Unknown Swedish Firesteel

Jake
Reviewed: 19 December 2008

UNLEASH YOUR INNER RAY MEARS

Nothing to go wrong
Totally reliable
Less weight than a decent gas lighter (Scout version)
Fun

There is a knack to using it
Not as versatile as a lighter or matches

I must admit that I was drawn to this for a bit of fun - using a flint and steel to light my gas stove somehow makes my UK wild camp seem a bit more like bivvying in the African bush a la Mears.

However, novelty value aside, it is a surprisingly practical and effective item. I had an expensive gas turbo lighter fail in the field for no apparent reason and, had I not had a few waterproof matches in my first aid kit, would have been dining off cold boil-in-the-bag (not pleasant). A firesteel simply cannot go wrong. It can't run out of fuel, the cold won't stop the gas vaporising, the flint won't break, a matchstick can't snap; you can even drop the thing in a river and it still works.

There is a knack to using one but that is easily learned. Once you get the hang of it, it is as easy to use as a gas lighter or a match.

Bear in mind that a flame is more versatile; if you need to sterilise a needle to lance a blister, a firesteel is not that useful, so I still have a few matches in my first aid kit.

Overall, a great bit of kit. Well worth a few grammes of anyone's pack weight and utterly reliable.

kris
Reviewed: 22 October 2007

VERY FUN

good fun and realy tries your patience

my first one snapped

excellent piece of kit and good at entertaining little kids

Ioan Jones
Reviewed: 21 October 2007

LOVE IT

Good shower of hot sparks, reliable

need to know how to use it

Does what it's supposed to really. I keep a small scout one (Light My Fire) on my keyring, just in case. You do need to practice firelighting with it; getting a decent tinder and producing a good shower of sparks in the right place. It lasts a long time though, it's not going to break or run out of fuel, and it'll work as well soaked as it will dry. A good quality dependable piece of kit.

Ben Palmer
Reviewed: 03 October 2005

A VERY COOL WAY TO START A FIRE!

Simple and effective if you know what you are doing.

If you don't know what you are doing this could lead to a false sense of security...

Good piece of kit. Put one on your keyring!

Dave Delany
Reviewed: 25 January 2004

Excellent piece of equipment

No working parts
Lightweight
robust

Needs a little practice to work effectively

If you're lighting your stove or starting a fire from scratch, the swedish firesteel is the modern equivalent to the old "Flint & Steel" that was used for around 300 years befor matches were invented. There are 2 models, the military firesteel which is the large one, and the scout that is smaller. I carry one everywhere and I have never failed to light a fire.