Best fire starters?

Snal~

Snal~

I Run A Tight Shipwreck (Tragic Boating Accident)
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I've realized that I need to add these to my SHTF inventory.
Which ones would you suggest?
 
The UST Blastmatch works well and doesn't require you to get the back of your knife all cruddy. It's self contained with a spring loaded piston and a built in blade. You just hold the button down and stab into your kindling.

Screenshot_20211119-110443-934.pngScreenshot_20211119-110429-245.png
 
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Good info here

Ferro rod fire starter quality. Thoughts?

So today my wife bought a fire starter from Walmart. I decided to go ahead and try to make a fire with it before things got bad and I “needed” to make a fire with it. After an hour I came to the conclusion I’ll keep carrying a bic lighter. I did eventually get a fire going but it seemed like...
carolinafirearmsforum.com carolinafirearmsforum.com

I have this one

All Weather Firestarters

There is a NEW standard for FIRESTARTERS, and it's name is All-Weather Firestarter. ~ Edmund Villarreal All we do here at All-Weather Firestarters, is manufacture Magnesium Firestarters. This allows us to focus on one thing, being the best in our market and industry.
allweatherfirestarters.com allweatherfirestarters.com
 
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Button Pusher said:
Good info here

Ferro rod fire starter quality. Thoughts?

So today my wife bought a fire starter from Walmart. I decided to go ahead and try to make a fire with it before things got bad and I “needed” to make a fire with it. After an hour I came to the conclusion I’ll keep carrying a bic lighter. I did eventually get a fire going but it seemed like...
carolinafirearmsforum.com carolinafirearmsforum.com
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A lot of the Chinese ferrocerium rods aren't even capable of lighting a fire.
 
I've got the following in my bag:
Bic lighters
Zippo lighters
Oxy/Acetylene striker
Ferro rod I embedded in a piece of walnut
Lose ferro rods
Ferro rod striker kits I pick up at WalMart
Strike any where matches
 
three things:

1. concering cheap, disposable lighters..... i use Djeep which was better for me.
2. an Oxy/Acetylene striker is the very best "sparking" tool i have ever used.
3. as above, dryer lint (or lint from your pockets) catches the spark the best.
 
I’ll second the “all weather” brand. Mine throws sparks like crazy. My wife bought me one of the fatter ones and if I ever (doubt I will come close) wear it out/ use it up, they’ll send a free replacement. Not 100% but I wanted to say they’re a nc company as well.

I always have a bic to go with the Marlboros in my coat but some times it’s fun to start a fire without a lighter.
 
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I like the Scripto-type disposable lighters better than Bic because of the adjustable flame and they seem to work better for me in freezing temps. (Have to shake a Bic when it gets really cold). I also use toilet-paper tubes to cram with dryer lint. At home, having used pretty much everything as a fireplace/woodstove starter, I prefer fatwood when I have it.
 
BloodRunsThicker said:
Save your dryer Lint. Blast match is amazing. However bic lighters are great to have

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Belly button lint also works well. ;) Tampons are sealed, they will stay dry, the fluff burns easily.
 
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Button Pusher said:
Belly button lint also works well. ;) Tampons are sealed, they will stay dry, the fluff burns easily.
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Oh boy. Its gonna take me a while of saving belly button lint and by a while i mean a few days.

Tampons are also great for bullet holes to stop bleeding. Never thought about fire starter purposes

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Get some McDonalds drinking straws, which are pretty fat. Cut into about 2" sections. Heat one end and crimp with pliers to seal the end. Take a cotton ball and smear it with Vaseline and pack as much as possible into the piece of straw leaving some empty straw at the end. Now heat the other end and crimp with pliers to seal it off. These are water tight and just cut open with a knife when ready to use with either matches, lighter or striker.

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I personally use the oversized straws and soak my dryer lint in Vaseline for "ready to go tinder". Works awesome.

I have Ferro rods, I have flints, I have "blast matches. Hell I'm even such a stubborn bastard that I know if I get annoyed enough I can use the "drill method" to friction heat an ember into being...

But I always fall back to Bic brand lighters. Try the others mentioned above after they get wet.. I'm a smoker and in a previous life I was a Whitewater raft guide. Always had one in my pfd. Every other brand got wet once. Done. The Bic's? As soon as they were dry again they were gtg. Only done after they run out of fuel. Then still can spark.

As a hint if you keep a lighter in your pocket when it's cold out. Bic's fuel get sluggish. Fuel won't flow if it's cold. Keep it warm or make it warm before you try to light it.


As an aside. Never forget you can get nice cotton tinder in an emergency by "scraping" your clothing. Scrape your knife blade across your jeans or even a t-shirt and you have instant lint/tinder.
 
You guys doing the sealed straw thing....do you simply light the straw, or cut it open and then light?
 
Snal~ said:
You guys doing the sealed straw thing....do you simply light the straw, or cut it open and then light?
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With a lighter, just melt the straw. For actual "spark to tinder". Cut and spread out material as much as possible.
 
I carry lighters, a 1/2”x6” ferro rod, dryer lint, cotton balls, and fat wood. Buy you a box of fat wood sticks or learn to find it in fallen pine tree knots and stumps. A good knot of fat wood with a ferro rod embedded in it is handy to have around. Dried cedar makes great tinder also, cedar tree peels as I call them work great also.
 
as above:
"I also use toilet-paper tubes to cram with dryer lint"

that is what i use to light my charcoal grill.
 
My first foray into fire-starting was when I was about 5 and had a book of matches. I somehow thought it was a good idea to hide behind the couch and try to light the stuffing on fire. Fortunately, it didn't work. I was found and a prompt whooping was had. My behind was sore a good while from that.


I've always used the dryer lint and egg carton wax. Wife likes making them. I take one egg holder, can cut off a small chunk(half a dime) and it will burn for about 4 minutes. It conserves the amount.

My brother made paper footballs with a string in it. dipped in wax. Same effect.

9volt and steel wool. I have some thermite that is used in exothermic welding....just in case its a little damp outside.

There a ton of little fire starter tricks you can make from a CVS, hardware store, or just by being bored. I always carry a BIC lighter. it always works. They last so long and i have so many, I can never remember buying them. Zippos have the problem of drying out, or leaking.

One thing that may get overlooked, while you may be able to start a fire, would you be able to travel with it? Say you get one started, but you need to change locations. It starts raining and now everything is wet. Can you make a smolder bundle to carry the ember with you to the new location?

Has anyone made Char-cloth? They sell it as "blackbeard", but its just a petroleum impregnated char-cloth.
 
I grew up camping plus we always had fireplaces and/or wood burning stoves in the house and shop. Practice different methods. For survival type i like ferro rods. I keep a baggie with dryer lint for a good starter. Lighters and matches only last so long. My girls can start a fire as well
 
I have been told dryer lint and Carmex is the Bees Knees!

Sparky is another deal, maybe a magnifying glass and the sun:)
 
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