Exotac nanoSTRIKER

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For me it has too much stuff going on for the woods. Maybe it would be good for a key chain edc. This package at 2-1/2"-3" long by 1/4" with room for a thumbnail size piece of char cloth or PJCB squeezed in...nice.

Having the integral striker is great. The capsule doesn't seem to give anything back other than appearance. Now if the firesteel was narrower allowing tinder and the capsule was ground out of a diamond rod for touching up a blade it would have more going for it.
 
that's pretty cool.. but still a little too fancy for me...:) i really like the looks of that MATCHCAP match case...
 
Great review and thread.

Love Ramm9's idea of a diamond rod outer case. Also a screw off end opposite the striker end with a small compartment for tinder would be great.

Instead of a threaded ferro rod, why not use a compression type fitting like the ones used in small diameter copper lines so a standard ferro rod could be used.
 
Lapp_Dance said:
cost does not equal quality. I have not used or owned the aforementioned nanostriker, but I have never had a problem with a $1.99 striker and $7.99 ferro rod from one of our site vendors. combined with the included (free) mini capsule from the vendor, some 2 ton epoxy and a 3/8" drill bit, I made my own ferro setup, for roughly half the cost of the nano. it is a nice looking piece of kit, but I'll agree that the engineering of it has caused the cost to be too high to consider replacing what I already know works.
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I suppose that may be the case for a lot of people. I make some of and modify a lot of my store-bought gear. However for me it is pretty darned cost effective. Just going buy the above mentioned formula I'd have $8.00 in a ferro rod, $2.00 in a striker, haven't bought any but I'd guess the epoxy would be at least another $3.00, I already have the drill and drill bits so I'll save a little there... so figuring my usual hourly wage for a couple of hours of my time running after the materials I'd get locally, not to forget the fuel costs of another 4 or 5 dollars, and time spent working on the project and I have $70.00 tied up in a firesteel that is almost what I wanted but the tube doesn't reverse and become the handle. Or I could just spend that money on two that are exactly what I have been waiting for and spare parts for each and still have money left.

I got mine earlier today and I think the nanostriker is pretty awesome.It might be more difficult to use with gloves on, and it did take me a few tries to get the speed and angle correct for best results with the striker and the mischmetal ferro rod. But after working with it for a while today here at home,igniting a few tinder piles, and starting a couple of small fires... I comfortable taking it to the woods, and I think it is exactly what I have been waiting on. I have been waiting to find a light-weight encapsulated firesteel to put on a key chain or around my neck ever since I had an LMF Scout model completely corrode over after 10 long, sweaty hours in my pants pocket. And these pics are after I cleaned it up.

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Another cool thing about the nano striker is that it doesn't matter if you're a minimalist...

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or into carrying a little more gear it still fits in really well.

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Here's a quick little video.

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I reeeeaally like their Matchcap also, best match case I've ever had.

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[youtube]WwwetuRGPMg[/youtube]
 
Pretty nifty gadget. Given that I have about 6 ferro-rods kicking around my place and 3 doan sticks, I probably don't need another. That does tend to strike the, oooh thats cool, button pretty well though!
 
quietmike said:
Also a screw off end opposite the striker end with a small compartment for tinder would be great.
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It wouldn't make sense if it was something for regular use but I was thinking just enough room to wrap some cloth or 1/4 of a cotton ball around the firesteel.

A little emergency firesteel, striker, and tinder in one clean package smaller than a geocache capsule would be perfect.

This one is a nice design, maybe someday they can do a tiny "urban" style one...if bushman5 doesn't machine one first.
 
I went down on the river today and tried it out in the field to see how it would do with natural tinders out in the wind. There is still a bit of ice and snow around in places that don't get as much sun.

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I picked some English Thistle and some other fluffy seed pods for tinder.

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Then I gathered some dry dead branches for fuel and did a little firecrafting.


[youtube]XRa40xk4oMc[/youtube]
 
I think it's cool that the ferro rod is threaded and replaceable. There are right a half inch of threads and the tolerance is good and tight so there is no play or movement at all in the ferro rod in use when it is just threaded in hand tight.

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mistwalker said:
...so figuring my usual hourly wage for a couple of hours of my time running after the materials I'd get locally, not to forget the fuel costs of another 4 or 5 dollars, and time spent working on the project and I have $70.00 tied up in a firesteel that is almost what I wanted but the tube doesn't reverse and become the handle. Or I could just spend that money on two that are exactly what I have been waiting for and spare parts for each and still have money left.
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You know, I would really like a law passed that if you wait for more than 20 minutes at your doctor's office when you have actually made an appointment, that the doctor has to pay you your hourly wage from that moment on. But I don't think I can start to review or justify things in life by doing the math on non-work-related endeavors compared to what I do for a living. That defense of the product is really, really reaching.

As for me, I like the ferro-nano-striker-doo-dad as well as the matchsafe. I would like the matchsafe better if it had a Suunto Button Compass on one end of it.

I think the Nano Striker would be a great addition to the keychain. It's a ferrocerium rod so you really don't have to test it, per se. They work. To me, there is some possibility of fragility and failure with the threads but I don't see this as something I am going to use a lot. Just for emergencies, so you always have one on your keychain that is not exposed to the elements, etc.

Both of the items are pretty cool.

The new matchsafe is rather irritating because it means one more I have to purchase for a matchsafe article I have been working on for quite some time now, off and on. :)
 
Fubarski said:
Can you get the striker inside the match case?
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Well...no...but what would be the point?


Don Rearic said:
You know, I would really like a law passed that if you wait for more than 20 minutes at your doctor's office when you have actually made an appointment, that the doctor has to pay you your hourly wage from that moment on. But I don't think I can start to review or justify things in life by doing the math on non-work-related endeavors compared to what I do for a living. That defense of the product is really, really reaching.

As for me, I like the ferro-nano-striker-doo-dad as well as the matchsafe. I would like the matchsafe better if it had a Suunto Button Compass on one end of it.

I think the Nano Striker would be a great addition to the keychain. It's a ferrocerium rod so you really don't have to test it, per se. They work. To me, there is some possibility of fragility and failure with the threads but I don't see this as something I am going to use a lot. Just for emergencies, so you always have one on your keychain that is not exposed to the elements, etc.

Both of the items are pretty cool.

The new matchsafe is rather irritating because it means one more I have to purchase for a matchsafe article I have been working on for quite some time now, off and on. :)
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Oh...that was just my long-winded way of stating that I'd rather just spend a few more hours at work to make the money to pay for something that is exactly what I have been looking for (and maybe even better with no tools required to change the ferro rod) than spend a few hours making something that wasn't :)

I have learned that some need to be tested before taking them to the field if for nothing else individual striking characteristics...I'm used to larger ferro rods, and have not liked some of the smaller ones I've tried. I'd rather know before it really counts. I definitely like that I can carry this one in my pocket or against my body around my neck without it looking like the one I posted above looked before I cleaned it up.

I imagine there have been quite a few made over the years.
 
It isn't as fragile as you suggest.

Don Rearic said:
To me, there is some possibility of fragility and failure with the threads but I don't see this as something I am going to use a lot. Just for emergencies, so you always have one on your keychain that is not exposed to the elements, etc.
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I picked one of these up as well. Nice design and well executed. This won't be my woods carry or even backup carry. It's more a EDC on your keychain type thing. The most unique feature is the built in striker which I like because you don't have to 1) use your knife to strike it or 2) carry a striker with you.
 
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