I carry a Boy Scout Hot Spark rod on my key-ring, along with a Leatherman Squirt S4. It's supposed to be my “last-ditch” EDC fire-making scheme (lighter and matches being schemes one and two, respectively). The Hot Spark as the “flint”, edge of the nail file on the Squirt as the “steel”. Sounds great in theory. And I had read lots of posts here saying how great the Hot Spark was. But I had not put it to the test, so one afternoon, I did.

And I failed. Miserably. Not the Hot Spark - me.

So I practiced, and I got better. I tried more things for tinder, and I got better. I tried more situations (night, cold, wet weather, etc.), and I got better still. It has now become a bit of a challenge for me to see just where, with what, and how quickly I can start a fire. My wife thinks me crackers. My kids think this is way cool (“C’mon Dad, pleeeese see if my math book will burn. Pleeeese!?”)

The lesson here is not to become a pyromaniac, or to see if your boss’ tie works as tinder. (polyester, no; silk, yes.) The lesson here is this – practice with the tools you have. Learn through experience what works, what doesn’t, and when. In a pinch, this knowledge can save your, well…. you know.

Just my $.02.

…..CLIFF

At first I thaught there was a typo (math - match...), but then realised there was none ....
ahhh..... kids !!
<img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

Story of my life!
I cant wait till he is old enough so atleast someone doesnt think im nuts <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

I also keep a Hot Spark on the keyring. I pull it out every so often and test it against various tinders. My wife starts screaming about not setting everything on fire. I can not seem to get her to understand that starting a fire is not that easy.

My youngest is in Cub Scouts and he loooooves it. We ended up building a fire pit in the backyard so he and I could practice fire starting. He is not as thrilled with the Hot Spark since he has difficulty throwing sparks with it. On the other hand he really likes the Gerber Strike Force. Lots of sparks for him.

I am hoping to get a permanent match for Xmas. I got the Coleman imiatation with waxed cotton tinders. Have not put the lighter fluid in it yet but it does make enough sparks to light the tinders.

If you really want to see sparks, get a blast match!
I was showing it to someone last night about 12:05am and I was using it on the cement with embeded stones.....I pushed the thing down and the sparks kept burning for over 10-15 seconds!!!!
They just sat there sparking and glowing while the person I was showing it to just stared. <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

Next time she starts about setting everything on fire, challenge her to start one with just the Hot Spark. Build the fire down to wood about the size of a pencil and let her take it from there using a similar type and amount of material.

Hot-Spark sets have gotten confiscated at every summer camp that I have worked/attended. Its a shame, because its a great tool, but sometimes kids don't know how to use them responsibly. I like the Hot-Spark sets if I'm using cotton balls that have been soaked in Vaseline. With natural fibers, I always use a Strike-Force or its equivalent.