Originally Posted By: Hikin_Jim
Carrying a BSA Hot Spark as part of one's EDC seems like a great idea. Doesn't it get pretty beat up on your keychain though? I would think the coating would quickly wear off. Isn't it the coating that makes the sparks? Once you wear off all the coating, then isn't it just another piece of steel?


I've carried a Hot Spark on a key chain for at least a year with no noticable degridation. It still sparks as well as the day I opened it.

I believe the coating you speak of it a form of oxidation that gets scraped off in use. The rod itself doesn't have a non-sparking "core" structure.

Ken K.