Though I've used mine without problems and found it pretty easy to ignite a vasoline-impregnated cotton ball, I continue to have this phobia that the Spark-Lite may fail when I need it the most. I picture the wheel getting stuck, like I've seen on some of my father's OLD corroded Zippos (no offense Zippo users - they might have been Zippo knockoffs).

I really like the Spark-Lite because of its small size and one-handed capability, but the simplicity of other sparkers with essentially no moving parts (Firesteel, Hotspark, Blastmatch, etc ...) seems to make them almost foolproof.

Have any of you had your Spark-Lite fail to work?

Yes I have. I was tired, had a blinding migraine headache and couldn't find my glasses. Once the two aspirin in my small convenience packet were swallowed ( I even considered licking the packet for residue) I found my glasses, in my pocket and realised I was hodling the SPARKLITE upside down and reverse rolling the wheel. I swore so much God sent a thunderbolt down and gave me a whole field of ignited tinder <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> Stop Worrying.

I don't have much real life experience like others in the forum but what worries me is getting short of Tinder-Quick or cotton balls. I don't think you can ignite successfully any kind of material with it unless it's dry and very fluffy. That's why the magnesium bar looks interesting because you have a lot of tinder but it has other drawbacks as well. There's a consensus here that the best is to have more than one way of making fire.

Frankie

The SparkLite is good but not essential for a one-handed sparker. If you have a ferro rod (Boy Scout Hot Spark) you are good to go! For one hand use: stick your knife ¾ of the way into the ground and scrape the ferro rod against it. You will get big sparks that will light anything that can be started with a spark. The SparkLite will N-O-T light many things that will light with a ferro rod. There is also the Gene Ward method of cutting a slot in a piece of wood and putting a piece of hacksaw blade in it. Then scrape the ferro rod on the hacksaw blade for sparks. Also, the SparkLite requires more dexterity to use than a ferro rod. If your hands are numb, from the cold, the SparkLite might not work for you. Visual Impairment and stress are another problem with the SparkLite: see Chris Kavanaugh’s post above.

Smart ass. But I like it.
I'm a Zippo guy, but I smoke, and i'll quit when I die. For those who complain about fuel evaporation, I have two: one on my person with my personal routine for refills, and another in my kit. The second has a piece of road bike bicycle tube covering the joint between the lid and the bottom. I just checked it in response to this thread, and i think it has been sitting there for three months. It lit on the first strike.

Craig,

You could just do it this way, no ground needed:
http://media.putfile.com/hundredbux

<img src="/images/graemlins/smirk.gif" alt="" />

How many of you have actually tried to gather wood, set up, and build a fire with one hand? <img src="/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

The ability to light tinder with one hand is great, but don't forget the other stuff too.

In a mildly remote wooded area it seem that gathering tinder, kindling, and small firewood would be fairly easy one-handed. I'm not talking about cutting and splitting big logs - only small easily breakable sticks. Getting tinder might be a challenge, depending on what was available, but using a combination of feet/arms/chin/mouth I would think I could do pretty well.

I'll have to try it the next time I'm far away from my sub/urban area.

Yeah, I'll say it again... NICE!!!

Troy

Paul810,

Congratulations on your display of dexterity!

Can you use this method to light a treated cotton ball when you are cold and stressed out? Think about how you felt when you were in a close accident or you thought you were about to be attacked or beat up.

Now think about putting some tinder on the ground, stick your knife in the ground next to it, and scrape your BS Hot spark to ignite the tinder. Which one is going to be more reliable?

<img src="/images/graemlins/cool.gif" alt="" />

I know, I was just joking around. I made that video when someone bet $100 that a ferro-rod couldn't be sparked completely one handed. <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />