I have a few burn holes in the carpet as well. They are an amazing little device. I probably hold the Guiness record for "most ignitions of the fire piston" yet I still enjoy the facination aspect. I have challenged their functionality by placing them in the freezer and submerging them under water and they still come up smoking. The tinder fungus is great stuff also. I like to use it for making fire with the hand drill. Once lit the challenge is not to make fire, but rather to put it out...:)