Here's a new (to me) method of carrying your (really small) firesteel. It's not very effective for regular use but is quite convenient for an emergency backup. Even the smallest firesteel lasts for hundreds of lights - much more than one should need for an emergency. (Do you really need the 1/2 thick model?)

Step 1. Buy $0.95 minature firesteel

Step 2. Pull internal threads from paracord and melt ends

Step 3. Push firesteel inside (this takes a bit of work)

Step 4. Tie to keychain/knife/etc.

Pics:


Yes. The firesteel is inside there.

Very smart! Thanks for sharing!

nice!

For emergency use, yes, I want the biggest one I can find. When you scrape a 1/2" firesteel with the toothed side of a cut-down hacksaw blade, you throw enough sparks to look like a fireworks display. You are able to start a fire much easier that way. The hacksaw blade is quite rough on your firesteel, but in an emergency you aren't terribly concerned about it lasting for thousands of lights. You'll probably only need a handful.

But for EDC, no, a large firesteel is not very convenient. I like your idea of the paracord holder. Not only is it a neat idea, but the result LOOKS cool too!

You can likely add a firesteel to your bracelet or lanyard this way as well...

AAACCCKKK!!!

I just checked your firesteel link.

95 cents for the firesteel, $6.95 to ship it!!!

It's a neat idea, but not THAT neat. What a rip-off on shipping charges. They could drop it in a standard envelope and mail it for 66 cents (the "oversized" US postal rate).

Fair points regarding effectiveness. But for the extra weight I'll just bring a lighter. :-)

I didn't mean to start a firesteel efficacy debate though; I just wanted to share a method that only works on the really small, cheap model.

Agreed! Their site site doesn't account for various sizes/weights very well. IIRC the shipping is still the same if you order a bunch of them so if you order 6x it's only ~$2 each. :-)

If anyone has a better place to buy these please share!

Cool idea. I would also modify my knife, if necessary, to be able to strike the firesteel on the knife spine. The Kershaw Roughneck has a sawtooth blade on the spine to throw huge sparks. I use that example because I have that knife and know what it can do. Any personal preferences/whining against a blade on the spine are outweighed by the obvious emergency utility.

Yikes, the price of that knife has gone up to $50 on Amazon! It was only $35 a year ago. I wrote a review a long time ago saying the knife is underpriced. I hope that didn't cause the price hike.

you can buy them for $2 shipped on eBay pretty easily.

Oh no! The "let's see how much stuff we can carry" monster inside me just woke up.

I'm thinking that this might work with the mini ferro rod (like the ones that come on the bottom of some plastic match cases) and a paracord boot lace...

Or the paracord necklace I EDC...

I’m doing the opposite. How much can I lighten my EDC?

Jeanette Isabelle

I'm doing the opposite of your opposite. After working from home for a good six years, they are now asking us to come back into the office for a few days a week. Well, I started collecting all the stuff I thought I should have with me, and, uhm, it pretty much fills up one of those LA Police Gear "Bail-Out Bags" that most everyone seems to have these days. http://www.lapolicegear.com/tabaoutbag.html I mean, I've got binoculars in there, a stun gun, a camera, pepper spray, Nook book reader, firesteels, a deck of playing cards, a padlock and key, Leatherman, encrypted flash drive, sunglasses, first aid kit, umbrella, MP3 player, a huge hank of paracord, first aid kit, multiple flashlights ... It's kind of ridiculous actually.

OK, don't buy a tiny firesteel. Look around your stuff, and you'll find one that has slimmed down after use.

Me too! Thus the reasoning behind the tiny firesteel purchase. I've also significantly reduced the size of the blades I carry in the wilderness (see photo above).

I just had this Drop Point EDC made by Ban Tang. He specifically squared off the back of the blade for that purpose - and boy does it work!

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/1062158-Ban-Tang-Drop-Point-EDC-in-S35-in-progress