should be immediately replaced with something more sturdy. This is NOT going to hold together on your keyring or hanging from your pack/belt/etc.
-As one reviewer mentioned the glue job holding the flint onto the magnesium is crazy - in my case there was a huge blob of glue all the way across the flint that I had to chip off before i could get to the flint.
Magnesium is very hard - must really scrape at it. I think a good pocket knife would be better for this than the scraper/striker tool.
I ended up putting both pieces on a rawhide lace - this gives enough slack to use them without having to separate them. I dropped the striker on the ground while using it in the dark and could not find it until morning, even with a flashlight. Using a lace or cord will allow you to use them together without having to disconnect them from each other. Better yet - ditch the scraper/striker and carry a pocket knife.
Customer Review: Was not a happy camper with this item
Summary: 1 Stars
First off magnesium may burn hot as all get out but it also burns up real quick making it useless(to me) I tried and tried under many weather conditions and never had success with this particular fire stater and at best all I can say is neither were emergency situations and I'm very glad because I would not want to rely on this product to start a fire.
Practice may help but it sure didn't for me with this one,I was forced to re-evaluate starting a fire under emergency or survival situations the end result was the thought that you should not rely on one method alone I now use a "light my fire"(fire iron) which has brought about success and is even more simplified than a magnesium stick.
I also now pack several types of light weight tenter such as char cloth lent and pre-cut pieces of wood that if need be I can rub with one of my candles from my candle lantern,along with these I usually carry at least two fuel cubes from the Colgan pocket stove,all this is light weight small and packable.
So as to not come off sounding harsh this product just did not work for me this does not mean it won't work for you or others,at any rate always practice making fires before you really need to and do so under dry and damp conditions,and keep in mind the items I listed above thinking outside the box may save your life and there's never a perfect time for an emergency they just happen.
Customer Review: Most reliable fire starter I've ever used
Summary: 5 Stars
Those saying this doesn't work obviously aren't using it correctly and you're giving people bad advice in telling them not to waste their money. This product is used by outdoorsmen everywhere and is the easiest, most reliable way to start a fire. Most people who have watched some of the survival shows have seen this product. I'm not going to recommend that anyone mimic Bear Grylls with anything else he does but when you see him start a fire in about 5-10 seconds, this is what he is using.
I've used it while mountain climbing/backpacking for years and have NEVER had one bit of trouble in getting a fire started. I would rather have this product than matches or a lighter. It will last longer and can light tinder that isn't completely dry. Magnesium burns at over 1000 degrees and lights when even the smallest spark hits it making it more reliable than a simple butane lighter. I can light dry tinder without even shaving off the magnesium first and just striking the flint. Swedish Fire Steel (also in my backback) doesn't come close to this in reliability. Mine didn't come with a blade and even though I keep a small hacksaw blade taped to it, it's generally easier to just use a pocket knife. Because having a fire is so important, I always keep 3 methods of fire starting in my pack but this would be the one I would pick if I could only have one.
Customer Review: too little flint
Summary: 1 Stars
I know this is a 1 star product before I buy it. I get it anyway for the magnesium metal. Magnesium is very flammable kinda of metal. I need it for a project I am working on.
There are basically 2 reason why this product deserve a 1 star rating:
1, 90% of metal is in fact composed of cheap magnesium metal which won't give you any spark to start a fire; the rest 10% black flint rod is main sparker. Once that tiny 10% black flint is used up, that is it, no more fire.
2, because of this clumsy design, it is hard to strike for a spark, if you compared this clumsy product to a Swedish Firesteel, light my fire, fire starter. I have the swedish firesteel army version. It has a very big black flint rod.
In short: This 1 star fire starter will surely make fire. It simply doesn't last, so it is not reliable in a survival situation, and it is too clumsy for a short trip to the wild.
PS. you can still make fire without the black flint if you have a battery with you using the magnesium with some spark from the battery.
This is the flint I got. It has 128X 5 stars and no 1 star rating.
Swedish Firesteel - Army Model
Customer Review: A challenge to use
Summary: 2 Stars
My experience with fire starting is limited, so this review is from more of a novice's perspective. Getting this fire starter to get a birds nest to light was a real challenge, I managed it once after 10-15 minutes of trying. I used certain dead leaves in the yard that strike up pretty easily with other flints but had a real time with this one. One problem I think is the action of striking, this tool has to be held further away from the tinder than the Ultimate Survival Technologies StrikeForce Fire Starter or the Swedish Firesteel - Scout Model , both of which can be placed on the tinder and the sparks can be sent directly in. This 'emergency fire starter' offers less sparks (lesser quality of flint?) and it has to be held at least a few inches from the tinder in order to strike it with the saw blade. Another problem is that you only get half the flint, the other half is glued and recessed in to the Magnesium. Being less experienced it took me more effort and more strikes to get the tinder started, only twice successfully once with a cotton ball (which felt like cheating) and I'm already 90% through the flint, it's almost worn flat. I recommend the other two firestarter since you get a lot more flint and it's in a format that allows close use with the tinder.