Key chain ferro rod spark-off

Sharp Eye

Sharp Eye

Joined
Feb 21, 2008
Messages
1,551
My son and I went out to test some new camping equipment and compare four key chain sized ferro rods.

First we decided to have a late breakfast of freeze dried Huevos Rancheros to test our new MSR pocket rocket stove and our jet boil pot. Unfortunately, we had left all of our utensils back at home in the drying rack.
Out came the knives and the Silky Saw. No time for fancy spoons so we cut some lengths of wood, split them and fashioned some paddles with which we could cook and eat.

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The pot and stove worked well
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We were soon enjoying a good tasting, if salty, omelet
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Next we tested the ferro rods using PJCB's and some tinder quick tinder. We are both novices with a ferro rod, so we practiced with a full size LMF before testing these key chain sized rods.
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a Boy Scout Hot Spark
a Strike Master K1
a Ranger Firelighting Flint
a Hoods Woods mini-kit sparking tool

Here are the results
#1 the Boy Scout Hot Spark- a big spark that lit the tinder fast
#2 the Strike Master- a good spark, easy to hold and it comes with some magnesium for an emergency. This one is now my edc.
#3 Hoods Woods mini - hard to hold, medium spark. Good for a pocket kit back-up
#4 Ranger - hard to get a good spark. I don't recommend this one.

Ira
 
thanks for the little review.

my first ferro rod was a similar one to the hoodswoods mini, that i popped off of a mag block. i never used the block, so i just skipped it. used it enough to wear the rod too thin so it broke, stuck it in a handle and kept on using it. now i gave it to my brother, i guess its about the size of the BSA now.
 
Did you use the same striker (scraper) for all firesteels? Different strikers give different sparks.......

Good to see a review like this!
CZ
 
It doesn't surprise me that the Ranger was harder to use - it has magnesium IN the bar - which means it will be harder - but should give hotter sparks when you get a good scrape.

Good video Brian - I learned something.

TF
 
cz75b said:
Did you use the same striker (scraper) for all firesteels? Different strikers give different sparks.......
CZ
Click to expand...

We found the striker from the Strike Master K1 the easiest with which to get a good spark. We used that striker for all the tests. (that's why it looks the most used in the photo)
Ira
 
Talfuchre said:
Good video Brian - I learned something.

TF
Click to expand...

Just so you know, it is not my video. I found it awhile ago while over on the BushcraftUK forum from a member named Spamel. It is a great technique. Once I saw that, and practiced the technique, it is IMO the best way to go.

Instead of getting a bright shower of sparks, you get more of a controllable, concentrated area of sparks that makes lighting coarse tinder easier. It is just a bonus that it helps with wear too.
 
i can't see the video for some reason...it won't play for me.

i assume that this is the technique where you strike off the last half inch or so of the rod only. this is the technique i switched to after breaking the rod, and still do it with my new swedish firesteel.
 
I have never breaken a ferrro rod yet but I can see that it will eventually wear out and snap. Somehow I just don't get as many sparks out of my ferro rod... (blanks bought on ebay). Next one will probably be an LMF Army one (bit smaller though).

Mikel
 
The ranger may have a bit of protective coating on it as well, a lot of rods do.
Once it's scraped off they throw a lot more sparks.
 
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