Sparklite : wallet. no issues after 4-5 years.

mini-Bic : hip pocket. found empty after 2 years with only limited use. Retired.

Bic : front pocket on keychain. No problems after 2 years but only limited use.

Ronson : hip pocket on lanyard for about 3 years. Found empty once and refilled.

small peanut lighter : hip pocket on keychain for about 1 year. found empty with displaced rubber gasket. After I figured it out, it has remained full for several months.

small fresnel lens : wallet. completely scratched up after awhile (not sure how long as I rarely look at it. It was also cracked in several places. Completely useless for EDC. retired.

lightmyfire scout firesteel : hip pocket on lanyard for 4-5 years. absolutely NO issues. I retired the striker that came with it since I have several other suitable strikers (multitool, knife). I have had NO issues with the plastic handle coming off the ferro rod. This has seen a fair amount of use.

ultimate survival technology sparkie : pouch carry about 2 years. some sand got stuck in the spring mechanism and is no longer a single handed firestarter. not very useful. retired.

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In summary, I have found the lightmyfire firesteel my most reliable firestarter (no moving parts) with a fair amount of use and is my primary tool. The full size BIC isn't too bad but it is subject to the same failure that my mini-bic had. The Sparklite is likely very reliable but has only seen very limited active use.

Useful testing - thanks

TRO

I find it striking that you don't include matches, either the conventional wood matches or the "fire starter on steroids" emergency type. My experience in dicey situations where lighting a fire was critical is that matches work very well. They should be carried in a good watertight match safe and should be paired with suitable fire starter/tinder material - you are setting up for the worst of conditions, not the best.

I do carry a peanut lighter on my EDC key chain and it seems reliable. I test it every now and then and refresh the fluid occasionally. I haven't had to use it in a case where all the chips were down.

If I am out in the woods I generally have my key chain lighter, the dedicated lighter in my cook stove arrangement, plus at least a match safe in my "10 essentials" bag. The need for fire merits the redundancy and the relatively trivial weight increase.

I have found it worthwhile, either before a significant outing or on a regular basis, to check your fire making gadgets and insure that everything is working.

I agree with Hikermor in that I find the emergency, weather proof matches, to be very reliable and the easiest way start a fire under difficult conditions. I always carry them. There are multiple packaging options to fit different packing methods.

I have found that the Sparkie does have issues with the release button, and that is why I EDC the Blastmatch instead. It is larger and heavier, but I have never had an issue with it. I am still carrying my first one that I have EDC'd for over 3 years.

My Bic lighters I just replace occasionally as they will lose their fuel over time just from being in the pocket. I also have a replacement or two in each bag I carry.

I have not had any problems with my Fresnel lens either, though I do keep it in a protective sleeve.

Fair enough. I haven't found a match that I actually like.

As mentioned previously, I am not a big fan of safety matches and I lost my supply of older strike-anywheres.

I am now left with a supply of the green Diamond strike anywheres which don't work well.

I am in the middle of trying to get hold of a supply of Canadian Redbird strike anywheres which supposedly work as well as the old Ohio strike anywheres.

If they prove adequate, I will coat them with clear nail polish for waterproofing. I rather like the red plastic match case sold at Walmart.

Good list.

For the Sparklite and the ferro rods, do you carry tinder?

If not, what's your game plan?

I view "EDC" as being exactly that. It's what I carry on my person 365 days per year while I'm awake and dressed. It's not what I carry when I go camping or hiking. It's not what my car can carry.

For EDC, I carry a Mini Bic only. I don't have room for redundancy. For EDC, I stick to the "better than nothing" philosophy. By the way, I carry a man bag, unless I'm wearing a suit or tux.

I guess I don't EDC any fire stuff since my typical day sees me spending my time at work or home/on the way home. I live in the middle of the city where there's no opportunity nor need to use a fire. When I talk about fire stuff I mean for while I'm traveling or camping/hiking.

As matches go I like the UCO Stormproof. I carry them in a UCO plastic case with extra strikers and tinder inside the case. Sometimes I may have them in my Exotac Match Cap XL. Whichever container I use I carry a few less matches than could be crammed in with the extra space used for tinder/fuel. Generally I have one or two Tinder Quik, a couple strips of Tinder Card and one 4g ESBIT tablet. This still leaves room for maybe 15 matches.

Tinder:

I have one sure2burn firestarter in the wallet. I have 2-3 tinder quick type on the keychain. I am considering adding a short length of jute.

When I attend a formal event, I always give my man bag to Jeeves. It really just doesn't go with the black tie, don't you think.