The Friendly Swede Ferro Rod Fire Starter, 15,000+ Strike Flint and Steel

I wasn't sure if this should get a 4 or 5 star review. In all honesty, I would give it a 4.5 if I could. THE GOOD: -The quality of the magnesium is great. Even a light little spark on it gets it to ignite. I am beyond impressed by this. -There is A LOT of magnesium on there to be scraped off. I have used one of mine to the point of the ferro rod getting close to being flush with the magnesium block, and I still have probably 75% of the magnesium block left. You can go ahead and shave off way more magnesium than you need for each fire and still not be concerned about running out. -The scraper is actually quite useful, assuming you use the correct side. Since it is stamped, one side has more of a rounded edge and the edge on the opposite side is much more sharp. It isn't sharp enough to cut yourself with while handling it. If you use the sharp edge side of either the flat side or the "saw-tooth" side, you can shave off a decent amount of magnesium in a short time. -The chain is made up of 3 small chains. In the pack of 3 firestarters, you get 9 chains. You use 3 of these to make one long chain for each firestarter. It gives you plenty of room to be able to use the striker without needing to undo the chain. -The ferro rod throws a decent amount of sparks. Don't expect it to give you a monstrous shower of sparks, but it gives you plenty to get a pile of magnesium burning with. It does its job well. -The price is a bargain for 3 of these starters. THE BAD: -The ferro rod wears out pretty quickly. I admit, mine probably sees more use than most people, but I have almost worn the ferro rod flush to the magnesium on one of the firestarters in a month. There is probably about 50% of it left, but about 30% of it is sitting lower than the magnesium channel it sits in. On a good note, you are getting 3 of these firestarters, so you don't need to worry as much about it. If it happens, you can just use the "worn out" one as a magnesium source and start scraping magnesium off of there to turn into a small firestarting kit. Since I planned on putting one of these in each vehicle my family owns, I have since ordered a much larger ferro rod to take care of the spark duty. All in all, I think this is a great product, and I would recommend it to anyone looking for a compact firestarter.

I took this fire starter with me while camping to test it's effectiveness and it worked as expected. For such a value of a price point you can't go wrong compared to higher priced fire starters. It fit right in the side pocket of my camping back pack and took up no room whatsoever. The quality exceeded my expectations and did not concern me about breaking or not performing. In a pinch this fire starter will no doubt start a fire and should be added to all campers packs.

Excellent

These really are better than the other brands for this type. Only bought these to have extras in bags and boxes if I find myself without the expensive ones. Tried one just to see if they were better, and they are by far. The magnesium is softer and puts off shavings much more easily. The ferro rod part throws more sparks. The striker is more sturdy and useful than the common ones made out of cheap hacksaw blades. Really top notch strikers despite appearances. It took me less than 5 minutes to light a small fire. They are not equal to my Exotac or FireSteel rods, but they are a big improvement over the ones you get at Walmart and Harbor Freight. I would have no hesitation relying on these for lifesaving emergencies, and they are good enough for EDC. Buy these to learn how to use ferro rods. Great tool to practice on. Great for reliable extras.

I've owned and used many different ferro rods since the early 80s. I never noticed much difference between them and thought all ferro rods were about the same - until I tried these ferro rods from The Friendly Swede. All the great reviews are not just hype, these really do work A LOT better than all other rods I have used for the last 35 years. The big hot sparks travel several feet instead of just a few inches, and burn for several seconds. I find this is MUCH better for igniting natural tinder like grasses, wood shavings, etc. than conventional (hard) ferro rods that throw tiny sparks that burn out quickly in a very short distance. Important for any ferro rod is using a good striker and I was very pleasantly surprised at how good the striker is that comes w/ these rods - and you get 2. Like some others have mentioned, the ferro rod fell out of the handle after just a few minutes, but I always drill and pin the rod to the handle of any ferro rod I use anyway so it's not an issue for me. If you don't this to yours, I recommend just putting a drop of epoxy in the handle and reinserting the rod - no big deal and certainly not a reason to avoid getting these great ferro rods. I will be getting my ferro rods from The Friendly Swede for now on.

The Friendly Swede provided excellent customer service and value. The Friendly Swede's communication via e-mail to make sure the product was satisfactory and their attention to service was at a level usually only experienced by people who purchase a luxury vehicle. The 2-pack ferro rod set was surprisingly high quality and functional. The handles on the top of the ferro rods are very ergonomically designed, and they have a very classy looking crown logo. I used one of them in a sheath with a ferro rod holder I received with an iPak D2 bushcraft knife, and it fit perfectly. The little bit of extra length over many rods is very nice because it allows more distance to create sparks. As a bonus, there are included strikers which also appear to be of very good quality, although I have only used the rods with the spine of the knife and have not yet used the strikers. I would buy these again in a second because they were an incredible value! Thanks Friendly Swede!

Awesome product! Especially after the experience I just had while visiting family over thanksgiving. One of the nephews is a budding survivalist and just got his first magnesium fire starter. He was quite eager to show it to me and guide him in the proper usage. "Piece of cake", I thought to myself since I had recently introduced my girlfriend to the wonders of magnesium. She shaved of a little pile, and got it going with the first shower of sparks, just as it should be and always has been for me. So, back to the nephew. He hands me his new most coveted knife, sits back, and waits for the fireworks. I start scraping the block and think to myself, "this seems to be a bit harder than I remember", but I just chalked it up to my arthritis flaring up on me. A little while later, my mound is ready. I launch a shower of sparks expecting a conflagration, and, nothing. Ok, try again, and again, and again. Nothing. I hand over the knife to see if younger hands can prevail. Not so much. We write it off for the moment, and decide to try again later. Back at the house later that day, we set out again. This time we have a great pile of tinder and dryer lint under the magnesium mound. A tremendous amount of striking and sparking later, we finally have a fire. I notice, though, that it was the tinder that caught, not the magnesium. "Oh well," I thought, "at least the nephew got his fire." I was a bit personally discouraged thinking that next time I'm in the backwoods, I will likely freeze to death. To the interwebs I go! As it turns out, there are knockoff magnesium fire starters out there that are about as effective as rubbing two wet rolls of toilet paper together. Apparently, that's what we had. After looking around, I came across The Friendly Swede and thought that this looks like a quality product at a reasonable price. The fire starters showed up quickly and I set out to redeem my manliness. First, I used the included scraper to open a frosty beverage (always a good thing to mix with fire), then set about building a monument of magnesium. The curved, toothed part of the scraper made quick work of it. "Softer metal," I thought. This could be a good sign. One scrape, two scrapes, whoosh! My faith had been restored. Thoughts of camping by a roaring fire danced in my head. I thought about ordering a set of these fabulous fire starters to the nephew, but my girlfriend said that maybe letting him struggle to be the bane of Smokey The Bear might not be such a bad thing.

I was a little disappointed with the product at first. The initial scrapings of magnesium with the black coating would not light. So, I scraped all the coating off of one end of the magnesium bar and started over. The second pile of shavings lit immediately. Of course, afterward I read the instructions and that's the first thing it tells you to do. The steel striker can shave a pile of fine shavings very quickly. The ferro insert works like a champ and throws a good shower of sparks. As with any magnesium starter, you need to be out of the wind as much as possible so the shavings don't blow everywhere. It's also best to take the time to get a good pile of shavings about the size of a quarter. I've used starters like this before and always used a quarter-size pile, which is plenty to start a fire. To test this product, I only used a pile about the size of a dime and was surprised that it burned out in a split second. (I guess I should have known that would happen.) This method is very reliable, but like anything else, you need to practice with it some before you're in a situation where you actually need it. Good product. Good price.

Cumple perfectamente con su función. 2 buenos pedernales que encienden un fuego en casi cualquier situación adversa que los enfrentes. Con un buen agarre para evitar deslizamientos indeseados en su utilización. Una buena presentación en caja, incluyendo las limas de los raspadores, un embalaje muy bien y correcto para evitar incidentes por posible fricción, una herramienta para múltiples usos distintos de encendido. Todos sus detalles cuidadosamente presentados y protegidos, con una anilla en cadena, para poder llevarlo colgando del cuello ¡Una maravilla de producto! Aunque los precios otra vez ¡Amazon se está pasando con los precios de sus productos! ¡Están normalmente más baratos en cualquier tienda!

見た目で買いました。 所有欲は満たされます。かっこいいです。 使いやすいかと言われれば、微妙です。圧倒的にスティックタイプのやつが使いやすいです。

I purchased The Friendly Swede Ferro Rod Fire Starter, and I have to say, I am thoroughly impressed with its quality and performance. As an avid outdoors enthusiast, having a reliable fire starter is essential for my camping and hiking trips, and The Friendly Swede Ferro Rod Fire Starter has quickly become my go-to choice. The first thing I noticed about this fire starter is its compact and lightweight design. It easily fits in my backpack or pocket without taking up much space or adding extra weight. Despite its small size, it is sturdy and feels durable in my hand, thanks to its high-quality construction. But the real beauty of The Friendly Swede Ferro Rod Fire Starter is in its functionality. The rod produces a hot and bright spark that easily ignites my tinder and kindling, even in damp or windy conditions. I've used it to start fires with ease, whether it's for cooking or warmth. What I appreciate most about this fire starter is its versatility. It comes with a striker and a lanyard, which makes it easy to use even with gloves on. Additionally, it works well with different types of tinder, including cotton balls, dryer lint, and birch bark. I've even used it to light a gas stove when my lighter ran out of fuel. Overall, I am extremely satisfied with my purchase of The Friendly Swede Ferro Rod Fire Starter. It is a reliable and efficient tool that has exceeded my expectations in terms of both quality and performance. I would highly recommend it to anyone who needs a compact and versatile fire starter for their outdoor adventures.

Een mooie set. Heb het geprobeerd, maar er komen probleemloos een massa vonken vanaf. Wel eerst de beschermlaag wegkrabben.

Works as expected.