Heavy Duty Rod

Wonderful item! I used this camping and lit my starter material with ease. I really got some nice flaky sparks that shower down onto whatever you're using for starter material. It's not magical, if you're trying to start small sticks or bigger material it's going to be difficult, but any kind of shavings or easy to light material, this thing will set it alight with ease.

So, some years back, getting a bit into woodcraft and the outdoors, I bought one of those gimmick "Bear Grylls" knives (yes, I know, live and learn, haha) and, while the included ferro rod was a cool idea, it was rather useless, being quite small and not generating much spark, at all.Since then, learning more, I've opted to try various dedicated ferro rod/striker set ups, instead of some version tossed into a bundle of other so-called "survival" items. It just seems a very reliable means of making a fire, as opposed to even waterproofed matches, lighters that can run out of fuel, etc.No, I don't live outdoors, or face survival needs at my office, lol, so, no, it's not a life and death thing, by any means, but, as I say, getting into the outdoors, it seemed a practical skill to learn, and a practical tool to have on hand for the most basic need of being able to make fire.I learned about the various compounds used, and went for a European made kit, and it strikes fairly well. I also bought a few China made kits, with so-so results.Now, I know this is manufactured in China, but whatever factory they are using under whatever agreement is producing a top notch product here, for an excellent price! It is superior to my European made kit, producing far more spark.Bottom line, this is a real world fire starting tool. The amount of spark is more than needed to light any kind of decent tinder. I came across Pyro Puddy here on Amazon, and, in combo with this rod and striker, you could get a fire going in almost any condition. I can also successfully light fat wood shavings, easily, as well as just basic wood shavings, or, as I say, any practical tinder.Only drawback is the heavy coating on the rod, which takes a bit of work to remove. I finally used a sanding file to get down to the actual striking surface and, once fully exposed, it is spark heaven. The striker itself is excellent. Yes, it is not a particularly beautiful set up, haha, but, again, a lot of the kits made to look nice aren't as functional. As I say, this is a tool. It performs as such. This is also much larger that other options, so, more spark, and longer lasting rod, plus more surface from which to generate spark.I am incredibly pleased, and it is a valued part of my camping or hiking pack now. I like it so much that I even use it to light the fires in my fireplace! It's just fun and rewarding to be able to "make fire" this way.So, yes, very highly recommend this product! For a novice, intermediate, or expert, this one gets it done.Five stars! Thanks for reading, and I hope this helps in your search for a good ferro rod. :)

It’s a ferro rod with a premade paracord lanyard and striker. Considering the rod by itself is like $10, paying an extra $5-6 for the lanyard and striker is an excellent value. Be advised if this is your first time using one of these that you will not generate sparks unless you first scrape off the protective paint coating. I used sandpaper to take it off. Since the exposed material is more susceptible to rust, I store it in a small ziplock bag in my pack. Works well and generates abundant sparks.

I was going to try to save a few bucks on a ferro rod alone and drill a hole and tie some paracord myself. Then I found this and saw that it already had both in just the size I was wanting, at the same price as what it would have cost for me to buy separately. So, it was a no brainer. The rod sparks great. Even my 14 year old nephew, who'd never used a firestick before, got a fire going within just a few tries, once I told him he had to scratch off the black coating first anyway. This is probably the harder type of ferro rod, which doesn't spark quite as much as the softer rods, but will last longer and at present is a LOT cheaper. The price is the main reason I suspect it's the harder variety though. I really don't know with any absolute. I doubt I've ever even used the softer stuff at 40 bucks a stick. This is worlds easier than those cheap, small flint sets we used in scouts though.I'd still recommend striking it off the back of a knife over the included striker. It's nice that there's a striker attached that you can't lose, in case you don't have a knife handy, but the spine of a knife is much easier to control IMO, as long as it doesn't have a thick protective coating that dulls the edges too much. You need a sharp 90 degree angle to effectively create big sparks. Of course you can always file down the finish on the knife's spine a bit, or, as many people seem to like to do with the BK2, strip the black coating completely and either polish the blade or put their own unique forced patina on it.At 15 dollars or less, I'd speculate that this might be the best ferro rod option going on amazon, unless you don't want the paracord, which I find useful not only in making sure I don't lose the striker, should I for some reason not have a knife, but it also gives you a little something extra to hold onto.