Best Misch metal rods

upnorth

upnorth

Joined
Nov 25, 2006
Messages
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Please direct me to the best quality Misch metal rods that you have found. There are many choices out there and I'm looking for the absolute best. I'm moving on from the standard ferro rod and want the type that drop globs of longer lasting sparks. I'm looking specifically for thicker rods 3\8-1\2 inch with a hole drilled for paracord. Thank you.
 
I got mine from Goinggear and it is fantastic. Throws long lasting sparks, just takes a little more time to get used to using them over regular LMF firesteels or similar. I'm not sure there are any drilled with holes drilled in them, but they have worked the best for me thus far.
 
I was wondering if GoingGear was the main retailer, now I have it confirmed. Thank you gentlemen.
 
I have both the Going Gear model and the Light My Fire (LMF) military model.

The Going Gear model throws globs of molten metal.

The LMF model produces more traditional sparks.

I have found the LMF model easier to use as it requires less effort to produce sparks.

I also believe it is better to train with the LMF model as it makes me pay more attention to what I use for tinder as the sparks are harder to light things with than the molten globs the Going Gear model produces.

I suggest you buy both and experiment.

Though both are outstanding products but I prefer the LMF.

-Stan
 
stanley_white said:
I have both the Going Gear model and the Light My Fire (LMF) military model.

The Going Gear model throws globs of molten metal.

The LMF model produces more traditional sparks.

I have found the LMF model easier to use as it requires less effort to produce sparks.

I also believe it is better to train with the LMF model as it makes me pay more attention to what I use for tinder as the sparks are harder to light things with than the molten globs the Going Gear model produces.

I suggest you buy both and experiment.

Though both are outstanding products but I prefer the LMF.

-Stan
Click to expand...
I buy this ;-)
 
Going gear rods are probably the most foolproof, but they seem to get shredded faster. Also after learning on a stereotypical ferro rod, the striking is somewhat different and took some time to learn, but they are probably the 'highest performance' spark throwers. Definitely not the longest lasting... IMO there's no need to invest in all these fancy strikers. If your fire rod is more complicated than a match or a lighter, what's the point? In my experience as long as you have a good handle, a good striker and know what you're doing, you're going to produce a fire with your rod, no matter who makes it. I'm very comfortable with a supercheap Coleman Walmart brand fire rod, it's just a matter of learning your tool.

Buy yourself a knife scale made out of a good hardwood, cut it down to size with your folding saw, and then proceed to carve it into a handle with your bushcraft knife. After that, use the awl on your multitool to ream out a hole that fits your rod. Sand your handle with progressive grits to finish it and bring out the wood character. Use some slow set epoxy around the tip of your ferro rod and firmly and evenly sink it into the hole. Wait for it to dry, treat the handle with linseed oil and presto... you have a functional handle that costs maybe 2 dollars in material and an hour's worth of time. Saves you maybe 15 dollars in the cost of the same rod with a handle, and they turn out beautifully.
 
I prefer the LMF rods. They're easy to spark and last a long time. You may have to be a little more selective about what you use for tinder, but I carry a small pill bottle full of pjcb's anyhow, so if it's a real emergency I'm set. The greater controllability of the LMF's vs. softer rods means that it's easier to hit your tinder. The biggest, longest-burning globs don't do you any good if they land in the snow instead of your tinder.

Edit: Rick Marchand has an excellent video on a way to produce great sparks off of an LMF rod without "hour-glassing" the rod over time and having it break. Since seeing his video on it I've been using the technique exclusively with good results. Use the END of your striker, hold the rod with your left hand and the striker in your right, with BOTH of your thumbs on the end of the striker. You then "snap" your hands as if snapping a twig with your thumbs. The striker will launch a nice, large spark, and you'll only scrape the very first cm or so of the end of the rod. This DRASTICALLY reduces wear.
 
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I've had nothing but fantastic experiences with going gear! They have a ton of different rod sizes & widths.
 
Anybody have thought on the ferro rods sold by Tracy Mickley? How do they compare to going gear rods?
 
Some good info here, thanks everyone. I am ok with my half dozen or so standard ferro rods I guess. I have started fires with nothing but natural local materials after a two day rain, and in the snow\cold. Sometimes it takes several minutes (probably took me at least 10 minutes, or more, with wet natural materials once) and multiple false starts like this. Maybe the point for me to learn here is: Keep practicing to get better with what I have. Seems like every time I start feeling a little cocky, someone discusses something new, or a better method, and I'm humbled again.
 
Going gear is what I use. LMF rods are completely different, but do fine most of the time. The ones from going gear wear uneven for me though, gouged in the center a bit. Great rods though.
 
That's the problem with conventional striking, especially on softer rods. You end up "hour-glassing" them and they snap off in the middle, wasting a big chunk of rod.
 
FortyTwoBlades said:
I prefer the LMF rods. They're easy to spark and last a long time. You may have to be a little more selective about what you use for tinder, but I carry a small pill bottle full of pjcb's anyhow, so if it's a real emergency I'm set. The greater controllability of the LMF's vs. softer rods means that it's easier to hit your tinder. The biggest, longest-burning globs don't do you any good if they land in the snow instead of your tinder.

Edit: Rick Marchand has an excellent video on a way to produce great sparks off of an LMF rod without "hour-glassing" the rod over time and having it break. Since seeing his video on it I've been using the technique exclusively with good results. Use the END of your striker, hold the rod with your left hand and the striker in your right, with BOTH of your thumbs on the end of the striker. You then "snap" your hands as if snapping a twig with your thumbs. The striker will launch a nice, large spark, and you'll only scrape the very first cm or so of the end of the rod. This DRASTICALLY reduces wear.
Click to expand...

I'll search for the Marchand video, couldn't find it on youtube.
 
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