eGear Survival Essentials Magnesium Fire Starter

Yes I did Youtube how to use this thing because it didnt come with directions and this is my first fire starter. After watching the video a couple times, I did manage to get a decent fire going in my backyard. The striker saw that comes with it seems pretty cheap. The saw cant shave for squat and I found it easier to use the flat side. Just put the flat side at a 45 degree angle and the saw facing out (not towards you) use your thumb to apply force and slide fowards. I got my shavings this way. There's a very helpful video showing how to make starting a fire easier by shaving onto duct tape. Supposedly the adhesive on the duct tape it flammable and can act as a catalyst to make it burn quicker. Also because that its sticky, your shavings will not fly away in windy conditions (pretty smart). I have not tried this because I do not have duct tape around the house. I recommend learning how to use one and test out the one you buy before you go hiking, campin, etc, so when in a dire situation, you can be prepared.

I ordered two of these, gave one to my son who is getting into backpacking, and kept one at home to try for use in our survival bags. If you are expecting to start a fire as quickly as with a lighter you will be unsatisfied with this product. It takes a little work and patience. You have to experiment a little if you've never used one of these before. We carry cotton balls soaked with vaseline and they light up almost immediately, add tinder and you've got a fire going in a short time. Trying to light tinder by itself is a longer process but works just fine if you aren't of the attitude that "I have to have it right now". Will be getting more of these for all of our packs.

Fast shipping. Very easy to use. The striker tool is too flimsy, I used a pocket knife for both shaving the Mag and striking the flint. Then it performs as advertised. Don't go into the woods without one !!

This thing always works, no broken flint to worry about, no out of juice problems or it got wet or run over. It works period. every time and anytime. Bug out bag must. My pops loved it. It was a great addition to the emergency car kit I made him for Christmas. I keep one myself in my kit. Little Bic's are great but these are totally dependable not that I plan on being stuck alone in the amazon or the wilderness but it's a great small light weight item to have on hand. Better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it, right??

I had just ordered one of these from egear. After getting it, and thinking somehow I forgot how to use one after a few years off the trails, I checked out a youtube video on magnesium fire starters [...]. Of the three he tests, the one hard Chinese variety was hard to shave filings off of and impossible to start.I had the same experience with the egear provided magnesium block. I gather that whatever the alloy is in this bar with the magnesium makes it near impossible to shave and it won't burn with spark. With a blowtorch yes, with the included micro hacksaw blade no, with a knife it will spark, but it won't burn. Anywho, there are some proven manufactures which I am going to return to. These are a crap shoot if what other people say on their reviews is correct.The bar should be soft enough to easily get shavings off of and obviously burn on spark. The one I received does not.Just test whatever you buy before you go into the field. Best of luck

If you need a tool that will help you to start a fire in an emergency situation, this is NOT the tool.I ordered this along with some other hiking gear because it was cheap and I wanted a fire starter just in case my lighter/matches weren't functioning. It would have been better to use the cash as tinder for a frictioning stick fire.The look and feel of the item is okay, but function wise, it would not do the job.The magnesium barely shaves off. It requires a ton of pressure to even get the smallest shavings, and your fingers are getting cut into by the tiny “saw” that is attached. Once you do get a small pile of magnesium, then the process of getting a good spark is nearly impossible. After attempting to get a fire started in my backyard for nearly an hour, I had to quit. My knuckles were bloody from trying to get a spark to hit the magnesium, and even when a spark hit, the magnesium would not light up. Finally, just to see if it was even real magnesium, I just took a lighter to the pile. After coaxing the magnesium with the LIGHTER, it finally burst into flames. No way would I be able to get any fire started in the dark and in the wild. If you are planning on purchasing an emergency fire starter, spend a little more cash to get something of decent value.

This is okay, haven't had to use it but have played with it a bit. The instructions that come with it (or more accurately, that do not come with it) make it tough to figure out how to use it if you've not used this kind of thing before.It's good for camping and for emergency / survival prep, but I've always used matches or propane lighters and had to email the manufacturer to clarify how it worked. Maybe just me, but could it hurt to include a 5-cent piece of paper showing how to use it? (Better than trying to figure it out when you really need it, in the dark and the rain...) Certainly a good price for this kind of thing.

I purchased this as an add on, just to qualify for free shipping. I never really intended to use this as a fire starter in case of an emergency.As far as the product goes, although I have never tried to start a fire outside with it, I have been striking it just for fun when the lights are all turned off. The starter works and is fully functional. In order to create enough force for the sparks to appear, you need to use about as much force as you'd use to light a match when you are holding the side that is far from the tip.Overall, if you are looking for something like this, I'd say you should go for it, it clearly worked for me and I am happy with my purchase.