Fire Piston

**John553** · 07-04-2009, 04:40 PM

Hello all,

Ive been this site for a year now and have finally signed up. Ive taken lots of information onboard from various posts, relating to all aspects of survival and equipment.

Thanks to everyone who has contributed information in the past. This is a great site.

I would like to share a little secret with everyone......

Ive recently purchased a Fire Piston through some friendly chap on e bay (Fairttade01) and would like all you fellow forum users to know about how good it is.

Some of you may know of them, but for those that dont...they are definately worth checking out. They have got to be one of the most impressive way of lighting a fire.

They allow you to create fire by compressing air with the force of your hands!

I took mine to a recent meet on Dartmoor (16 of us in total) and no-one had ever heard of a Fire Piston. You should have seen their faces when I showed them how to light a piece of tinder within seconds, which then lit a fire for us all to cook some food up on.

I think they are not just a very useful piece of kit, but educational at the same time. The kit I got comes with allsorts of extras....plenty of charcloth, instructions, lube, spare seals and you even get a neat little pouch that clips onto your belt for everything to sit it. Theres a few kits out there, but this one (with all the extras) has got to be one of the best value for money.

Theres a short video on you tube of the kit.... (hope the mods are alright with me posting this link)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LjATCMASJPI

Ive had mine a few weeks now and used it to light several camp fires, without using anyother form of artificial fire lighter. Great fun.

I think ive got my brothers christmas pressies sorted already!!! Good price too. £19.99

Thanks for reading and keep up the good work.

**Rick** · 07-04-2009, 04:54 PM

As long as you are not associated with the site, then it's not a problem. If you've been lurking for over a year you know we ask new members to visit the Introductions section to tell us a bit about them. You might want to do the same.

http://www.wilderness-survival.net/f...splay.php?f=14

The very thing you mention about a fire piston is its weakness. Namely, the seals. If they go you have no way to start a fire. You won't have a problem with flint and steel in that regard. Simple is better in my book.

**crashdive123** · 07-04-2009, 05:00 PM

At $32.65 US without shipping I think I'll have to pass.

**Rick** · 07-04-2009, 05:07 PM

Ouch! That is pretty steep.

**mrAndre** · 03-04-2011, 03:08 PM

My wife got me one for Christmas off ebay. Around $40 from the US. Works great.

**hunter63** · 03-04-2011, 03:33 PM

Welcome, and there is a introduction area that will help everyone get to know you.

http://www.wilderness-survival.net/f...-Introductions

Fire pistons have been discussed many times on this forum.
Not for me.........

Pro's and con's.
My take is simply that if you have to buy it, why spend this kind of money where a simple fire steel works every time, doesn't have seals to fail, and for the price you can have a carry three fire steels, or 30 Bic's, or 4 Zippo's for the weight and space of one fire piston.

Are they cool? Yes.
Is it good to know about them and try them out? Yes.
Would it be more of an advantage to be able to scrounge up materials in the wild, from scratch, to start a fire? Priceless.