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: Short and sweet
Summary: 5 Stars
A friend and I went out today hunting for morels, and decided to try this tool in semi-moist conditions. We were able to ignite a fist-sized bundle of grass and thistle into an amazingly hot fire very quickly. We scraped the shavings onto the dented side of an aluminum can, moved them gently into the tender bundle, and ignited them with a few strokes of the flint.
We were both shocked at the ease and success of the initial attempt.
The flint seems to have a coating on it, which may need to be worn off before good sparks will be produced. After it was a bit "worn", we were getting heavy sparks which would ignite dry tinder, even without the magnesium, most likely (though this was not tested, as tinder was moist). The magnesium gave substantial heat and height to the first flames, and the bundle went up very quickly.
Even those used to using flint and strikers should think about the addition of magnesium to their kit. In wetter weather, it provides a great burst of heat that might be the critical "push" to getting a good fire started--especially lacking proper tinder.
This is a great price and item that might give substantial ease and comfort in a bad situation.
Customer Review: Awesome firesteel!
Summary: 5 Stars
I tested this product and the following product at the same time, and they produced the same results:
http://www.amazon.com/Swedish-Firesteel-Model-Black-Handle/dp/B0013L2DKU/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=sporting-goods&qid=1298100054&sr=1-1
It took me 5 consecutive strikes on my first try EVER with this item to light a ripped up 2 inch square of paper towel ablaze, and that was only because i didn't have the angle right the first 4 strikes. That being said, anyone who left a bad review for this item is an idiot. It's really not even necessary to read the instructions if you have an elementary knowledge of physics, i.e: Understanding that "just enough" force to create a spark is all that is necessary, and the correct angle to hold the striker is the only angle out of the two choices that would create a spark. It's so unbelievably simple. It's hard to believe that anyone could have trouble using this firesteel. Other than that, the product is very well made. I can envision many thousands of fires being made from this one single firesteel. I highly recommend this for any application.
Customer Review: Very difficult to use, don't waste your money
Summary: 1 Stars
This item is not what i expected. Yes, it does allow you to light fires, but it is not the best by a long way. To get this to work you have to shave the magnesium off and place it in your tinder pile. Then, you use the flint to make sparks (which are small) to ignite the magnesium shavings. This can be troublesome at times. After that, if the shavings light, they will light your tinder.
Pro's: Cheap (you get what you pay for).
Con's: Difficult to use. The length of cord that attaches the striking bar to the item is too short. This makes it difficult to shave the magnesium, and even more difficult to strike the flint to get the spark. The whole process is time consuming, and requires multiple attempts.
I would recommend spending a bit more money and getting the firesteel, such as Swedish FireSteel Army Model. It works a whole lot better, you can strike it easily, do not have to shave off the magnesium, and the sparks are consistently very strong and numerous with a single strike.
Customer Review: Works Well, Field Tested
Summary: 5 Stars
Ok, first off, the guy who gave this a 1 star review, probably didn't know how to use it. I started a fire with this baby that turned into a raging 6' x 6' inferno, it took me all of 13 seconds. First off, you don't want CHUNKS of magnesium... you want to scrape it off into a fine powder, which is easier to ignite with the spark thrower on the reverse side. The spark thrower works flawlessly. This little tool easily lights kindling if you actually KNOW what you are doing. I even lit a friend's cigarette with it, just for kicks (and to see if I could do it).
The chain it comes on is crap, your typical ball chain that they put dollar store "dog tags" on. It is long enough that you do not have to take it apart to use both pieces though. I simply added a small extension from another ball chain I had, and now it is on a necklace length chain, easy fix. If it really bothers you, para cord is 5$ for 500 ft at my local hardware store, go get it.
Customer Review: Works Well
Summary: 4 Stars
There is a lot of debate about which fire starter you should carry with you in case of emergency. The real debate should be over what "two" fire starters to carry in the event of an emergency.
I would bank on this one being one of them along with some tinder (I would suggest Vaseline soaked cotton balls in a film can). The other one would likely be some waterproof survival matches. I've seen matches that burn like miniature flares and for considerably longer than a household match.
This fire starter is very cheap and includes everything you need (except wood and tinder of course) to get a fire started. I tried it out in the yard before taking it into the field and had a fire going first try.
Definitely take your own tinder with you. If you need to start a fire in an emergency the emergency is likely to include rain and cold. Very difficult to find dry stuff in those conditions.