They do work, in pretty much perfect circumstances. Number one, don't use your knife blade to scrape mag from the block, use something like a short section of hacksaw blade, pre-shortened and attacked to your mag block by the little chain it came with. If you must use your knife, hold the blade at a right angle to the mag bar, and scrape shavings off, don't try to cut them off. As far as the wind goes, block it the best way you can. If possible, catch the shavings in/on something like a plain ole cotton ball, then ingnite them from there. Again, the saw toothed edge of a hacksaw creates a huge shower of sparks. Really eats into the ferro strip too, so don't practice this toooo much. Have LOTS of small stuff, kindling for lack of a better word, handy, if possible position that cotton ball under a bunch of it before you light it off...