POLYSTRIKER

Wow. This one really throws a spark. Easy to use. I didn't even realize the striker came inside the handle until I saw the instructions. I was using my knife...which does throw a better, bigger spark. Striker does work well, though. Best ferro rod I have used so far...well worth the money considering how horribly other brands work, or don' work.

This is an excellent small/pocket firestarter. Generates excellent sparks w/ enough heat to catch tender on fire in one or two strokes. Because of the small size of the striker and short length of the rod you have to be very particular with the angle of contact, that is just the trade-off for a small firestarter. If you have a knife or other tool to use as a striker, then making sparks is much easier.

A well made ferro rod, but the striker is just too small. Make sure you have something to use as a striker if you buy this ferro rod.

It's definitely small and lightweight, but it's too small and lightweight. Of course it's better than nothing but this is the hardest to use fire rod you will ever find. With other larger rods you can easily shower the ground with sparks but this one is definitely more challenging. The striker is too small, the rod is too short, and the rod is so thin you're afraid of breaking it. Rather than this I would suggest one of Exotac's other products, like the Exotac fireROD Ferrocerium Fire Starter, Black .

I've moved to ultralight backpacking. I have an Armaggeddon fire steel that's simply one of the best on the market but it's nearly 4 oz; this one is right around an ounce; less once i changed the lanyard to some lash-it 1.75mm cord. What I like about this is that's about as light weight and small as I'd like to go while still working well. It does a good job throwing sparks. I have another product from this same company called a nano-striker; it looks cool and is small but it's so small that it's actually tricky to throw sparks with it in a consistent manner; I gave it to my son and got/use this one instead. It's about perfect for ultralight backpacking. Carry a small plastic bag with some cottonballs that have been wiped in vasoline and you have the ultimate fire starting kit that weights close ot an ounce. Gideon

About the same price as a Swedish Firesteel, but much better performance. Where a firesteel sheds sparks, a "ferro" rod (ferrocerium like the polystriker) sheds tiny globs of burning metal. The difference is significant. Starting a fire with a firesteel isn't that hard, but doing so with a ferro rod is easy, even when the tinder is less than ideal. The only downside is that ferro rods need replacing more often than firesteel. A firesteel will give you about 12k strikes compared to about 1.5k from a ferro of similar size. Even though I use fewer strikes of the ferro than I would a firesteel, the firesteel still wins on longevity. Overall, I'll still take a ferro rod over a firesteel any day -- 1,500 strikes is a lot of fires, and they are still pretty cheap to replace when needed.

The rod slid out of the plastic very hard to use now Slide out first time using that's why only 2 stars

Backpackers know that every little thing you take along triples in weight the longer you go! This little Polystiker works exceedingly well for its small size. I'm and Eagle Scout, and Scout Leader. You can trust this. I like the orange color also. Easy to find.