Came across this gimmick that reflects sunlight to start fire. The first thing that came to my mind was, if you have sunlight why don't you just use a magnifier?

http://store.sundancesolar.com/sospliposiso.html

I don't think its all the gimiky per say, but there are better ways... I think its novel, and thats how to expect to make money off of it.

I have never had much luck starting a fire with a magnifing glass, but then I have never tried real hard. I have done battle with a jillion ants, and burnt info into my hiking staff tho...

It's just about the same idea as using a magnifying glass to start a fire, condensing scattered light into an intense point, just focusing the light by reflection instead of refraction. I think...

I question their use of the terminology "pocket-size" though. LOL

They could have made it smaller as the "polished bottom of an aluminum can" trick can attest.

It might feel less gimmicky if it were smaller.

As someone who develops products for a living, I can assure you that products are "pushed" to the market far more often than they are "pulled" into the market.

Because of the non-essential nature of this item, I suspect someone said "hey, guess what we could make and sell..."

Would I actually buy it for my own use? No, because a fair number of fires I've made in my life have either been in a forest or in the dark. And I'm sure that most people here would say similar things.

I do think its more useful than a magnifying glass, and not pointless. I can see myself using this as a teaching tool. I think for a small number of customers, it would be good. But I wouldn't be positioning it the way that they are.

I also agree that "pocket sized" is extremely misleading. Sure, it would fit in your coat pocket... but not many others...

Not pocket sized.

But for a long term bug in item, I like. No moving parts, unlike a firepiston. And it probably will work with pretty much anything that will burn. For $18 bucks plus shipping, not for me, but if I found one local for like $10-12, I might pick it up as a really cool toy.

I'm always amazed at the the emphasis people put having every possible means to make a fire. Figure out a unique way of making fire and somebody will buy it from you. It needn't be practical or reliable.

Even the hard-core experts use a lighter because it is simple and effective.

I figure that everyone interested in such things should have the experience of making and using a fire bow. Do it enough times over a week to get a feel for it. Then odds are you will never need to do it again.

Learn to use a flint and steel. Get good at it. Then odds are you never need to do it again.

The fact is that 99% of the time your lighter will work. When it doesn't you reach for your backup lighter. Which will work 99% of the time. Back those up with a spark rod or Blastmatch. Odds are you will never need it. Seal a half dozen matches between two pieces of foil tape as a fourth layer of redundancy.

If you find yourself with nothing but the matches, may it's blessed noodly appendages forbid it, then you use one and pack the fire in a fire carrier. Easier to keep what you have than make more.

All else fails you might be glad you learned how to work a fire bow. But it is almost never used. (Except to impress the kids during camp outs or to win bets.) Your more likely to be hit by lightening three times in one day.

This is nothing new.
It's been around since at least the '70s and used to be marketed as a cigarette lighter.
That's why the holding fork is sized the way it is.
Why a smoker would want to venture into the wild with cigs but no gas/fuel lighter
is beyond me.
Another case of "re-marketing" an existing device.

As a lighting device it works (really!) and should get your kindling tabs going quick, provided the sun is out.

A magnifying glass requires that you hold it accurately, even though tinder is a lot bigger than ants. This does not. The parabolic distance is preset for your cigs, er, tinder.
It's overpriced at $18 though.

"...Why a smoker would want to venture into the wild with cigs but no gas/fuel lighter is beyond me..."

Back when I was young and dumb and smoked, I was once out hunting jackrabbits with my trusty K-22 and felt the need for a smoke. Dug out my Zippo, and guess what, it was dry. Got desperate, and tried what I had seen on TV, or somewhere. Held the end of the smoke at the muzzle and touched off a .22 round. Scorched the paper. Took a round apart, sprinkled powder on the end of the cig, put the case with the rest of the powder back in the cylinder and, muzzle skyward of course, tried it again. Gave up on rabbit hunting and trecked back to my car to use the lighter in the dash. Soon got smart and stopped smoking...

This method of firelighting is a lot older than the 1970s. The vestal fire of Rome and the sacred fire of the Mexicans were obatined by means of reflectors. Scale up the same principle and you have got the Archimedes death ray burning the Roman Fleet at Syracuse around 214 B.C.

As in the book 'Art of Travel' by Francis Galton from 1855 states.

'Black Tinder - Tinder that is black by previous charring or from any other cause, ignites in the sun far sooner than a light-coloured tinder.'

There is nothing at all 'gimmicky' about this method of firelighting. There is of course only one obvious downside to this method of firelighting otherwise there is very little that wears down, runs out of fuel or can mechanically fail within the device itself.