Guys, I know a lighter or ferro rod would be better but it seemed like an alternative to a spark lite. I guess I was wrong.

Guys, I know a lighter or ferro rod would be better but for one handed use this seemed like a alternative to a spark light. I guess I was wrong.

I think this is a good point. The thing that makes a Bic spark is a very small ferro rod. Ferro rods oxidize and degrade from exposure to certain environments. Why risk it when a fresh, new one costs $1... and includes butane?

I see several improvements to a regular spark lighter (as in the DR Kit) in that one, besides the stronger brass construction. The grinding wheel looks larger. That means it will be easier to rotate and it will produce more sparks at a time. The bottom screw for the flint installation is what I had to improvise on my DR sparklite. It's very easy to replace flints and also you can throw in at least 2 of them into the tube (3 if you shorten the spring a bit) - that's enough to forget about replacing them for years.

Bic lighter is nice thing while fueled, but its weak sparks (especially on a worn out one) are not good enough for natural tinder you can find in the field. Sparklite, on the other hand, produces a lot of really hot sparks to light up even a wet tinder. Just let them dry it a little by sparking over the same area several times.

My only concern with this lighter is corrosion. It looks like it is made of 2 milled pieces set tight on a thin wall tubing. These joints may fail very quickly in wet climate and the lighter will fall apart. I would coat it in epoxy paint at least or use solder iron over joints.

I like these a lot, Thanks for posting.

Not to hijack this thread but I want to remind everyone of more alternatives in the area of firestarters .

I got a few (free) flint strikers like this one



... as well as a ton of spare flints.

I stashed them in several of my kits.

Although this striker is considerably larger than a sparklite and such, but it can be included in most kits (except Altoids can) like a Maxpedition pocket organizer or larger. You can put it and fill the spaces between its arms with other stuff.

Oh, I removed the cup and exposed the striker surface for better contact with tinder. The shower of sparks is not that bad and replacing flints is not difficult either.

I test each one and they are reliable. As for old I run that same route three or four times a week so they've only been there a day or two. The original tic tac kit I built for an adventure junkie held one and sparked three fires in the jungle with no problem. Why destroy a perfectly good lighter with lots of guaranteed flame to get a spark device? That's a Ranger Rick trick I simply do not agree with. Thanks for the question Stephen.

Hey Glock.
I obviously don't use a corroded flint and part of my process is to coat them in silicone spray, allow them to dry before reassembly. As for failing, I ha ve had Glocks fail on me several times. I can understand picking up a strange one in the field and having it fail, but my own weapon? I have several Glocks simply taking up space in a safe because I don't trust my life to them. Just my opinion.

Where do you run and find discarded lighters on such a regular basis? I am lucky to see maybe 1-2 discarded/lost lighters per year even in a large metro area. Even then it is not worth the hassle, time nor chance to rely on a found lighter of questionable provenance to use in an urban or wilderness PSK...