Customer Reviews

Coghlan's 1005 Flint Striker

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

After scraping off the protective cover, it took me two strikes to light a tissue paper. I've never used these before. Either the other reviewers are not scraping off this layer or they have a defective item. I read all the reviews of all the other ones and went with this one to go into my survival kit for it's price and effectiveness.

Length:: 1:23 Mins

Attached you'll see this Coghlan's Flint Striker

1) VERY EASILY starting some fresh dryer lint. Man, that stuff burns. Took two strikes here. When I tried earlier it was one.
2) Less easily but still confidently starting some dry paper towel folded over twice. Took a dozen (?) attempts, similar to when I was camping recently--approx same number of strikes required.
3) Not in the video, but confirmed on two occasions now, this striker will catch a pile of _dry_ pine needles. There are thick pine needles and there are fine. You want the finest possible and as dry as possible. This past weekend using just fine pine needles and wood shavings I got a fire going from scratch. I will say it took probably fifty strikes or more. Not easy, but does work in a pinch.

What you also can't see in this video is that the strike tool is now decently gouged in the middle, so it looks like a slight bow from the side. Also, it's flatter now. When I first shaved the paint off the tool using the accompanying striker I couldn't get much in the way of sparks, but the saw-part of a pocket knife did very well. However, now after 100-200+ strikes the flatter gouge area is such that the striker that comes with this tool works fine (and is what I used in the video). You want to draw the pointed ridges of the striker downward. No need to actually hit it or anything, but more or less a perpendicular angle, pushing down quickly while pushing the two units together to increase friction.

Conclusion: I prefer BBQ lighters to start fires. However, if I was without one or matches and really needed fire I'd be glad I had this. Like few things in life it actually gets better with more uses (at least until it's used to the point it snaps).

This is the only strike-type fire starter I've ever used, so I cannot compare it to Swedish Firesteel, which many seem to think is the premier such device. If I ever try one I may revisit this review.

It is an essential piece of your suvival kit. It does exactly what it is intended to do!
Its a little harder to make it works but nothing to skeep form buying it
Cheap, small not heavy

PLEASE NOTE: This is not the same material as the Swedish Firesteel. I don't actually know the difference in the material, but it's obvious by the way it works.

Does it work... yes, it does. It will turn stuff on fire, but it's MUCH harder to create sparks, and you get fewer of them with this.

If you're looking for something on a budget, this is fine. This will work, it's just not as good as real Firesteel.

Lanyard is long enough that you don't have to take the striker off to get sparks.

The rod isn't connected to the handle very well. I was able to separate them with a snug pull, so my advice is to take it apart as soon as you get it and add a few drops of super glue or epoxy in the handle and replace the rod. There is no point in having this thing if the rod falls out of the handle.

PROS:
- Light weight
- Comes with striker
- Lanyard feels like nylon shoe string. It's just long enough to let you strike, but not much longer.
- With practice, will create fire easily.

CONS:
- Rod easily removes from handle - recommend epoxy.
- Much more force needed for sparks than real Firesteel
- Not as many sparks as firesteel
- Sparks are not as hot as firesteel (I'm speculating, but it seems that way)

Overall, I would recommend getting real Swedish Firesteel, but it is about 2x more expensive on average than this product. If you are on a budget, this will do the job. I'm taking off one star for the handle/rod connection and the amount of force needed for sparks. This thing is supposed to make sparks to light fires, and it does that.

I know I compared it to Firesteel, but that's just for comparison. I'm judging it by its own merits.

This almost feels like the rods on the side of the cheap Magnesium fire starters from WalMart... It might be the same stuff, but I don't know. Using a little bit of Magnesium with this thing isn't a bad idea, but it does work on its own.

A flint is a flint, it's the striker that makes all the difference.

I have the flint from Firesteel.com and from Coghlan. The only difference between the sparks I create from the two is due
to the striker. The 'Super Scraper' from Firesteel.com makes more sparks and it easier to strike. The Super Scraper is thicker
and has a sharper edge and this makes a whole lot of difference. When I strike my Coghlan flint with the Super Scraper I get the same amount of sparks as I do when I strike it on the Firesteel.com flint. Therefore, it's not the flint but the striker that make the difference.

The opposite side of the sharpen edge of the blade of my Spyderco pocket knife has as similar thick right angle as the Super Scraper and it gives me a similar spark as the Super Scraper. However, the Super Scraper is lighter and attaches to my flint with a lanyard.

Ditch the scrapers that come from the Colghan, Light My Fire, etc. and either get the Super Scraper or use something similar the Super Scraper. BTW the Super Scraper is @2.5mm thick and the edge is a right angle and where the angles meet, it kinda feels 'sharp' but not the kind of sharp that you get from a knife... I hope you understand what I am trying to mean.

This firesteel is hard to strike for me. It works best if you use a really fast strike, although shavings often fly off without igniting. The sparks are ok when it works, but they aren't easy to direct onto your tinder pile.

Usually with other firesteels I can start a fire in less than 5 strikes. The first fire I lit took 8 strikes - a little challenging but within reason. The second fire took about 40-50 strikes. The sparks just wouldn't go onto the tinder pile.

Overall, I wouldn't want to use it in the field, and I'm glad the price is low.

This is a decent firesteel if you can find a striker that works well, particularly given the price. First, as many others have mentioned, you have to clean off the outer coating of black paint. The included stamped metal striker doesn't do a great job but it too will work after a few tries if you press hard enough. It's better however to use a piece of steel with a sharply squared edge such as the spine of a knife. Fixed blades are sometimes squared enough, and so are some locking folding knives, though it's better to use them in the closed position in case the lock fails. I've also heard the awl on Swiss Army knives works well and some people use segments of hacksaw blades to make their own strikers.

Overall, is this a great firesteel? No, other more expensive ones may be better. But make sure you try a variety of strikers before blaming the rod itself.

Update: For those of you who've been having trouble with getting big sparks, try a pair of scissors! I just used the outside (not the cutting edge) of a cheap pair of scissors and it was more than sharp enough and gave very big sparks reliably!

Simple and effective. Coghlans has a winner here. Produces a nice spread of sparks that easily ignites tinder. Can be held in your hand while striking. Length is good better than others. Protective coating does not rub off easily but, is easy to remove with back of knive or the included scraper/strike tool. Included loop of paracord is long enough to allow striking to be un-hindered. Overall a great product.

This item arrived promptly after being ordered and works exactly as advertised. The sparks that can be generated from this can shoot over three feet! Durable and looks like it will last a while.

After you remove the coating, it's pretty easy to use, just shave some magnesium off and strike! Simple and Easy to use.