Aurora firesteel

Ferrocerium usually has some magnesium in it. Don't know if this has more.

It looks very nice and I really like the built in scraper, but it seems to take up a lot of space for a little 1/4" ferro rod.

My guess is that a standard 3/8" rod would probably work better, unless it is some special alloy.

Now if they made the case from magnesium...
 
I have similar blanks alot larger and I got them at a fraction of that cost.

They will light tinders that reg firesteels won't due to the mag burning hotter.

The downside is it takes sometime to get use to. the steel is alot softer and you wind up peeling shavings off most of the time when striking. But when you do get a spark, it burns hot and long.

I like them, but again I paid $6 for a 5' long 3/8 thick rod. At that price they are the best.

I sent one off to JWilliams recently, maybe he will give a lil input as well.
 
I really wanted one bad too until I read some reviews and it was only "so-so". What I do recall is that the firestriker isn't very well angled/designed so you can't get a good 'strike' off-of it. The tester needed to use the back of a knife to get a strong spark from the rod.
 
Well, it sounded good but I think I will just keep using a regular firesteel. Where do you guy's get the thicker firesteels?
 
tonym said:
I have similar blanks alot larger and I got them at a fraction of that cost.

They will light tinders that reg firesteels won't due to the mag burning hotter.

The downside is it takes sometime to get use to. the steel is alot softer and you wind up peeling shavings off most of the time when striking. But when you do get a spark, it burns hot and long.

I like them, but again I paid $6 for a 5' long 3/8 thick rod. At that price they are the best.

I sent one off to JWilliams recently, maybe he will give a lil input as well.
Click to expand...

Hey Tony, could you send me an E to Trace@THRblades.com with some info on how to get some of that 3/8" rod? TIA..
 
i talked to the guy that designed and supervises the construction of those, he said the reason for the aluminum case is for marines mainly. around saltwater ferocium degrades very quickly, and aluminum doesn't. with these, they are totally waterproof, won't be broken knocking around on a keychain or tied to a piece of gear. also, with the built in scraper it eliminates one more thing to come unattached or get lost.

they are not necessary for everyone, i wouldn't drop the coin for one where i practice and generally do my skills. in some environments and for some people, i think it is definitely worth it.

interestingly enough the same guy works with hydrogen fuel cells, pretty cool.
 
Cool info Simon.

Hey did you ever order any of those firesteels that I am talking about?
 
tony, never did end up ordering them...i have been tight on funds with knifemaking and i really don't need any more anyways...i have a few floating around now as it is...

just a vote for those firesteels though, they are really cool. tony got a piece of copy paper going straight off of one of those firesteels. no tinder or anything, just a couple of strikes. these steels are really amazing compared to the LMF
 
Yeah, waterproofing makes sense. Like you say; it's got its place.

I'm still wondering about this magnesium content... anyone got any percentage compositions of the 'high magnesium' ones?
 
Out of curiosity, I've just tried this out with some paper. Standard A4 notepad stuff, but it had some nice curls along the edge; I've been sharpening a few knives today!

First my blastmatch - lit the paper on second try (I missed with the first one :rolleyes: ) :thumbup:

Then a 3/8" rod I got in a group buy on a UK board - lit on third try with a good big scrape of metal clearly visible before it ignited with a flash. The paper actually lit in the middle on this one, not on the curly edges.

Seems my ferrorods are OK :D Funny, I never even thought to try them on paper before :confused:

I was starting to worry that there might be something much better - now I can save some money. I do like the look of some of them big'uns though... wonder how much shipping is to the UK...
 
Last edited:
I have one that I won at the CT Wilderness Gathering.

The ferro/mag combo does work well, and the burning mag does last a lot longer then a ferro rod spark.

The downside is that it does not spark as easily as a plain ferro rod, so some practice is required to make it work.

Also, the built in striker seems worthless to me.

The Alum. housing and o-ring does offer protection from exposure to corrosive elements while not adding much weight, and there are time when I hike/camp in a saltwater environment.

I mostly rely on a ferro rod, but I do carry one of these as a back-up in my kit.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top