I've been using a firesteel for about 8 or 9 months now. when I started I could not light much more than cotton wool, I have found what I use as a striker has a huge difference the spine of one knife I have is almost useless (I even took a dremmel to the spine to try and get a better edge) yet I have a leatherman multi tool with a broken blade and the spine on that is excellent it can light newspaper with no shredding.
One small point that I have not seen mentioned yet is the surface area that the striker travels down to generate sparks. For me now my firesteel is no longer round I get a better shower of sparks due to the larger surface area being in contact with the striker.
One small point that I have not seen mentioned yet is the surface area that the striker travels down to generate sparks. For me now my firesteel is no longer round I get a better shower of sparks due to the larger surface area being in contact with the striker.