FireSteel Miniature

After doing some research, I discovered there are two types of ferro rods you may or may not know about. There are ones that spark easily, but the sparks are short-lived. Then there are others that require more force and speed to use, but throw a shower of hotter, long-lasting sparks. This one falls into the second category, and once you learn to use it properly, you'll appreciate it all the better. Why, you ask? Because when scraped slowly, you can shave off small bits of the material just as you would with a magnesium block, and when you throw a spark on the pile of shavings, it burns just as magnesium shavings do.I keep one of these in my wallet, it takes up almost no space and is guaranteed to be on me just about any place I go. I wrapped one end of the rod with some electrical tape for better grip. Haven't had one break on me, but I always support the rod from underneath while using it to avoid overstressing it. They are so small, I bought several just to practice and stash away in various places.

Small, but it definitely works. Throws a nice shower of spark using the back-edge of a knife. Works equally well when dry, or after being dunked into water. It's tiny, and could pack anywhere.Just like with any fire steel, if you have a good tinder it's going to work better. But all things being the same, I'd feel 100% confident bringing this as my only fire-starting tool into the wilderness. It won't last forever, but I'm fairly certain I could start well over 100 fires with this before it needed to be replaced. It will actually throw more sparks once you develop a slightly flat edge on one side. At $0.49, you can't go wrong. Pick up a dozen and keep them around; in your pack, at the house, in the car, where ever.If you don't have strong fingers, it might be a little tough to hold because it is so thin. If holding it while striking is a problem, I would suggest dipping 1/4" or 1/2" of one end into some rubber tool-handle coating, or perhaps just regular Elmer's glue with some sand mixed in. That will provide the friction you need to get a good grip on the steel while striking.**update 1**Just wanted to note that when I purchased this product, it was $0.49 per. Looking today (August 7 2012) it has nearly tripled, to $1.29, plus $7.50 shipping. Whoa... now that ain't right. I think this is a great item, but not worth $9 to get one. Then again, compare to the market, you're hard-pressed to find a fire steel of any type under $8 anywhere. I'm glad I bought a lifetime supply when they were shipped to my door at $0.83 per.**update 2**This product is now listed at $5.99 with free prime shipping (July 2013). Aligns with market value for fire steels.

UPDATE 2017: I've used mine several times and it works very well and has not broken. You could easily get hundreds of fires out of this rod. I now keep it in a survival tin that I made out of a Sucrets tin.Original Review:The product description was clear as to what size this little fire steel is. I'm not making any excuses about buying this product. I wanted it; I bought it. Considering the size of this item, I think it's WAY over priced. I paid just under $6 for this and it looks like about 2 cents worth of materials. It's nothing more than a small metal bar, essentially.Although the description was clear about the size of this item, once I actually had it in my hand, the reality set in. It's VERY small. My main concern was how thin it is. It wouldn't take much force to break it in half. If I were to change anything about it, I'd make it just a little bit thicker. That said, it works!As one customer photo shows, this about the length of a matchstick and about as thick as 2 matchsticks or 2 toothpicks. It wouldn't take too much to snap this little stick in half.Maybe it should be mentioned that when you "strike" a fire steel, it's the same as "striking" a match. You don't actually HIT the fire steel. It's not that kind of strike! Just as when you strike a match you actually scrape the match on a rough surface, when you strike a fire steel (especially one this thin), you merely scrape the fire steel with a sharp metal surface (a knife blade for example).I tested this using awl/reamer on my Victorinox Swiss army knife. Two strokes to remove the black coating; then it threw sparks with every stroke. I held the tools as if the fire steel was striking surface of a matchbox and held the awl as if it was a match. I drew the awl down the length of the fire steel quickly and was able to produce sparks (and actually throw them a few inches) with each stroke.I bought this to put into a survival tin and I expect it will work perfectly for that. Tomorrow I will try to light a cotton ball on fire with it. I'll post an update with my results after that.UPDATE EDIT: I used the nail file of a  Victorinox Swiss Army Classic Knife, 58mm, Stayglow  as the striker since that is one item I've put in my survival tin. A dry cotton ball--with no accelerant on it--caught fire with one stroke of the fire steel. I did a 2nd test on a small bit of dryer lint and it actually took about 8 - 10 strokes to get the dryer lint going. This fire steel threw sparks with every stroke. Once you get the feel for what angle and pressure you need to use to spark this, it'll spark for you every time. VERY RELIABLE!Side note: A dry cotton ball seems to make more reliable tinder than dryer lint. Dryer lint is made of fibers from your clothing so if any of the clothing you dried was fire resistant, your lint will also have fire resistant qualities. 100% pure cotton balls catch fire very easily and quickly! Impregnating the cotton ball with an accelerant such as petroleum jelly makes them more reliable in wet conditions.BOTTOM LINE: This fire steel works! If you can stomach the high price for a 2" metal bar, GET THIS!

This is the small and no frills variant of all those dozens of ferro-cerium fire-sparker products out there. It is an outstanding value, and it works.The extra small size and lack of casing merely means it requires just a little extra thought and effort to use it (where natural selection becomes a factor), but the advantage of keeping, carrying, storing it in some very small spaces is gained (therefore one is more likely to have it if needed). It's small enough to fit in one of those keychain capsules, in a wallet, in a small slot in the back of a lighter case, sewn into the seam of a vest, or behind the Velcro on a US Flag patch. At less than a buck and a half each, one can afford to have them in all these places and more. Insurance.I like my fancy commercially packaged sparkers, Swedish keys, and tinder/accelerant kits too, and I own just about every brand and variant available, but I always thought... but aside from the case, lanyard, the small bit of tinder, and the (usually) cheap steel striking nub, heck, the only REAL working part is the ferro-cerium rod. Everything else is just dressing (most of us could improvise tinder or have SOME piece of steel somewhere). And there are some versions out there that cost as much as $75! Insanity.