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#183656 - 09/30/09 12:56 AM Fire starters which one is the best?
Mnt_Man Offline
Stranger

Registered: 09/29/09
Posts: 2
I am checking out some different fire starters like RAT Cutlery Strike force & Blast match and wanted to see what kind you folks like and why.

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#183658 - 09/30/09 01:05 AM Re: Fire starters which one is the best? [Re: Mnt_Man]
ironraven Offline
Cranky Geek
Carpal Tunnel

Registered: 09/08/05
Posts: 4642
Loc: Vermont
Mag block- big enough to use, useful enough to carry.

LMF and BSA Hotspark type ferro rods- handles make it easy to use, good for thousands of fires but still compact, light weight, and nearly idiot proof.

Sparklight and similiar one handed spark wheels- Compact, good for hundreds of fires, and you can use it one handed.

Thermite- because some times you REALLY need a fire and no questions, not even from that menacing thing from another world who is drooling in the corner. smile

BTW, welcome to the fire new guy.
_________________________
-IronRaven

When a man dare not speak without malice for fear of giving insult, that is when truth starts to die. Truth is the truest freedom.

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#183659 - 09/30/09 01:11 AM Re: Fire starters which one is the best? [Re: Mnt_Man]
Jeff_M Offline
Addict

Registered: 07/18/07
Posts: 665
Loc: Northwest Florida
Originally Posted By: Mnt_Man
I am checking out some different fire starters like RAT Cutlery Strike force & Blast match and wanted to see what kind you folks like and why.


Those are what I consider back-ups. Primary fire starters are bic lighters (mini-bic if space is limited) which I think are amazingly reliable, Zippos (if regularly topped off) or sturdy matches in a good match case. REI Storm Proof matches are good, and K & M makes superb match safes.

I consider Spark-Lite the best of the back-ups. All back-up or sparking fire starters are infinitely easier to use if you carry some sort of prepared tinder with them. Spark-Lites include good tinder in the kit.


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#183661 - 09/30/09 01:19 AM Re: Fire starters which one is the best? [Re: ironraven]
Desperado Offline
Veteran

Registered: 11/01/08
Posts: 1530
Loc: DFW, Texas
Blastmatch is on the bottom of my list. The only reason I have one, my DS gave it to me.

1) Torch Lighter
2) Bic Lighter
3) Fuel Lighter (Zippo)
4) REI Matches
5) Doan Mg Block
6) Sparklite & Tinder
7) LMF Fire Steel
8) Potassium Permanganate & Glycerine
9) Magnifying Glass
10) BlastMatch


And yes, I have used all 10.

I keep all but #8 available in my BOB, and all but #'s 8 & 10 in my GHB.

But I often work in the boonies.

If I could ONLY have one, it would be the DOAN Mg Block. I have NEVER had it fail me.

Thermite..... Real subtle......


Edited by Desperado (09/30/09 01:20 AM)
_________________________
I do the things that I must, and really regret, are unfortunately necessary.

RIP OBG

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#183663 - 09/30/09 01:26 AM Re: Fire starters which one is the best? [Re: Desperado]
comms Offline
Veteran

Registered: 07/23/08
Posts: 1502
Loc: Mesa, AZ
Yup. What they said. And try a bunch of different fire starters while your at it. Find one you like.
_________________________
Don't just survive. Thrive.

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#183666 - 09/30/09 02:02 AM Re: Fire starters which one is the best? [Re: Desperado]
dougwalkabout Offline
Crazy Canuck
Carpal Tunnel

Registered: 02/03/07
Posts: 3219
Loc: Alberta, Canada
For me, a Bic is the first in line, since it's in my pocket all the time. Plus extras in every jacket, kit and pack I own.


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#183668 - 09/30/09 02:20 AM Re: Fire starters which one is the best? [Re: comms]
Eric Offline
Enthusiast

Registered: 09/09/06
Posts: 323
Loc: Iowa

I'll go along with the crowd - try several until you find what works for you. Here is what I have settled on.

1) Refillable butane lighter (carried and spare in BOB) - I have good luck with Colibri Brand
2) Mini Bic in a C2 case (in all cars and small kits) - stores a long time w/no accidental button pushing

3) Strike anywhere matches (in all BOBs and small kits) -Keep in a water proof container
4) Sparklite (in all BOBs and small kits)

Tinder always makes lighting a fire easier so figure out something that works for you and is easily carried.

- Eric
_________________________
You are never beaten until you admit it. - - General George S. Patton


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#183678 - 09/30/09 03:21 AM Re: Fire starters which one is the best? [Re: Eric]
scafool Offline
Pooh-Bah

Registered: 12/18/08
Posts: 1534
Loc: Muskoka
The best?
A zippo and a bottle of lighter fluid.

Second best? A zippo and a half bottle of lighter fluid.

Next down the list goes Bics and bic clones.

Then matches in dry sealed containers, then sparkers like the Doan or Swedish fire steel.
Even though one hand operation is an advantage, mechanical ones like Blast Match are next just because the more parts are involved the higher the chances are that it will break.


Flint and steel, fire drills, magnifying glasses, plow sticks and all the rest are all extreme measures.
Nice to know just in case you have nothing better, but not to be preferred over functional lighters.
_________________________
May set off to explore without any sense of direction or how to return.

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#183679 - 09/30/09 03:31 AM Re: Fire starters which one is the best? [Re: Jeff_M]
CANOEDOGS Offline
Pooh-Bah

Registered: 02/03/07
Posts: 1853
Loc: MINNESOTA

a refillable tank lighter,a bit heavy in the pocket but was kept in the day bag on canoe trips for lighting fires in the evening.
a small Bic,light weight and carried in pocket.also this lighter was "altered" from directions found on the web to throw a larger flame than it was made to do.
wood kitchen matches in a small WP plastic bottle.
the Aviation Spark-Lite with three REI flamers and a striker,sealed with duct tape as a "last ditch" fire lighter.
i have found it's not the lighting but keeping a fire going that's the problem.a knife of any kind to scrape the wet bark or moss from firewood or split small branches should be part of a fire kit if you don't carry a belt knife.

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#183681 - 09/30/09 03:50 AM Re: Fire starters which one is the best? [Re: CANOEDOGS]
EchoingLaugh Offline
Member

Registered: 09/20/09
Posts: 158
Loc: MO, On the Mississippi
Imo the Mg blocks are awesome in some conditions. High wind makes them useless for other than a flint. I edc a disposable lighter. A DJeep when I can find them, a Bic when I can't. I have trusted strike-anywhere matches for years to light my grill, and have carried them into the brush also. I found out the hard way to dip the tips in wax, even ones that are in a match-safe.
_________________________
Jim
Do you know where your towel is?
Don't Panic!
I have an extra.

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