You are here: Home > Abstract Art Paintings > Free Correlative Resources On Survival Orig Abstract

Gallaway September 14, 2010 at 7:19 pm

I got one of these and it does produce more sparks easyer than any other starter. but its kinda over kill.

1. its wrapped up real tight so you kinda have to fiddle with it to get it open. in a survival situation messing with the thing would be Another bit of stress added into your situation at best. Around camp your disinclined to use it because its not convenient.

2. as the other reviews say the lanyard that holds the striker to the rod is very short and it feels kinda cramped, another disinclination to use it.

3. its BIG it takes up space in your fire kit like crazy that you could use for more dry tinder. and again you are disinclined to whip it out to light your stove.

4. Though the rod does produce lots of sparks its way more than you need and you will NEVER EVER use the whole rod. that may sound good at first, but in a few years when you watch your rod turn to dust without ever being used, you will wish you had bought a different fire starter.

5. there is a compartment behind the rod that is supposed to hold tinder. A. the compartment is not water tight so forget putting some cheap dryer lint in there you have to have a fancy waterproof tinder, another disinclination of use. and B. the handle behind the Rod is HOLLOW wich is fine in the short term but over time the rod gets weak and starts rocking out of the handle

I had one of these for years and the only time I used it was to impress my friends with the big shiny spark.

I have gotten way more use out of my US Army Doan and my sweedish fire steel. than I ever did from the strike force.

There are SO many better fire starters out there besides this one.

Garbell September 15, 2010 at 6:39 am

This thing works like a charm and should be in the hands of every military man or woman, boy scout, and every person who is into survival. Just watched “The Book Of Eli” yesterday and it looked he used this very tool to start his fire. I own quite a few of these and have gave many of them away to my friends who are into the same things as me. I changed the black string out for paracord that was long enough for me to wear around my neck while im at work and when im farther then running distance from the house. As with any survival tool it takes time and practice to be proficient with this tool. My boss asked what i had under my shirt the other day and i showed him mine. Just placed an order for some more military fighting gear threw another website company and i ordered him also as a gift. Dont make this your only firestarting tool you have in your large get out of dodge pack or your survival pack you always have on you. You still should have three to four layers of protection, lighter, matches, magnesium block and flint…. on your person or with you in your pack, and dont just buy one, two or three is better. You wont be upset with this product! Its hard to beat. Practice and do it often.

Jeffries September 15, 2010 at 7:21 pm

Any time I am going for a day hike longer than a couple of hours, this goes in the bag. If there is any chance I might get caught out in the woods overnight, I want a dependable way of starting a fire. This should be a part of any outdoor enthusiasts essentials kit.

Downs September 16, 2010 at 7:14 am

These are the best fire starters ive ever had, I own some steel and flint and some of the mag and flint. I practice all the time with all of them and you should also. StrikeForce is the best and takes the least amount of time. Someone on here said they are too big, there about the size of a med. sized automatic pistol mag which isnt that bulky when your use to packing around loaded pistol and AK-47 magazines. I suggest taking the cord off and changing it out with some 550 paracord, make it long enough to wear around your neck.

I bought one many years ago, friend of mine at work fell in love with so i let him keep it. Yesterday the mail lady dropped me off three new ones, gave one away last night so im gonna have to order me up another batch here soon. In survival situations you need to have 3 to 4 layers of protection and any more is better. Lighter, matches, StikeForce, flint and a pocket knife, mag block & flint…. and practice them all in all conditions to stay sharp. Having one of these is a must in a bugout kit. My good friend has a one handed push button model, not that great. Buy both to see which one works best.

Cornell September 16, 2010 at 6:31 pm

I ordered two of these whistles to add to my comprehensive preparedness box
and am quite pleased. They are great for any outdoor activity, or 72hr kit.
I give them a thumbs up for simplicity and reliability due to it’s construction.
Buy them. Keep them with your packs, emergency kits, what not. Funny how
amazon says this is a toy.

Barz September 17, 2010 at 7:03 am

The Governemnt knows what’s good for you. They teach you that thing about what foods to eat about that three digit number (1-9-9 or something like that) that put you in touch with a uniformed police office. You KNOW they are thinking “we love you (enter your name here)” all the time. Really, think of all the special things they have done for you in the past. They have the fallout shelters and the “duck and cover” speeches, so everything here has to be right – right?

Actually, the poster is pretty funny and I got a good laugh out of it. I thought the zombies and their little world of desires, doom, and destruction is purty when placed on a poster. It has a beautiful layout on the poster that shows you what things would look like in the really real world, too, and that is a good thing.
Really, how many nerf zombies can be attacked to show you how to LIVE?

I love the poster – it has the feel of the war that is coming and we should all appreciate that one. If nothing else, we should appreciate the effort that the zombie has put in to make this poster complete (way to go, zombie!).

Buy it and survive!
Linger and dry on the vine like a sucka!

Carlson September 17, 2010 at 6:35 pm

I ordered this poster and shipped it to a friend in Chicago who was supposed to get it on Jan. 20th and did not receive it until Feb. 2nd. It took that long to ship from NYC to Chicago? On the bright side the poster came in great shape. Thank you for that.

Fuchs September 18, 2010 at 7:04 am

this poster was everything I expected from a zombie survival guide, so to all you fans this is a must have for sure!

McNall September 18, 2010 at 6:56 pm

There’s only so much time to know what to do in event the Z’s come knocking. No time to get out the survival manual or radio. Just time to lock n load, pull out the axe, and go for it.
For those who support the hypothesis that Z’s have rights and why can’t we all live together…I say look at the classified studies and know that it won’t happen.
The talk shows that attempt to have Z’s explain their side, their rights, don’t present the fact that we are a natural resource for the undead.
All kidding aside, I would hope that the govt would be able to produce such a device to help preserve our way of life. But we know that that won’t happen. As such, this is something that the Z afficianado in your life will love.
Not all will agree with me, but they will probably be the ones who end up appetizers at the next Z dinner.

Macela September 19, 2010 at 6:58 am

Works like a champ. I’ve given it to a few people to use and all were successful with it. Keep the little piece of metal attached to it to strike a spark. It works better than any knife blade, hack saw blade, file, whatever else I’ve tried. Everyone I’ve seen use these has a different technique. I’ve always gotten EXCELLENT results from holding the rod still with it’s end on top of the kindling and dragging the striker down the side SLOWLY. I get more sparks, for a longer time, with less wear on the tool this way.

This model is thick enough to probably last ANYONE a lifetime when used correctly. Just don’t loose it!

Iribe September 19, 2010 at 6:45 pm

One of the most important parts of survival is fire and after owning other devices used to make fire I finally found this style of fire iron to be the most useful I can’t say enough good about it but keep in mind these are best used in unison with tender such as char cloth or common household lent( or I find this to be true)also practice with it before running out expecting to start a fire in a situation where you have never used a fire iron.
At any rate this is the only one I’ve ever dad any success with.

Dardeau September 20, 2010 at 6:58 am

This is a fire starter that I would recommend everyone to have in their camping and disaster preparedness kits. I have found it an efficient and effective replacement for matches in my regular camping trips. Here are main points I can address based on my experience:

Pros:

* Reliable: Ever run out of matches or have them rendered ineffective due to moisture while in the back country? I have, and it’s no fun. This tool is an effective fire starter even after thousands of uses and if it gets wet, it still works. So long as you run down the length of the tool with a sharp enough edge, sufficient quantity of sparks are generated. (The striker works extremely well, though a knife blade would likewise; I’ve used the file on my nail clippers to generate sparks as well – the key thing is that the striker you use must have some edge to it. Car keys will not work, in my experience, nor will nails or any other metal object if the edge is slightly rounded)

* High Quality: Though simple, this tool is well-made. The steel comes coated with a protective paint and it has a small but usable thumb grip that provides adequate grip even on a cold, wet day. the striker is attached with a small loop of high quality lanyard. This particular one is actually made is Sweden.

* Price: To me, this represents good value over its lifetime. I tend to use this rather than matches when I am camping to keep my fire-starting skills honed. This saves some cost on matches and the reliability factor makes it a worthwhile investment considering that it will likely be capable of starting a fire long after I’m gone.

Cons:

* Reliability: I put this here to underscore the fact that this tool will do its job only if you do yours by providing proper tinder and a proper environment. One shouldn’t consider this the equivalent of starting a fire with a road flare and a gallon of gasoline; This tool enhances proper fire-making skills, it doesn’t replace them. My preferred method is a small stock of petroleum jelly-soaked cotton balls. The firesteel also works extremely well starting white gas stoves. Starting a fire with mere tinder is slightly more challenging because the sparks while extremely hot are also very transient. The better the tinder or accelerant, the easier the fire is to start. In any case, this still isn’t as easy to use as a stock of fresh strike-anywhere matches – I have both as I like redundancy in this area…

* Quality Control: I haven’t experienced this myself, but I have heard others say that theirs have been in varying lengths when comparing side-by-side. While that wouldn’t necessarily affect either effectiveness or longevity, it looks bad from a quality control standpoint. In my opinion, these are still the best on the market in quality and effectiveness; just be aware that there may be some slight variation.

Other Thoughts:

Whether to go with magnesium block-style firestarters or this model is for me a matter of personal preference. The magnesium units work great if you are used to them, and they provide a really hot burning start to a fire. I’ve seen people nick or cut themselves with their knife in the process of creating shavings, however, and I think that’s a bad idea in the back country if you can avoid it. For that reason, I prefer this firesteel. So, for me this is an essential item for my kit and at a fair price. Five stars.

Nicklaus September 20, 2010 at 6:47 pm

Comes in a box, scratch off the paint (which ensures that accidental strikes in the box are impossible), works like a charm. One thing to be aware of, though, when making your purchase; Do not expect this work in the manner that you strike it once and you have a blazing fire. This is not the case, it takes a few well applied strikes to get some light kindle to light and you can build a fire from there. This is not true because it doesn’t work correctly but simply because it’s just not that easy to start a fire. The product works exactly the way it should.

Killeen September 21, 2010 at 6:29 am

As an avid outdoorsman I can’t endorse this product because it doesn’t satisfy my main criteria: Would you stake your life on this? NO!

I really don’t like plastic; in particular, the way its properties change when it’s very cold. I’m fairly sure I could shatter this at 10-20 below zero without that being my intention. I don’t like the blade, the handle or the sheath either. This is another case of “I used to like this vendor”.

The “saw” is like a big serrated knife and is almost useless fo cutting wood. A collapsible camp saw is infinately better. There’s no way I would carry this in my pack because it’s not worth the weight. It’s going into the car trunk and probably will never be properly fielded.

Jacobson September 21, 2010 at 7:05 pm

The workmanship is not as good as Gerber Camp Axe which is made in Finland. Returned the Combo Axe II and got the Camp Axe instead.

Elliot September 22, 2010 at 6:34 am

Great Quality, very sharp and very light. I put it in my truck because I dont want to be anywhere without it. Im very suprised with how well it works and how durable it is. This thing will last a lifetime.

Ireland September 22, 2010 at 6:56 pm

We just used this hand axe this weekend on a backpacking trip and I am very impressed with the design and function. The axe feels solid and nicely balanced and yet light. I used it to split some 2″ diameter branches to carve into spoons (we forgot all our cooking and eating utensils). The hollow nylon handle has a more grippy overmold where you lay your fingers. The saw is wicked sharp and sliced through branches quickly. It was less suitable for slicing bread (we had it along and thought it was worth a try!). I plan to leave this in the trunk of the car when not using it on rafting and canoeing trips. I also used it at home to split some 2x lumber into kindling and it was just the right size for that. If you also carry a leatherman or knife, this axe and saw combination is a good complement to your kit and doesn’t overlap the functions of those tools. Good choice to add to a basic survival kit. Highly recommended.

Hacking September 23, 2010 at 6:53 am

Well it is a bar of magnesium, which burns hot and ignites easily when scraped into fine shavings, and a rod of special alloy which produces sparks when scraped with steel. All conveniently packaged together.

To tell the truth, a cheap disposable liter is much more practical and far easier to use, but this thing will work a thousand years after a nuclear war.

I estimate it would start just as many fires as a disposable lighter would on its gas supply, but it is certainly more fun and outdoorsy!