Firesteel quality ???

[rapidboy]

I thought all the firesteels came from the same maker ?

The 2 at the top with the plastic handle's came from light my fire.
The 2 lower down and on the left came from Gary at Bearclaw (i added the wooden handle) and these appear to be exactly the same as the first two both in size and performance (but much cheaper so buy from the bear!).
The last one (black plastic handle and a saw blade striker came from evilbay and while it looks the same the performance is much poorer.
The finish is slightly rougher and when you strike it the sparks are less and smaller in size.
Anyone else have any experience of this steel or know anything about them ?
The ebay seller sent the item very quickly and there is no fault with the service but it's definitely not on a par with the other steel's.
It's not my problem as it was ordered for a mate and he choose to buy it on evilbay but im just wondering if this is the start of "fake" firesteels.

rb

 

[hedgepig]

I've been looking for firesteel blanks recently and came across this thread using the search function. It is interesting to note that the firesteel bought on ebay isn't the same as the others.

Has anyone any further insight or experience that they can share with this? I've come across a cheap supplier on Ebay, but I'm not too sure about it after reading Rapidboy's post.

 

[dwardo]

I can say with out doubt that the green handled sweedish jobbies re much better than the one i bought recently. I have found that some of the cheaper ones need the top layer removing every time which means more wear and more change of slipping..

 

[stevesteve]

At the moment I am using a red-handled cheapy from Millets, as I was trying it rather than sticking with a Bic lighter. It seems to work fine for me. How much better are the sweedish types?

Cheers,
Steve

 

[Arth]

Just brought one from BCUK, any good?

 

[hedgepig]

I can say with out doubt that the green handled sweedish jobbies re much better than the one i bought recently. I have found that some of the cheaper ones need the top layer removing every time which means more wear and more change of slipping..

That's interesting - at the last Woodsmoke "Woodlander" course one of the instructors said that the green handled ones were the best. The problem is that "best" can mean a lot of different things. It seems that from your experience the cheaper ones corrode faster.

I wonder is it possible to buy blanks that are made by the same company that make the Swedish army versions? I've come across a Chinese company that claims to make them for the Swedish, but I've also come across Ebay sellers saying "Genuine Swedish version, not a cheap Chinese knock-off". Difficult to know what the truth is here, but I suspect that some Ebay sellers are getting them from a Swedish source and don't realise that the Swedish supplier is getting them from China.

 

[crazyclimber]

also bought some blank ones from ebay, and although they do produce sparks they're not nearly as large or as hot as the ones with the plastic handles (light my fire?). Good for a bit mroe challenge though

 

[JohnC]

Is its firsts and seconds? I wondered if someone had bought a lot of second quality steels and were selling them off..

 

[mjk123]

I've also noticed that not all steels are the same. The group buy mini steels don't seem to produce such good sparks as the Swedish army sourced variant. That said, I thought that the swedish ones are anyway made in Austria. Ferrocerium is, after all, an Austrian invention.

 

[Porcupine]

i think the swedish version is a bit softer, might be all between the ears but for me the "original brand" seems to perform best.


that said, the cheaper versions i had all did what they had to do, light a fire.

 

[dwardo]

also bought some blank ones from ebay, and although they do produce sparks they're not nearly as large or as hot as the ones with the plastic handles (light my fire?). Good for a bit mroe challenge though

I have been using one of the cheaper ones recently and used it on both downey birch and Feather sticks and they do work but they seem like a lot more work . I had a sweedish green handled jobby and it was a lot less work.... Should not have gone and lost it should i

 

[Ogri the trog]

I had been reading through this thread and thinking that there surely couldn't be that much difference, as a firesteel is a firesteel, isn't it?
Then, this morning, I was having a fiddle about in the garden trying to light some feather sticks using one of a set of five I got in a group buy over on BB a while ago. Now it might be my technique, but all I got was shavings of bright metal - reached for my trusty LMF "Firesteel" branded one, and it all lit up in a flash, including all the shavings of the lesser steel.
I'm guessing that I'll be on the lookout for a few more LMF items.

Ogri the trog

 

[crazyclimber]

Ogri, I found exactly the same a few weeks back. Firesticks also... big bulky 'army' sized ebay firesteel produced sparks but I couldn't light them. Actually I thought I'd lost the knack - out of practice! Pulled out the small LMF one tho and hey presto, couple strikes later I have fire!
The upside is that I reckon the eBay ones seem harder so will prob last longer

 

[Ogri the trog]

The upside is that I reckon the eBay ones seem harder so will prob last longer

That won't be any good if they last for ages in your cold and shivering hands - I think I'd rather buy the expensive, softer ones and be better assured of getting my fire to light

ATB

Ogro the trog

 

[crazyclimber]

true!!!

 

[Jackel]

I had been reading through this thread and thinking that there surely couldn't be that much difference, as a firesteel is a firesteel, isn't it?
Then, this morning, I was having a fiddle about in the garden trying to light some feather sticks using one of a set of five I got in a group buy over on BB a while ago. Now it might be my technique, but all I got was shavings of bright metal - reached for my trusty LMF "Firesteel" branded one, and it all lit up in a flash, including all the shavings of the lesser steel.
I'm guessing that I'll be on the lookout for a few more LMF items.

Ogri the trog

Hmmm as I guess you got them from me I never had a problem with them lighting stuff

 

[rapidboy]

Aye there certainly is a difference in them, obviously your technique and striker are important but i have tested different steels at the same time with the same striker (Mora with spine ground square) - some yiu get a great shower of sparks from that burn after they land and others you get less sparks and they don't burn as long.

 

[Ogri the trog]

Hmmm as I guess you got them from me I never had a problem with them lighting stuff

Sorry Jackel, it wasn't meant as a criticism, just that I had trouble igniting feather sticks which can be temperamental at the best of times - they work fine with charcloth and fungi tinders.

ATB

Ogri the trog

 

[Prophecy]

There's definately a difference in Firesteel performance.

From my experience...

Evilbay ones - pretty poor.

Light My Fire Scout Model - Good.

Light My Fire Swedish Army Model - Excellent. (Black Handle)

Don't know why there's a difference, and as you say, you would think they are all the same material. But only light pressure is needed to get a 'shower' of sparks of the Swedish Army Model.

RB - I never thought there were such things as 'fake' firesteels or copies, but just crap/cheap models!

 

[myotis]

There's definately a difference in Firesteel performance.

Light My Fire Swedish Army Model - Excellent. (Black Handle)

As you specify the black handle, what are the green handled ones. I thought I had bought a Light My Fire Swedish Army model, but it has a green handle.

A brief search around seems to show they come as either the Scout model (red handle) or black handle (Army model).

Graham