Knives or Multitools with Magnifying Glass?

C

Cosmodragoon

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Jan 1, 2019
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Does anyone carry a knife or multitool with a magnifying glass? Do you like it? Does it come in handy? How effective is it? Can it be used to start a fire?
 
I don’t carry it, but my Swiss Champ has a magnifying glass on it. It’s occasionally helpful around the garage, but I don’t consider it an essential.

As for starting a fire with it, honestly idk. I wouldn’t trust it. I’m big into always having a fool proof system to get a fire started and I incorporate it into my EDC. Personal I prefer a Zippo in my back pocket, a BSA hotspark (small ferro rod with handle) on my truck keys, and a single strike anywhere match in my wallet.

Sorry, I got off topic :). Maybe the magnifying glass might work on char cloth, but I can’t imagine it lighting up normal printer paper or a cotton ball.
 
Cosmodragoon said:
Does anyone carry a knife or multitool with a magnifying glass? Do you like it? Does it come in handy? How effective is it? Can it be used to start a fire?
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Yes I carry a Swiss Champ with a magnifying glass. Yes I like it. Yes it comes in handy on occasion. Very effective making tiny print big enough to read. No it can't start a fire, or at least I was unsuccessful the times I've tried. But if the sun was strong enough to start a fire with that tiny glass, I wouldn't likely have need of a fire anyway.

O.B.
 
I have a Victorinox Swiss card that has a magnifying glass built in. It's probably the best little 'tool' for splinters. You have the magnifying glass, a pin, and tweezers. I've used the glass to have a look at the splinters.

Never tried to light a fire with it. But I guess it could be done.
 
I don't know that I'll ever need to start a fire with it but it seems like a more practical EDC choice than a ferro rod. :p

Seriously though, a magnifying glass was part of my EDC when I was a little kid. (Before the internet, looking at bugs and stuff with a magnifying glass was big entertainment.) It sure was handy for splinters, bee stings, and anything else requiring a closer look. It's something my modern adult EDC doesn't have.
 
Yes, I own 3 Swiss Army Explorer knives, that has a magnifying glass among other tools in it.

I have used the magnifying glass for a variety of purposes, including reading small text, examining small parts, finding a splinter (that I removed w/the tweezer also provided w/the knife) and threading a needle.

It is not powerful enough to use to try to start a fire. When camping, I carry a butane stove w/a self-starting feature and matches for back up. Never had cause to use/carry a magnesium fire starter but that would also be a better option than trying to use any magnifying glass as a fire starter, especially at night or when the sky is cloudy or overcast.

explorer-pocketknife.jpg
 
I use the magnifier on my SAK mostly when I sharpen a knife to inspect angles and touching points.
 
irons said:
I have a Victorinox Swiss card that has a magnifying glass built in. It's probably the best little 'tool' for splinters. You have the magnifying glass, a pin, and tweezers. I've used the glass to have a look at the splinters.

Never tried to light a fire with it. But I guess it could be done.
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I have 2 of them, and try to tell people about them wherever I can. Drop one in a pocket, in a wallet, etc, and you have a bunch of useful stuff on you, vs say things you'll never use as others tend to have in them. I have used the magnifying glass, pen, push pin, the light, many times.
 
I keep a magnifier in my wallet. I have yet to use it for anything. I’m thinking about ditching it.
 
The SAK Explorer is one of my favorites and gets the most pocket time of any SAK. It has the magnifying glass. I use it more then I care to admit. It might diminish a little now, I just got bifocals. :rolleyes:

I find it handy to have. I'm the designated IT/fixit guy at work and I constantly pull out the glass to look at various items.

Start a fire? I'd guess no.
 
I've found that to start a fire, you need to have a magnifying glass at least an inch in diameter.
 
If you are just wanting a magnifier without adding bulk to what you already carry, I found that a credit card sized Fresnel lens is cheap and very handy. It is much better for reading small print than the magnifier on a SAK and I believe you could easily start a fire with one
 
I just tried it, you can in fact ignite char cloth with the magnifying glass on a Swiss champ. For accuracy, I repeated it several times, and the char cloth consistently lit within 10 seconds.

It’s only about 72 here in Southern California so I’d bet this would work even better later this summer when it gets into the mid 90s
 
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