Coghlan's - Magnesium Fire Starter,Silver

Peace of mind as it will start a fire in most conditions.

As the title suggests, take a spare flint to use with this. The magnesium itself is okay, a little tough to scrape off which is rather odd for magnesium but once scraped off it works well. The flint strikes nicely and the tool to do so is nicely serrated but be advised that the glued on piece of flint will not last long. I simple put it to the test as soon as it arrives and you can see a noticeable 'dent' in the flint after only a couple of attempts. Had the flint been a bit bigger then I'd be inclined to rate this better. The small ball chain limits the striking but is easily untethered to give more freedom of movement.

Cheaply made hard material to scrap too much glue on Ferro striker won’t buy again

In picture you can see a MADE IN USA product but what you get is MADE IN CHINA. Magnesium is poor and not burn properly, the ferro rod is very thin and wear quickly.

I now have several of this type with different company names. So far I have been lucky in not having one of those that don't work at all. They all perform about the same. That is the reason for the five stars - the Coglans works as well as the one with a Federal Stock Number or the one from the Friendly Swede. It is an effort to remove shavings from each. Most of the strikers/scrapers you get with magnesium bars and ferro rods are not very effective. The effectiveness of removing shavings depends on how good the scraper is. That depends on how sharp a flat edge it has. How big a pile needed depends a lot on the tinder being used with it and weather conditions. A few shavings will ignite and burn in a flash with only some ash and soot remaining. A "pile" will burn into it's center, staying hot, and will work much better. It takes an effort to learn what is needed to start a fire, particularly in bad weather, with this or other means. Magnesium is available which works well. It comes in different forms. Magnesium fire starters which come in cylinder form rather than bars work much better for me than the bars. The cylinders I have are softer and easier to get shavings. I have one called Survivor which works well and the one I prefer. If all else fails, magnesium can be bought in shaving form - quality will still be an issue as most is not by a name brand. I read some prior reviews which said this was put with other prepper stuff, and another said it was a must have. One said it wouldn't be good in a boy scout kit. Others were unhappy with the preformance of the bar or the way the ferro rod was stuck to it. Consistent quality is problem in the day of foreign junk. I feel fairly safe in saying the folks in Puerto Rico who just lost all their belongings and using wood from their furniture or the tree in the yard aren't looking for a magnesium bar to start a cooking fire. Maybe after all the lighters run out of fuel, this would be handy- otherwise I would be reaching for some matches or a lighter. These are good as a training devise for adults as well as boy scouts. They help teach how to prepare tinder and combustables to make fire in a more basic way. This carries over to making fire in a more technically modern way. Waterproof matches or a lighter are far better in a have to situation and should be in your pocket, your 72 hour kit, your car or where ever. For hiking/camping, take more than one lighter - they weigh very little. If you really want a ferro rod & magnesium kit that works well, spend the extra money and buy a Survivor one or one from FireSteel.com or other really good source. Then put the effort into learning how to use it.

awesome product

For me, it was a really nice fire start. A different experience to start the fire with my kids for our bbq

These are a necessity in anyone's 72 hour bug out bag. You can start a fire even under difficult conditions by scaping some magnesium off and into your tinder and sparking it. They are small, but work perfectly.

enciende un fuego fácilmente para acampar. Usa algodón y vaselina. Gran actividad con niños de 6 a 16 años.