Not the point. I want to see what went wrong.

With regards to the coghlan's tinder, are you following the directions with regards to preparing it? The back of the packaging has instructions about the rather non-obvious method of use for the stuff.

You're supposed to squish it flat, rip it in two, push the two pieces back together side-by-side, and direct the sparks into the exposed fluffy bits, where you ripped it.

Alex

I tried a number of geometric shapes with it, including trying to light just the ripped threads.

I'm sorry but the Coughlan's Emergency Tinder is very easy to light with just about any ferro spark. Pull it in half and stick the halves back together with the fuzzy end up. Any hint of a spark will cause it to burst into flames and last for over five minutes.

I'm sorry but this sounds like operator error! My 11 year olds light this stuff all the time with a BSA Hot Spark. I've lit it with a SparkLite with no problem.

Has anyone else had problems lighting Coughlan's Emergency Tinder?

Thanks!

Quite possibly. Quite possibly it was the weather, or any of the mecahnical devices I was using (it lit fine with NATO matches). Nevertheless, it does not work for me, and that's really all that matters. It is no different than the $500 backpack argument that has been going on here. It may be the best product out there for 99% of the users, but if it doesn't work for me, through it's fault or mine, it is useless.

I too use magesium with my cotton balls. If any of you were wondering here is a web site to order from

http://www.unitednuclear.com/chem.htm

Here are two of their products

Magnesium Powder
Pure, fine granulated Magnesium powder. Grain size is around 100 mesh. Perfect for bright flashes in magic tricks and brilliant colored stars in fireworks. Keep dry, Magnesium powder degrades quickly if damp or wet.
2 ounces: $7.00
4 ounces: $14.00
8 ounces: $28.00
MSDS ( Material Safety Data Sheet )

and

Magnesium Shreds
( turnings, strips & powder )
Pure Magnesium Turnings, Short Ribbons, and a bit of Powder. Inexpensive grade of Magnesium, but perfect for making incredibly bright flares, stars, or just adding to a campfire for some great effects.
( 2 ounces is about a cupful ).
2 ounces: $2.00
4 ounces: $4.00
8 ounces: $8.00

Okay, not sure how I missed this part when I submitted my first reply. Oops! <img src="/images/graemlins/blush.gif" alt="" /> In any event I love the Sparklight. I have often said, as have others, there is only one thing I would change about it if it was up to me. I would make it metal. Brass, Aluminum, Ti, whatever. Anything other than plastic. As it is though it is still a worthy piece of gear. I think its greatest advantage next to its easy one-handed use is that you can get the source of the spark right up on top of your tinder.