PSA: Check your magnesium fire starters before you need them

[cofi]

What is the benefit of these(the good ones) vs carrying a big lighter?

[clodhopper]

What is the benefit of these(the good ones) vs carrying a big lighter?

they don't go bad or evaporate. I have yet to find a reasonably priced lighter that doesn't lose the fuel over time.

The Chinese ones may not have good mag, but the sparkers still work. I generally peel the sparker bars out and pack along with a tube of dryer lint and petroleum jelly which is easier to light. I know I have some harbor freight versions among my stuff, but I have been gifted so many different sparker sticks over the years, I am not likely to fall back to scraping magnesium to start a fire.

[Wulf202]

I have yet to find a reasonably priced lighter that doesn't lose the fuel over time.

http://dx.com/p/super-mini-vintage-oil-lighter-3734

http://countycomm.com/splitpea.html

http://countycomm.com/sslight.html

here you go.

[rbeau30]

http://dx.com/p/super-mini-vintage-oil-lighter-3734

http://countycomm.com/splitpea.html

http://countycomm.com/sslight.html

here you go.

I have two of those split pea ones and they loose fuel after about a week. Brand new.

[ChunkyMonkey]

What is the benefit of these(the good ones) vs carrying a big lighter?

+1 I got lighter and matches in my bag. No hassle.

[Wulf202]

What is the benefit of these(the good ones) vs carrying a big lighter?

the bar starts the fire, the magnesium is the tinder in solid form. A lighter still needs tinder.

[clodhopper]

the bar starts the fire, the magnesium is the tinder in solid form. A lighter still needs tinder.

One benefit to magnesium, doesn't matter if it gets wet. My go-bag tinder storage options are generally not submersion proof. However, it that was the situation, I could find natural tinder options after a swim.

[Wulf202]

One benefit to magnesium, doesn't matter if it gets wet. My go-bag tinder storage options are generally not submersion proof. However, it that was the situation, I could find natural tinder options after a swim.

Depends on the area and the water you swam in. If it's raining/snowing in the high country and you took a dunk in a runoff stream you have little time and little mobility to hunt tinder.

This, like many tools, has it's purpose.

I have two of those split pea ones and they loose fuel after about a week. Brand new.

I have a dozen of the Chinese ones and one split pea, two full sized, all hold fluid for over a year at this point.

[rbeau30]

Anybody have those firesteel Gobspark/Palm Striker ones? I just bought a couple to try out plus one of their magnesium blocks (just magnesium no flint).

[hatidua]

What is the benefit of these(the good ones) vs carrying a big lighter?

-different tools in the same tool box.