BSA Hot Spark

M

mtwarden

Joined
Sep 27, 2009
Messages
2,656
I was looking at small ferro rods and came across the Boy Scout Hot Spark. At $3.99 I figured I couldn't go too wrong (money going to Boy Scouts is a good deal either way) and ordered four up.

I was a little surprised that the rod is the hard Euro style as these are more expensive (and happen to be the ones I prefer); the rod is 3/16" (larger than the LMF mini which is 1/8"), it's 2.5" overall w/ 1.5" being handle, weight is a svelte 6 grams (0.2 oz), the supplied striker is also 2.5" long and weighs 3 grams (0.1 oz)

the handle is comfortable and has a lanyard hole (as does the striker)

the striker is decent, but a small carbide striker would be better- if you run your fingernail over the striker you will notice that one side of the striker has a burr and is much better than the other

hotspark_zps5vwnnwos.jpg


the real test is how does it throw sparks? happy to report very handsomely :) like all of the harder LMF types of ferro rods the coating takes a couple of scrapes to remove, but once removed it throws nice and reliable sparks

I give it two thumbs up if your looking for a small, light ferro rod for a small kit, hiking, keychain, etc- the price isn't too shabby either and supporting BSA (and made in USA) is a nice plus
 
Man, I had one of these 20 years ago, and I loved playing with it. Going to pick one up now too! Thanks for the reminder.
 
mtwarden said:
I was a little surprised that the rod is the hard Euro style as these are more expensive (and happen to be the ones I prefer); the rod is 3/16" (larger than the LMF mini which is 1/8"), it's 2.5" overall w/ 1.5" being handle, weight is a svelte 6 grams (0.2 oz), the supplied striker is also 2.5" long and weighs 3 grams (0.1 oz)
Click to expand...

Thanks for the info vs the LMF mini. I have used the BSA Hotspark for years and find the harder materials as in the LMF Scout and Military the best by far too. I was thinking about a LMF mini but will just stick with the Hotspark for ultralight carry times.

I keep one Hotspark untouched for my kit (with a mini Bic, a couple of cotton balls and a small stick of fatwood) and another to experiment with. They make a good amount of fires for how small and light they are.
 
You cost me $100! This thread made me think that I haven't been at my local Boy Scout store in a while so I dropped in to get a few hot sparks. Well, they were having a clearance sale so I went nuts. I barely had any money left to get what I came for. :)

Chad
 
I've had one on my keychain ever since I started needing to carry keys. Picked it up at summer camp and it's still goin g strong more than a decade later.
 
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