This is the "Military Issue" Metal Match currently being sold by CountyComm. Notice the warning to not stow the unit after removal from the packaging? Why? What is different (if anything) about this ferrocerium firestarter that makes it different from the other 10 million ferrocerium fire starters on the market that do not come with any such warning? <img src="/images/graemlins/confused.gif" alt="" />



Thanks...

It actually says don't store it after it's been removed from the packaging. It's probably based around corrosion concerns both to the ferrocium as well as sensitive equiptment it might be stored alongside. Some military stuff will sit for decades.

Oh, and btw it's the military.

Did yours not come with the gel coating as well? I thought it was a nice touch for all those who are worried about corrosion and actually paint it with nailpolish.

I've personally never had a big problem with corrosion, and I live in one of the more corrosive enviornments possible. But hey, what ever floats yer boat.

Earlier this year I bought some from CountyComm, some were coated and some weren't.

This is a BSA HotSpark that had been sitting in my tackle box for a few months after exposure to sea air on the VA tidewaters area ...



M

Um ya .. tha's what I said isn't it? <img src="/images/graemlins/shocked.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

I'm not seeing the pic.

Mine haven't arrived yet. Should be here Mon or Tues. I'll let you know once I get them.

Ditto- I bought some from another on-line dealer, some were coated and some weren't. I saved the coated ones for storage/boat carry.

I actually prefer this size to the full "Swedish Army" size, which seems like overkill to me, and a lot bigger and heavier than it needs to be.

I don't know if it's true, but I've heard a couple of times that there's only one factory in the world that manufactures ferrocerium rods in sizes bigger than lighter flints, so the only real differences are handles, coatings, lanyards and strikers.

That's really interesting. I can say of my Doan, Coghlans and Military Match ferro rods, that they all certainly "seem" the same but I have no way to be sure unfortunatly. At one time I found a bucnh of Coghlans magneseum brick fire starters dirt cheap so I bought a bunch and removed the ferro rods then threw away the mag blocks. These are sort-of my standard by which I compare all of the others, since these ferro rods are the ones that are compact enough that I actually EDC them.