- Joined
- Mar 8, 2007
- Messages
- 554
This review is for the new Exotac nanoSTRIKER. Based on seeing one of these in another thread, I figured that I'd give it a go and purchase one. Prior to doing so, I had a lengthy chat with the designer who is an engineer that discussed metal hardness and his passion for making a better widget. The package arrived promptly. Upon opening the box, I pleasantly surprised by the quality of the packaging. It was a testament to the designer's aforementioned commitment.
In the box, as illustrated in the photograph below, there was the steel, a set of extra o-rings, split ring, paracord and some instructions. The box, with the foam removed, is solid enough to contain a somewhat smallish PSK.
Let's talk about the firesteel. Overall, it has a nice feel in the hand; very ergonomic for something of it's size. It is by no means large and can easily find a home on your keychain. I think that with the included ring and paracord, it would fit into most firesteel loops on your sheaths and stay there. The milling in the handle makes for a secure grip while striking. It is constructed of 6061 aircraft aluminum and is available in anodized gunmetal grey (shown) or black. The ferro rod, itself, only protrudes a little under 1.5" from the handle. The o-rings serve to keep the unit waterproof in case of immersion. It is a nice touch for preventing your ferro rod from getting funky. I have not tested the waterproof integrity of the unit by immersing it (yet). I'll report back with a followup. Lastly, in keeping the unit "svelte", the tolerance between the steel (when in the stored position) and the handle won't permit for any tinder to be stored within. Not a show-stopper for me.
An area where I found myself really getting impressed was with the striker. As illustrated above, it too, stores in the handle. Given that I have medium-sized hands, holding and striking with it was not a problem. Someone with larger or gloved hands would probably benefit from placing a piece of paracord through the hole and using it as a thong. The striker is made of 440 steel and hardened to >50HRC. It is shaped like a little I-beam and apparently welded neatly into the handle. It is wickedly sharp and throws a spark every time. If it ever gets dull, you can take a file to the outer flat parts and hone it right back up.
Another reason that attracted me to this piece is the interchangeable ferro rods. When you whittle one down, unscrew it and you can replace it with a fresh one for a few bucks. I really like that feature. I bought 3
Relative to performance, as the pictures show, I haven't used it much yet. I successfully ignited dryer lint and PJCBs with only 1-2 strikes. As the striker is so sharp, it really tears a nice chunk of ferro and ignites it. Functionally, it sparks like a firesteel.com rod with my Gossman striker. That is damn good in my book. I plan to get out and light my usual tinder of palm fibers and try striking with the back of a knife. I'll advise with an addendum to this review.
Thanks for reading.
Chris
In the box, as illustrated in the photograph below, there was the steel, a set of extra o-rings, split ring, paracord and some instructions. The box, with the foam removed, is solid enough to contain a somewhat smallish PSK.
Let's talk about the firesteel. Overall, it has a nice feel in the hand; very ergonomic for something of it's size. It is by no means large and can easily find a home on your keychain. I think that with the included ring and paracord, it would fit into most firesteel loops on your sheaths and stay there. The milling in the handle makes for a secure grip while striking. It is constructed of 6061 aircraft aluminum and is available in anodized gunmetal grey (shown) or black. The ferro rod, itself, only protrudes a little under 1.5" from the handle. The o-rings serve to keep the unit waterproof in case of immersion. It is a nice touch for preventing your ferro rod from getting funky. I have not tested the waterproof integrity of the unit by immersing it (yet). I'll report back with a followup. Lastly, in keeping the unit "svelte", the tolerance between the steel (when in the stored position) and the handle won't permit for any tinder to be stored within. Not a show-stopper for me.
An area where I found myself really getting impressed was with the striker. As illustrated above, it too, stores in the handle. Given that I have medium-sized hands, holding and striking with it was not a problem. Someone with larger or gloved hands would probably benefit from placing a piece of paracord through the hole and using it as a thong. The striker is made of 440 steel and hardened to >50HRC. It is shaped like a little I-beam and apparently welded neatly into the handle. It is wickedly sharp and throws a spark every time. If it ever gets dull, you can take a file to the outer flat parts and hone it right back up.
Another reason that attracted me to this piece is the interchangeable ferro rods. When you whittle one down, unscrew it and you can replace it with a fresh one for a few bucks. I really like that feature. I bought 3
Relative to performance, as the pictures show, I haven't used it much yet. I successfully ignited dryer lint and PJCBs with only 1-2 strikes. As the striker is so sharp, it really tears a nice chunk of ferro and ignites it. Functionally, it sparks like a firesteel.com rod with my Gossman striker. That is damn good in my book. I plan to get out and light my usual tinder of palm fibers and try striking with the back of a knife. I'll advise with an addendum to this review.
Thanks for reading.
Chris
