Spark-Lite Fire Starter

by Spark-Lite

Product Features

• Easy to use
• Extremely light weight
• Works with a variety of materials you can find outdoors such as milkweed and other fibrous materials
• Easy single handed operation, works with right or left hand
• Sparks hundreds of times

Product Description

When it comes to starting a fire, nothing touches the Spark-Lite for functionality and ease. The official fire starter of the U.S. Military, the Spark-Lite is simply the best. One should be in every backpack and emergency kit you own. To use this simple tool, just pull a Tinder-Quik Fire Tab from the plastic case and ignite it with the Spark-Lite. Tinder-Quik is waterproof and will burn for 1-2 minutes, giving you plenty of time to get your fire started.

Product Details

• Shipping Information: View shipping rates and policies
• ASIN: B003ZSULYO
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #41,603 in Sports & Outdoors (See Top 100 in Sports & Outdoors)
  • #50 in Sports & Outdoors > Outdoor Recreation > Camping & Hiking > Camp Kitchen > Stove Accessories > Fireplace Matches

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

45 of 45 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Useful..., October 25, 2005

By 

Beach Guy - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Spark-Lite Fire Starter (Misc.)

I hike alone in very remote areas, and since that involves special risks, I follow the standard advice by carrying three different tools for starting a fire. A cigarette lighter and some waterproof matches were easy choices, but I had trouble finding a third way to make fire reliably. This little gadget was the answer! It works like a charm...completely dependable in my tests. And the tinder is so eager to burn that I actually had a little trouble putting it out. Added pluses are that it is lightweight and compact, so it has almost zero impact on the load I carry in the field. I strongly recommend it as a back-up means to start an emergency fire! UPDATE: Fifteen months after writing my original review, I purchased two more of these fire starters, and I was disappointed to see that the quality has dropped dramatically. It is now so hard to spin the spark-generating wheel that I nearly bloodied my thumb in the effort, and the tinder is much less combustible than it had been...although it still burns well once it's ignited. These weaknesses can be overcome, however. After spinning the wheel continuously for about three minutes, it began to turn much more easily, and it finally produced beautiful, large sparks that are perfect for fire starting. As a result, I still think this is a useful item to carry as an emergency backup, but buyers should expect to spend several minutes "honing" the flint (by spinning the wheel) before they store it with their emergency gear. I also recommend that ordinary clothes-dryer lint should be carried as an alternate tinder, because it lights easier and burns better than the tinder in this kit. If these procedures are followed, I believe this starter would be useful in an emergency, but due to the drop in quality, I have to lower my rating to three stars.

19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars sparklite tinder replacements, November 19, 2007

By 

J. Albright "Tschuai" (PNW) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Spark-Lite Fire Starter (Misc.)

I found that cotton balls coated with Vaseline are superior to dryer lint. You can make enough to last a lifetime for under 5 dollars. Living in the Pacific northwest bio-region where everything is wet they burn great for 1-2 minutes even in the rain. Which is something pocket lint cannot do. I carry mine with me in a small altoids container everywhere I go. I also had some trouble getting sparks the first few tries as the other reviews, but didn't find it was hurting my fingers. The most distinct advantage of this product is the ability to make fire with one hand, which is important in case of injury.

26 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Some things you should know, August 4, 2007

By 

Arthur Bradley "Arthur Bradley" (Eastern USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Spark-Lite Fire Starter (Misc.)

The Spark-Lite Fire starter is a lightweight flint/steel that works by rolling a fine-toothed steel wheel across a flint insert. As the other reviewer indicated, it is initially very difficult to rotate the wheel. You will need to put on some gloves (saving your thumb a blister) and work the wheel a hundred or more times. Once that's done, you can get a decent spark without too much effort.

A couple other things to know. If you use the Spark-Lite with the Tinder-Quik (or with magnesium shavings) it works great. You will probably have a fire within a few seconds. However, if you try to use the spark-lite with just natural tinder (e.g. toilet paper, leaves, dry grass, etc.), it may take much longer to get a flame. It can be done, but you'll want to select very flammable tinder, and be very patient.

If I had my preference, I would rather have a set of waterproof matches or even a lighter. But as an emergency backup, the Spark-lite + Tinder Quik combo will do the job. Just don't forget the tinder.

Written by Arthur Bradley, author of "Process of Elimination" - a sexually-charged thriller that pits a martial artist against a world-class sniper out to shape the next presidential election.

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