If you saw my happy dance after my first fire , you'd laugh at me!

I'll try a bow next time. the peeing my self should be taken care of with my depends. EDC ....tinder if i keep them dry.. emergency water supply if i don't <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> :gr

All joking aside, it is quite a thrill, the first time you start a fire with a bow drill that you've put together while on a stroll through the woods with nothing but a knife to start with(and maybe a shoestring or piece of 550 cord).

Troy

This reminded me of a story I read once... don't remember the name or author..

Far enough in the future that people have arbitrarily long lives (essentially immortal), one "sport" was to be dropped on an undeveloped planets with no tools. First one to recreate enough tech to get off the planet (reach orbit, I'm assuming) wins.

Talk about a sense of satisfaction...

Great...even in the far future, we still can't get away from these darn "reality" shows! <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

Is the Magfire "basically the same" as the Boyscout Hot Spark?

Well, in the same way that a Cooper Mini is "basically the same" as a Kenworth Semi (they have motors, they have wheels, they go on the highway) a Magfire is the same as a Boyscout Hot Spark.

The Magfire metal is a totally different alloy, is MUCH more durable (The Magfire Standard is about 1/4" in diameter and the Magfire PRO is 3/8" in diameter) and is issued to soldiers in Nordic Countries.

You can (and I have) snap a BSA Hotspark in half just trying to generate a good sized spark, and the tiny handle is not good for my fat adult fingers. Sure, a hotspark is fun and all, and fits on a key chain, but it's not the sort of think I pack in a real PSK when help isn't two tents over. When I'm out in the woods, and being too cold means dying, I carry not only "classic" fire starting items (matches and a lighter) I make sure I have the most reliable backup fire starter I can carry - a Magfire Pro.

If it's metal and it burns, I've tried it, and that's why I've put my money where my mouth is, dropping serious cash importing a good supply of Magfire products and taking time away from my real job to sell them at retail and wholesale. I've never been a big product fan before, but this Magfire thing is something of an obsession for me, I guess.

I'm glad it worked for you, and I too carry a Magfire around and light things when I can. Practice, practice practice and soon you'll learn the fastest ways to get fire. I routinely get 1-strike fires on natual tinders now that I've gotten the sparking technique really down. Stuff that I used to struggle with lights up.

So, thanks for the product endorsement and keep sparking away - so you wear out your Magfire and buy another one!

Is there much point in carrying that striking thing? It just seems like clutter. Can you use a pocket knife instead? Would it mess up the knife edge? How does this Countycomm thing compare?

http://countycomm.com/FIRESTARTER.htm

Paul,

The CountyComm metal match is a much softer and more porous alloy than the MagFire. The MagFire is well built with attention paid to detail, not on being the lowest bidder for a military contract.

Your best bet on a striker is to carry a jigsaw blade or a piece of hacksaw blade - using the SPINE as the striker. Any ferrocerium rod is a metal alloy, and, if you use your knife edge as a scraper, you're looking for trouble. Many knives out there right now have adequately sharp spines which will strike a great spark - the Al Mar SERE 2000, the Fallkniven Model P and Model U2, Benchmade Griptilian, Spyderco Native are some examples. Other knives, like the Victorinox Swiss Army Knives or Leatherman Tools have implements which make great strikers - ie. awls and saw spines or files.

Experiment and you'll find an adequate striker. Typically, if the blade spine will shave away material from your thumb nail, it will scrape a spark from a ferro rod...

M

I almost forgot - I have two CoComm metal matches sitting broken on my workbench right now. One snapped in two on about the 10th or 12th strike, the other popped it's handle and needs to be refitted to a new handle...

M

Thanks for the info Mike.

How does a Magfire compare to a Swedish Firesteel. ("Army" model)

The MagFire Pro and the Swedish LightMyFire Army Model are similarly sized and very similar in appearance. The MagFire seems harder and less porous - probably due to a different alloy mix...

M