Solar Knife

[Faiaoga]

U have seen pictures "solar knife" made by Solo Scientific. Apparently, highly polished scales are a parabolic mirror that will concentrate sunlight onto suitable tinder.

Has anyone had a chance to see an "reflect" on this?

 

[knarfeng]

Web site says that it's "fully hardened 420HC". I'd prefer an actual Rockwell hardness.

Interesting concept, though.

 

[Shorttime]

I've seen the "sunlight fire starter" concept being used (on Youtube...). I don't think it would be my first choice for fire making, because the mirror has a fixed focal distance, and you have to know what that distance is, and be able to hold the mirror steady, at the right distance. This means you only have one hand free to add fuel, block the wind if necessary, and so on.

The other really big problem is.... what if it's a cloudy day?

IMHO, it's a neat idea, and your money is your own to spend. But if the goal is to have a reliable fire source, then there are at least four things that come waaaay before this in my mind.

 

[Angus McGunnigle]

Interesting idea. I wonder how the handles stand up to abrasion over time. Solar stuff is cool, when it is sunny.