Personally, I would borrow the idea and build my own with higher quality components.
I apologize in advance if this sounds elitist, but the Ranger Rick necklace is not something I'd consider to be of much value in a
survival situation. Gimmicky junk if you ask me, but the idea has some merit. I'll explain:
What tasks can the "knife" actually accomplish? It doesn't even have a point. A razor blade would be better and cheaper.
The signal mirror can't be aimed acurately and isn't polished enough to create the intensity to carry very far,even in the brightest sunlight. So what's it good for?
The whistle glows in the dark, is that a desirable feature? A FOX 40 doesn't glow in the dark, but it's excellent and not significantly any bigger. Just better. It can also be modified for less bulk if necessary.
The compass looks like a joke, and according to Doug Ritter it IS. With the accuracy or lack thereof, you're getting a "guesstimate" at best. Hopelessly mislead at worst.
The sparker looks like a butane lighter top. A butane lighter is cheaper and provides its own fuel. A metal match takes up less space and is useful even if broken. Has anybody ever had a butane lighter wheel break free sending the spring and flint flying? I have.
What can the wiresaw cut that you can't break with your bare hands? How many large trees will it cut down before it breaks? Why do you need to cut down large trees anyway?
Here's a link to Doug Ritter's review:
http://www.equipped.org/rangerrick_necklace.htm
Here's my suggestion if you're interested in something like this but you're on a limited budget:
Buy a 2"X3" Starflash signal mirror, $5. Buy a metal match, $3. Get a Brunton Glowmate compass $8, and a Fox 40 whistle, $5. Scrounge up a razor blade, 3" section of hacksaw blade, a sturdy needle, and some milspec paracord. Duct tape the razor blade, hacksaw blade, needle, and metal match to the back of the signal mirror. Wrap in paracord and tape the ends down. Put the signal mirror, whistle, and compass on a splitring. Add a paracord lanyard and you're all set. I know, I forgot the wiresaw, well IMO it's unnecessary.
If you aren't on a limited budget, do what I did:
Buy a Victorinox hiker and add a small loop of hollowed out paracord with a metal match tucked inside. Get a Starflash mirror and tape a sturdy needle to the backside. Wrap in milspec paracord. Put the Hiker and mirror on a splitring with a Photon II green, Fox 40 whistle, Brunton Glowmate compass, and a Malpiede spy capsule full of vaseline impregnated cotton ball, as much as you can cram in there. Fluff before use. Hollow out another section of paracord and feed a ball chain through for a comfy breakaway lanyard.
I realize this is getting long winded, but I wanted to put some ideas out there for critique and generally just stir up some controversy, LOL!
