When I was browsing in a DIY shop I happened to see this product. Although a bit overpriced at RM78, I still decided to get it asI am curious about the quality and effectiveness of a fire starter.
We tend to associate fire starting with matches or a lighter. We know of traditional methods of rubbing things together to generate heat and hence flame (never tried it because it takes a lot of effort). However, there is another method which is seldom talked about. Making fire by generating sufficient sparks from fire starters. Fire starters are usually made out of flint, metal and magnesium.
This fire starter from Gerber was made in collaboration with Bear Grylls, the famous survivalist. It features a coompact fire starter with ferrocerium rod and metal striker; lanyard to keep the stuff secure and together; emergency whistle which is integrated with the lanyard; waterproof storage for tinder; and a pocket guide on survival essentials.
Interestingly, Gerber provides lifetime guarantee for this product.
The Bear Grylls pocket guide on "Priorities of Survival" is rather useful. However, I would have preferred it if was made in a small booklet form instead of a "folding piece of paper" form.
The fire starter itself. The lanyard keeps all the parts together. It is not long so you cannot hang it around your neck. Nevertheless, if you open the storage compartment for tinder, a main part of the fire starter will not be connected to the lanyard and can be misplaced. More about this later.
The small whistle is located at the locking ball on the right of the photo below.
The whistle.
The main tube splits into two where the first part is the ferrocium rod and the other part contains the metal striker. By striking the rod with the striker, sparks will be generated. Note that the rod is covered in black substance. This must be cleaned first to reveal a silver-like surface for the product to generate a good amount of sparks.
Also note that it is best to keep the striker in a fixed position and only move the rod away from it so that the sparks would fall consistently on a targeted area.
On the tube itself you can see the various signals for air rescue instructions and SOS.
The end-cap which is connected to the lanyard pulls open to reveal the water-tight storage compartment. This is one area of design which Gerber should consider re-looking into. I would have a connecting thread from the storage tube to the end-cap. This will definitely eliminate the chance of missing parts.
Overall, a good product. The sparks are also very bright and substantial.
