lighters

jlubas

jlubas

Joined
Jan 22, 2008
Messages
301
It seems most people have a spot for a ferro rod on their sheath or in their PSK an im not knocking it i carry and love them. I a true survival situation wouldnt a lighter say a mini bic be much more useful. Sure they dont have the same old time or cool feel as a ferro rod when you use them but if you want that just use a brass zippo like me.
 
This conversation has been done a lot around here. Basically, a lot of people prefer to rely on and practice with a 'bomb proof' firestarting method. This includes things like the firesteels or mag bars. These are weather-temperature-drop proof. Most importantly, they also don't rely on mechanical parts or fuel. Those can break/run out.

That said, I still keep a couple of bics in my pac 'just in case'. They are very cheap, light, work almost all the time if you cycle through them, and are simple to use. I like bics a lot, but I've also had my share go bad before I thought they wood, or accidentally run out of fuel.

Zippos are nice, but they run out of fuel way too quickly to rely on.
 
Good point. I carry a Fire steel but I also carry a Zippo and a Bic or two. My circulation is not the best and if i need a fire, I need it now and don't want to trust thatwill be time to use sparks when flames are available.
 
I usually have a lighter somewhere. They are for sure the best things on earth for lighting up your cigar!!!!

I guess I don't start so many fires, so in the last year or so I just start using the firesteel whenever I would start up a camp fire. It started as an excuse for practice using the firesteel method. Now I use it almost every time for starting a fire and can't say I miss matches or lighters much. Actually I find it a rather pleasant and rewarding excercise getting the tinder and kindling piles together to start a fire.

Again, I carry the lighters, because it is a pain to have to start a fire just to light my cigar...
 
I always have a peanut lighter in my pocket:
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http://www.countycomm.com/sslight.htm

I also have a few stashed throughout the rest of my gear, I love them! No fuel leakage.

And I always have a ferro rod with me. My problems have come from not being able to produce tinder in harsh conditions, so I'm working on that now.
 
I have a couple lighters in my kit, in case I need to start a fire fast, in easy conditions.

I also have a ferro rod for difficult conditions, because it's waterproof, fireproof, shockproof, coldproof, windproof, altitude proof, and doesn't ever leak fuel or have any parts to break. It's also good that the ferro rod has other uses, such as an emergency visual signal.

It's not an either/or decision. It's good to have back ups, with variation, for a broader scope of use.

I usually start fires with the firesteel, both to stay in practice, and because it's more fun. Due to this, I can use it fast, easily, and reliably.
 
How reliable and efficient are fire pistons? I just first saw these last week and it uses a really ingenious and simple design. They are much more expensive than just a lighter or firesteel, but are they effective enough to be worth it?
 
Between lubing, sealing, and technique. I think fire pistons are just more trouble than they're worth. Nice for the novelty and the principle is something that you should at least know, and add to your repertoire of skills. Beyond that though, I'd say you're better off with a firesteel at best supplemented by a lighter and maybe some matches as a last ditch backup.


Gautier
 
jlubas said:
It seems most people have a spot for a ferro rod on their sheath or in their PSK an im not knocking it i carry and love them. I a true survival situation wouldnt a lighter say a mini bic be much more useful. Sure they dont have the same old time or cool feel as a ferro rod when you use them but if you want that just use a brass zippo like me.
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Your quite right bro, a ferro rod should be standard fare for any true survivalist but only to serve as back up for his lighter and matches.......matches ( strike anywhere type ) should be stored in different locations on your person in as great a quantities as you can manage !!!:thumbup:
 
I like the ferro rod , I know its not "true primitive" but it reminds me of my dad , and me being a kid playing with his oxy lighter

I mostly light fires with the rod I carry , the lighter or matches are more as back up , or for incase someone else is along and they got to light the fire . Sometimes for fun Ill use a magnify lens no real reason , just because I like to do so .

I view stuff as ferro rods and llighters and matches as being the non primitive method , and things as friction saw and fire drill and whackin rocks together as real primitive .

I carry fire lighting helpers as ferro rod and lighters because Im plain lazy and it takes me AGES to get one of the primitive methods to work for me .

I had one bunch of kids along camping and each evening Id use another method of firelighting to get the campfire going after a week of them not making any comment about it I asked them how their folks lit fires ... the saddest thing I ever heard was a 12 yr old kid excitedly telling me that this was the first time they had ever had a fire at all ...
 
Someone on this forum once made a post about the IMCO triplex lighter from Austria.
I've been on the lookout for one ever since.

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I prefer a Doan mag block or a good fire steel, but since redundency never hurt anyone I also carry a disposable lighter
 
Firesteel and a couple of BIC style lighters keep me well covered.I also like to take a quantity of birch-bark with me as it's such flammable stuff.
Zippos look nice and useful but they just seem to run out of petrol without warning!
 
You should always have a back up fire starting tool, and a backup for your backup. I always carry at least one bic. Two or three if I am in the woods. Sometimes I carry a Zippo too, but the fuel doesn't last long, even when the lighter is not used. I usually carry a ferro rod for a backup for reasons that have been mentioned already.
 
Zippos have a feeling...a good one, but they do run out of fuel fast
Bics are small and good to have around,
the spark rod will outlast any lighter in time, but is a secondary thing you should have
 
Firesteels on a sheath because they are smaller and will always work.

I carry a mini Bic in my PSK

I always have my Zippo in my front left pocket and a book of matches in my left back pocket. OH, and I also have a firesteel on my keychain, and a firesteel and fatwood stick in my Leatherman pouch.

If I can't start a fire, I don't deserve to live lol.
 
I carry 2 zip tied bics in my pack, waterproof matches, a ferro rod, and a magnifying lens. Maybe redundant, but I dont care, to each his own.
 
I have a bit of mag block with a few bic flints glued to it on my keys with a basic victoranox. I've often wondered if thats all I'm gunna have stuck out in the middle of nowhere.
 
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