I ran across this: Live Fire Gear and I got one. I have not had time to test it yet, but it advertises that it is a reusable tinder that lasts for hours. It has a lid that you can close to put it out. I got the sport version (smaller) and it is a very small form factor:
Length: 1.89"
Width: .91"
Height: .35"
Weight: .5 oz

The next one is the Pocket Bellows. It is a telescoping metal tube for directing air into a fire with more accuracy, force, concentration, and at a safer distance. Their page: Pocket bellows

I have tested this and it does help in delivering air to the right place in a fire more efficiently and effectively. I have tried their tinders, and still prefer cotton balls with petroleum jelly, but they do work. Their ferrocerium rod with a magnesium-core flint striking tool does give decent sparks and packs small.

These are items that are small enough to include in a pocket survival kit. I post them to provide information to the forum, and have no connection at all with either company.

Update:

Just after posting this, my meeting was canceled so I ran outside with my collection of fire starting devices and tested the Live Fire Sport.

I began with the smaller and less functional ferrocerium rods and strikers all the way up to a Blast Match. After many tries with all of them, and getting large quantities of sparks directly onto the material of the Live Fire, it would only start with great effort from the Blast Match. However, I can get grass, leaves, and paper to burn with the Blast Match. I put it out and then used a regular cigarette lighter and it took about 4 seconds of flame held on the material for it to light from a direct flame. The Live Fire blew out easily as well, even when fully engulfed in flame.

Needless to say, I will not be including this in any survival kits I build. I will still go with the cotton balls and petroleum jelly, and maybe some grill starters as an enhancer. The grill starters will start directly from a Blast Match (and its little brother the Sparky) without opening the packet.

So the Live Fire is a bust.

I don't understand how tinder can be "reusable".

Lol

I saw that pocket bellows thing and couldn't imagine wanting to carry that extra size and weight for something a drinking straw could probably accomplish. As far as tinder goes cotton balls and Petroleum jelly are difficult to beat. Sometimes there is no better solution for what we are already using. No matter what new gimmick pops up I always find my self automatically gravitate back to the same gear I have carried for years. I have a swiss army knife in my pocket I have carried for 25 years off and on. Every time I try to buy the next best thing to replace it I find I am carrying it again somehow. I have an $85 lighter but end up EDCing a $2 BIC.....Someone is always trying to convince you there is something better than what you already have.

Sure is fun testing new gear though.

Did you rough up the surface of the tinder before hitting with a spark. More surface area may let it take a spark easier....

BOATMAN
John

I tried many different ways of getting the sparks to have better contact. The tinder is coated in some kind of sticky substance that makes any of this difficult. I will say that you can light it, let it burn a little, and then put it out by closing the lid, and then light it again.

As for the pocket bellows, it is small and light, and does not melt when put in the flames. I found this to work very well actually. As with any piece of kit, you have to make the judgment call on whether you have the space and can carry the weight. It is actually well made, with stops so it does not collapse too far. The other items from the company worked, but were no better than other items out there. Their tinder does not last as long as the cotton ball and petroleum jelly, but longer than Tinderquick.

It is worth testing these things, if only so you can tell others why it does not work.

Nice work on testing it, thank you for the report.

Thank you also for the cost expenditure to test this. It saves us money (or cost us)from your testing.Good revue....

BOATMAN
John

I sometimes use an old collapsible car antenna when burning out wooden bowls but that fire bellows looks like it might work a bit better. Thanks for finding this.

How can the "pocket bellows" look like it would work better than a collapsible car antenna? From what I can see, it IS a collapsible car antenna with shorter sections so that it can collapse further.