I purchased this “demonstration” fire piston (below) for future Girl Scout workshops on fire making. I received it and tried it out with a small piece of cotton that comes with the unit and had “moderate” success. I was hoping the clear plastic barrel would allow for a “spectacular” flash as seen in the video, what I observed was a barely noticeable wisp of smoke. The piston comes with a generous greasing of the insides, which ended up coating the small piece of cotton. I am going remove much of the grease; hopefully it will not negatively affect the functionality and try with different types of tinder. I am also going to give it a shot in the dark to see if a “flash” can be observed. As of right now, I am not overly impressed, but will reserve final judgment until I give it a few more trial runs.

Ebay Fire Piston

Pete