Product Description New emergency fire starter. This magnesium fire starter is easy to use: (1) Gently shave a small quantity of magnesium with metal striker into a small pile of grass, paper or leaves to start a campfire (2) Strike the magnesium rod with striker (3) The sparks will start the fire with the shaved magnesium
Customer Reviews: Excellent value and works great!February 4, 2010 Mikhail in AZ(Vail, AZ, US) 32 out of 33 found this review helpful
I received this today, and it works great. I would suggest using the back (non-serrated) edge of the steel to shave the magnesium and the serrated edge for striking the flint. The magnesium block and flint both have some kind of coating, so the first time you use it it'll take a few extra tries. I've seen these selling for double or triple the price and people were happy to pay it, so this is an excellent deal!
WORKS GREATApril 25, 2009 Jack W. Wolfe 35 out of 38 found this review helpful
This fire starter works great just follow the instructions! I tried it the other day and I started a fire the first time!!
Great fire starter!June 11, 2009 A. Rodriguez 30 out of 32 found this review helpful
I recently bought this and received it in the mail in about two days.
I opened the package and the instructions were very clear on how to use it. Great product it works its not expensive and very helpful.
Better than matches or a lighter!April 22, 2010 Amber(Albany, NY, USA) 11 out of 11 found this review helpful
My boyfriend and I took this little gem on a backpacking trip with a few friends. It was windy and had rained recently so it was virtually impossible to find dry tinder/leaves. My friends all insisted that this fire starter would never work, so after an hour of watching them use ALL of their matches and burn themselves repeatedly with lighters, they finally conceded to let us use our striker. Within minutes we had a blazing fire and effectively sold the rest of our group on the idea.
Now, for the nitty gritty. As you can see in the picture, the striker is chained to the magnesium bar with the striker's counterpart running down the side. It's much easier to use if you remove them from the chain. There's a bit of a learning curve to using this most effectively, so make sure you try it out before going camping. I suggest using the serrated edge as the striker, as it produces larger sparks. You really only need a little magnesium -- it's highly reactive when in a smaller/powdered form and readily set fire to the damp leaves/toilet paper mixture we used as a starter. Unlike another reviewer, I would NOT recommend shaving the bar before hiking due to the reactivity. Magnesium is stable in solid form so there's nothing to worry about as it sits in your pack; no leaking lighter fluid, no damp or broken matches.
If I wasn't sure that I have hundreds of uses left in this fire starter, I'd certainly purchase another, as the product is amazing and the price is also better than any I found in store locally.
Works Perfect - Just follow the directionsMarch 28, 2010 S. Karl(Michigan) 10 out of 10 found this review helpful
I tried this magnesium fire starting tool - SE(Emergency Fire Starter - SE - Emergency Fire Starter) out as well as the alternative from (from Doan Machinery & Equipment - "Genuine Issue Magnesium Survival Fire Starter" Genuine Issue Magnesium Survival Fire Starter).
Both tools work perfectly fine as described and were able to light up fine fibers(cotton, moss, dried grass) and paper without a problem. The Doan tool has more precise instructions and clearly states on the packaging to scrape the magnesium portion of the bar with a knife blade PERPENDICULAR to the edge of the tool. I found this to method made for the most shavings and larger shavings at that. The packaging clearly states that you want a QUARTER(U.S. Coin) sized amount (just shy of 1 inch or 2.4cm diameter) Then holding the bar at 45 degree angle to the pile of shavings drag the knife along the flint to create sparks. The directions remind you to hold the blade perpendicular to the bar while "striking" the flint. I would advise not to strike the flint as they are brittle. However, a nice quick full length drag of the blade down the flint creates a shower of sparks for easy ignition of the magnesium shavings.
Both brands work fine. They are nearly identical in shape(the SE is a few mm longer). Each brand has a different finish/coating on the bar itself is about the only difference I can tell. The performance seemed to be identical or at least close enough to not notice anything to complain about. The big difference is the price. The SE(made in China) is about half the price of the Doan(Made in USA - Patented). It appears to me that they are both the same design with slightly different execution of it, and one is just made overseas so that is why it's cheaper(unless there is less active "ingredients"(magnesium).
One other note: The SE(Chinese one) also comes with a saw blade striker that does work but you need to wear through a protective layer of lacquer for it to work and it's just small enough to annoy my large hands. I just stick with a cheap staineless steel pocket knife for this. I always carry about 3-4 blades when I'm out hiking(cheap folder that I don't care if it gets ruined, sometimes a higher quality folder, always a fixed blade that is larger with full tang, and usually a multi tool(leatherman).
You can't go wrong with either tool. I'd prefer to buy American(Doan - the "other" one) in the long run though, especially for something I might end up having my life depend on.
EDIT: One last note on product life- depending on how much magnesium you need to get your fire going each time, I think the flint will run out long before you ever use up all the magnesium.
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