Aurora Magnesium Fire Starter

[jimfbte]

I just ordered an Aurora Magnesium Fire Starter.

Someone had a bright idea of incorporating mangesium with a firesteel mixture to create a rod. Scraping the rod not only creates sparks, but the magnesium mixed in ensures the spark lasts much longer. This allows you to ignite tinder, such as a cotton ball, directly.

Sounds like the first major improvement over the traditional Swedish Firesteel.

I'll give a better report when I receive and test it.

Video at http://site.soloscientific.com/Auroravideopage.html

Found it at this shop. http://www.soloscientific.com/aurora-fire-starter1.html

I am not connected with the shop, nor an employee, etc. etc.

Jim FBtE

 

[British Red]

Interesting. "firesteels" are basically mischmetal and many of the blends already contain a proportion of magnesium. However its magnesium oxide rather than unoxidised magnesium such as you seem to suggest.

Any firesteel (ferrocerium rod) will ignite tinder (even wood let alone cotton wool) if used correctly. The video shows nothing I can't do with a $3 rod?

Bit confused whats new here other than a nice looking container

Red

 

[John Fenna]

I cannot see anything new here!?
Looks and seems to perform like a standard Firesteel.......

 

[Greg]

Same results different firesteel that's all!

 

[andy_e]

I've had something similar for a while, the rod is much softer and can be shaved easily. The sparks thrown are brighter and last a lot longer - down-side is the rods wear down faster.

I got mine from ...

http://www.a-finlay-primitive-crafts.co.uk/firesteel_rods.html

.. after seeing one perform.

 

[C_Claycomb]

I don't doubt that it works, but I would be put off buying something that is as badly and inacurrately described. It reads like sales speak rather than genuine product information. In fact, having looked at the rest of the site I would be very cautious about buying anything from them. That stove thing for instance is exactly the same as all the other Chinese import picnic stoves you can pick up in hardware stores.

Product Description
The Aurora Fire Starter (Patent Pending) is rugged and designed for the outdoors enthusiast. The Aurora Fire Starter uses a large 1/4" diameter composite flint steel rod that has magnesium built into it. Has a guided built in striking blade (no need to dull your expensive hunting knife) that maximizes the sparks and insures the ignition of any suitable fire starting material. The Aurora Fire Starter is designed to function wet or dry and is made from corrosion resistant high strength materials (no plastic!). The Aurora Fire Starter has an overall length of 3.5", weighs 1/10th of a pound, and can be attached to your key ring so it is always there when you need it. The Aurora Fire Starter is made in the USA and is designed to last a life time (click below or left to watch the video).

Being pedantic but...

• The rod is neither flint, nor steel, nor has either material in its make up.
• It does not have magnesium built in, it has magnesium as part of its alloy make up, though given the rest of the discription I wouldn't be surprised if it wasn't magnesium oxide.
• You only dull your hunting knife if you don't know any better than to use the cutting edge.
• Suitable fire starting material = tinder...why use one word when you can sound good by using four.
• Ferrocerium rods are anything but corrosion resistant, you can't have the pyrophoric effect without it being reactive and hence easily corroded. If the housing is made of aluminum why not say so.
• If you use it as intended it won't last anything like a lifetime, you will wear it out long before that.

 

[ilovemybed]

If you like the idea of using magnesium and a firesteel, perhaps this would be better?

http://www.hotofftheshelf.com.au/survival.shtml

It's basically a firesteel and a lump of magnesium, epoxied to a bit of wood.
The idea is that you can shave curls of wood off the 'handle', then scrape some magnesium into the pile of shavings before then igniting both with the firesteel.

When I worked in a camping shop we had a demo one, which helped pass the time when noone came in. It seemed to do what it claims. Not sure whether it really gives you much of an advantage over skilled use of a firesteel, but might just add that little bit of required brute force and ignorance for lighting fires quickly when you're not working at your best...

 

[decorum]

If it works it works and It's about the same price as a Swedish Fire steel.
Having said that it will be heavier and I strongly suspect that using the knurled body as shown in the video will wear the rod down very quickly.
My overall thought is that the 'inventor' has taken a very simple, tried and tested (and more importantly, trusted), tool and turned it into a gadget which, to me, looks as if it will be less efficient.
The blurb does seem to be written by someone trying to 'up' the product. The descriptive 'Has a guided built in striking blade' is dire - it isn't a blade and the only thing that giudes it is your hand. And (now being pedantic) 'insures the ignition of any suitable fire starting material' - does it give you a policy each time you strike sparks from it?
Putting those negatives aside I'd still like to know how, when used, it compares to a traditional type of fire steel.

 

[rancid badger]

I just ordered an Aurora Magnesium Fire Starter.

Someone had a bright idea of incorporating mangesium with a firesteel mixture to create a rod. Scraping the rod not only creates sparks, but the magnesium mixed in ensures the spark lasts much longer. This allows you to ignite tinder, such as a cotton ball, directly.

Sounds like the first major improvement over the traditional Swedish Firesteel.

I'll give a better report when I receive and test it.

Video at http://site.soloscientific.com/Auroravideopage.html

Found it at this shop. http://www.soloscientific.com/aurora-fire-starter1.html

I am not connected with the shop, nor an employee, etc. etc.

Jim FBtE

Sorry Jim but, to be honest, We use standard firesteels with dry cotton balls, as our most basic introduction to making fire with sparks, here at Chopwell Woodland Park in the UK.

We use this method with children as young as five years old, because it's pretty much "fool proof" and guarantees a flame.
(EDIT: just to be clear; we DON'T use 5 year old's as tinder! )

I must admit I quite like the look of the thing I could imagine them being sold in "the Gadget Shop" over here.
It may not do anything new but it looks a lot different to what I'm used to seeing normally.

Good luck with it and let us know how you get on.

Best wishes
R.B.

 

[jimfbte]

Thanks for all the insightful comments.

What I'm curious about is whether the addition of magnesium mixed in does indeed make the spark last longer, therefore increasing the chances of igniting the tinder.

I've used the magnesium block with attached ferrocerium rod before and found it a bother to shave bits of magnesium off the block and have them scatter with an errant breeze.

I'll let you know if I wasted my money when the rod arrives. What I'll do is compare the ease of fire-starting with it vs a standard ferrocerium rod.

I guess I'm just an optimist <grin>.

Cheers,

Jim FBtE

 

[jimfbte]

I just ordered an Aurora Magnesium Fire Starter.

Someone had a bright idea of incorporating mangesium with a firesteel mixture to create a rod. Scraping the rod not only creates sparks, but the magnesium mixed in ensures the spark lasts much longer. This allows you to ignite tinder, such as a cotton ball, directly.

Sounds like the first major improvement over the traditional Swedish Firesteel.

I'll give a better report when I receive and test it.

Video at http://site.soloscientific.com/Auroravideopage.html

Found it at this shop. http://www.soloscientific.com/aurora-fire-starter1.html

I am not connected with the shop, nor an employee, etc. etc.

Jim FBtE

================

My thanks to all who replied, pointing out that there seems to be no difference between this product and the "normal" firsteel.

I received the Aurora a few days ago and tested it. To be honest, I found no difference bertween it and the standard firesteel. Both produced strong sparks that ignited a cotton ball easily.

The only advantage is the neat, but heavy (1.7 oz, 48 g) aluminum case that protects the rod and drpovides a built-in scraper. However, at a cost of approx 19 usd, 10 bp.

Lesson learned <grin>

Jim FBtE

 

[decorum]

Hi jim,

There's nowt wrong with taking a chance. Despite what many of us posted, it could have been a gem of a find. As it's about the same price as a 'standard' Swedish Army firesteel (In the UK) and has a comparable strike you've not really lost out. Can you strike matches off of it?
Because of the possibility of this happening I'd be very careful of storing it wet/damp :yikes: .

 

[Brangdon]

To be honest, I found no difference bertween it and the standard firesteel. Both produced strong sparks that ignited a cotton ball easily.

Isn't that missing the point? I thought the benefit of Aurora was supposed to be on lighting marginal tinder. For example, it's supposed to light ordinary printer paper. I've heard of people doing that with a standard ferro rod, but I've always had to scrape the paper with a knife to get it fine enough to ignite with a spark. With good tinder under ideal conditions, a ferro rod will also work, and Aurora can't do much better.

(I don't have one myself so I don't know what they are actually like. They were mentioned recently on ETS, which prompted me to search and dig up this old thread. The ETS comments were more favourable.)

 

[sandbender]

Whatever the benefits (if any) of the Aurora, if you decide to buy one, these folks make a nice pouch for it...

http://www.hedgehogleatherworks.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=170

However at $60 I think I'll stick with the Swedish Army model.