Fire Starter Selections - Rundown

**sjj** · 11-05-2009, 04:29 AM

Fire starter Ideas?

**Rick** · 11-05-2009, 07:54 AM

Okay, let's see if I can help you out on these.

As to a plain spark maker like those in the Spark-Lite Common...buy a BIC. Use it until it's empty then keep it for the sparker. It's a better fire starter when full and can still be used when it's empty. Sort of multi-use. Cotton balls soaked in petroleum and stored in a 35mm film canister for your tinder.

Blast Match - Great product but REI is too expensive.

Rope lighter - Make your own. I posted a tutorial on how to do it. You might have the parts on hand. If not, it sure won't cost $15 bucks to make and it works very well.

I love the sunlight solar lighter. Hunter or someone posted on a similar sunlight collector last week and I've been looking for one. Nice find!!!!!!!

As for strikers, any carbon item will work. Use your knife and save some money.

As for the mish metal rods or firesteels, I think everyone on here would agree that Robert Rogers over at firesteel.com has, hands down, the best on the market. I think he must have mixed napalm in with the rods.

http://www.firesteel.com

Overall, a great post and I applaud you for taking the time to look all of the sites up. I just wanted to point out there are some cheaper routes folks can go and still have the same quality of gear....sometimes cheaper or better quality.

**Pict** · 11-05-2009, 08:20 AM

Thanks for posting all that. I'll have to go back and check the links. I think most of us here fall into the category of users and collectors of survival gear.

For actual use in a cost/benefit way of thinking the old standby's still work just fine.

My Firestarters...

BIG YELLOW BIC
Doan tool
Ferro rod
Cotton treated with vaseline
Charcloth
Innertube rubber
Trick birthday candles

I have all sorts of other gadgets, sparklites, blastmatch etc. Learn to use the stuff on the above list and you can stay warm and not break the bank. Mac

Rick, do you have a link to that tutorial?

**SARKY** · 11-05-2009, 11:42 AM

You forgot the StrikeForce.
I use many of these flint &steel type fire starters and i have found that the Blast Match and the Strike Force put out the largest and hottest sparks.

**Rick** · 11-05-2009, 05:50 PM

Mac - You bet. Here it is.

http://www.wilderness-survival.net/f...ht=lamp+nipple

It's at post 17.

**COWBOYSURVIVAL** · 11-06-2009, 08:02 PM

I like the beast in your links from Goinggear. I will be ordering some to cut in half and make handles for Christmas gifts. Anyone have any experience with the blanks from Goingear?

**Canadian-guerilla** · 11-06-2009, 08:35 PM

i guess i'm just a cheap guy

regular matches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . or hockey laces for a firebow

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**Rick** · 11-06-2009, 08:43 PM

sjj - I certainly wasn't criticizing any of your choices. Only trying to help out. We all have our own choice of gear and, as we often say around here if it works for you then it works for me.

**crashdive123** · 11-07-2009, 08:10 AM

Sjj - a firesteel is not made of magnesium. It is a ferocium rod. It will produce sparks, but will not ignite.

The link that Rick posted is not his (that would be against forum rules). It does belong to another member, and it has really good products and a good price.

**Rick** · 11-07-2009, 01:09 PM

sjj - You know, I hadn't even considered the paracord idea. I don't know why, just hadn't. I'll have to play with that and see how well it works. Thanks!!

**Rick** · 11-07-2009, 07:52 PM

Someone on here posted about their scouts tossing them into the fire and they burned really well.

**crashdive123** · 11-07-2009, 08:01 PM

Sjj - as far as the websites - You were correct. I thought you were referring to http://firesteel.com/ which is owned by Ron Fontaine (Robert Rogers), whereas http://www.safezonellc.com/ is owned by our famous (or is it infamous) Rick.