TBS vs light my fire

[Suffolkrafter]

Hi everyone,
I've used and abused my ferro rod and I'm getting to the point of needing a new one. Has any one here used one of the TBS brand ferro rods? If so, are they any good? How do they compare to the swedish light my fire ones? I'd imagine there wouldn't be much in it but I'm curious to find out.
Cheers all

 

[JonathanD]

Light my Fire is the better, but Ray Mears version is the best of the lot. Cheaper too.

 

[Suffolkrafter]

Thanks, I'll take a look at the Ray Mears one, I hadn't thought of that

 

[Nice65]

Light my Fire is the better, but Ray Mears version is the best of the lot. Cheaper too.

Found my Light My Fire very hard metal. I like the softer mischmetal ones that make big sparkling globules the best.

 

[JonathanD]

Found my Light My Fire very hard metal. I like the softer mischmetal ones that make big sparkling globules the best.

Maybe they’ve changed, it’s been many years since I used a LMF.

[edit]Come to think of it, I think I did a review here on them when they changed

 

[Suffolkrafter]

I think the one I've got (only one I've ever had) is a light my fire. It does indeed take a bit of pressure to get sparks although I find it very effective. But not like all the YouTube vids where they waft a knife at it and the entire sun comes out the end of the thing. I'd quite like to try something different.

 

[JonathanD]

I only use about 10mm at the end, and the best performer has always been the RM one. It’s rare that I have to scrape it more than three times to get something lit.

 

[Nice65]

I’ve posted this vid before, but it’s a good education on firesteels. Doesn’t answer your question because it’s impossible to know which metal you get in your firesteel.

 

[Suffolkrafter]

That's a very good video, thanks for taking the time to post it. So it's all in the iron content really.

I only use about 10mm at the end,

Yes I tend to do the same, with thumb pressure on the scraper to start it off. I find it good for aiming at the tiny tinder piles that I invariably make.