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Light My Fire FireSteel Scout
Initial Report March 28, 2006
Tester's Information
Name: Liz Neely
Age: 37
Gender: Female
Height: 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m)
Weight: 145 lb (65.8 kg)
Email address: liz at armory dot com
Location: Santa Cruz, CA
Tester's Background:
I've been day hiking for many years, and started backpacking in 2005.
My hiking and backpacking has been primarily in the San Francisco Bay
Area of California, on well-marked trails, with occasional stream
crossings. I've been on five weekend backpacking trips, all in state
and national parks in the San Francisco Bay area. The temperatures I
encounter range from 25 F (4 C) to 75 F (24 C), the elevations are
between sea level and 3500 ft (1067 m), and my pack weight is between
30 to 35 lbs (13.6 to 15.9 kg).
Product Information:
Manufacturer: Light My Fire
Year of Manufacture: 2006
URL: http://www.light-my-fire.se/
Listed Weight: 1.8 oz (52 g) in packaging
Measured Weight: 1.9 oz (54 g) in packaging, 1 oz (28 g) without
packaging
Listed Size: 4.2 x 6.8 x .9 in (107 x 173 x 23 mm) in packaging
Measured Size: 4.2 x 6.8 x .9 in (107 x 173 x 23 mm) in
packaging; .9 x 3.1 x .8 in (23 x 79 x 20 mm) without packaging
Available Colors: Yellow, Green, Blue, Red, Oak
MSRP: Unknown
Product Description:
The FireSteel Scout is a fire starting device that allows the user to
start a fire without a match or lighter. According to the manufacturer,
it produces a 5500 F (3000 C) spark, will last for at least 3000
strikes, and will work in any weather and at any altitude.
The FireSteel consists of two parts: a stick of a metallic substance,
about 1.75 in (4.4 cm) in length, and slightly narrower than the
diameter of a pencil, topped by a plastic handle (the
manufacturer refers to this part as the "fire-starter"); and a flat
piece of metal about 2.75 in (7.0 cm) long and 1 in (2.5 cm) wide with
notches in one end of it (the manufacturer refers to this part as the
"striker"). These two parts are held together by a cord. The FireSteel
is used by pulling the notched end of the striker down the side of the
fire-starter,
creating a large spark.
Initial Impressions:
The FireSteel Scout arrived on March 22, 2006. It was packaged in a
plastic case (see the picture at the top of this report) which, much to
my
happy surprise, did not require scissors or a knife to open. The case
snaps open easily, and snaps closed securely. In
addition to the FireSteel itself, the case contained brief instructions
for using the product. The instructions were written in six different
languages, and included three small images depicting how to use the
product.
Upon initially trying to use the FireSteel, I had a little trouble
getting it started. The first step in the three-step instructions is to
remove the paint on the new fire-starter (the metallic stick). I
thought I had removed enough paint, but apparently not - it wouldn't
spark. So I removed a lot more paint and that did the trick. It made a
large spark and lit my kitchen stove easily. I
then decided to try to light a paper towel with it. After several tries
with no sparks, I reread the instructions and discovered that the part
of step two that told me to make sure the text on the striker was
facing up was important. After turning the striker over so the text was
facing up, I was able to create more sparks. I found that it took a
little planning to make sure the paper towel was near the edge of the
fire-starter, where the sparks would be, rather than underneath the
bottom of the fire-starter, which wasn't where the sparks occurred.
But, after figuring this out, the paper towel caught fire very nicely.
I think with a little practice, this will be a great device for
starting fires, however, it will take some planning to make sure the
sparks have something to ignite within sparking range.
Test Strategy:
I will test the FireSteel Scout in the Central California coastal and
inland
areas on backpacking trips as well as in my own kitchen and backyard. I
will also carry it with me in my purse and use it if/when other fire
starting opportunities come up. The elevations will range from sea
level to around 3500
ft (1067 m) and the temperatures will range from 45 to 65 F (7 to 18
C). If I have the opportunity, I will also try using it while I'm in
the Sierra Nevadas for a ski
trip, to see if the performance differs at a much higher elevation of
around 8000 ft (2438 m).
Ease of Use/Convenience:
How easy is it to start fires with the FireSteel, using various
flammable materials in various environments? Flammable materials will
include, at a minimum, paper, small bits of wood, fire starters, my
backpacking stove, and my kitchen stove and oven. Environments will
include varying temperatures and altitudes, as well as wet and windy
weather.
Durability:
How does the FireSteel hold up after using it for a while? Does it get
harder to make a spark? Does the handle get loose? Does anything else
show signs of wearing out in such a way as to make the product harder
to use?
Safety:
One of my concerns is whether this product can accidentally make a
spark while in my backpack or anywhere else I might be carrying it. I
plan to test this under controlled conditions, by packing it in a bag
or container with some flammable materials near it and shaking it and
tossing it around to see if it sparks.
My other safety concern is whether I will burn my fingers while using
this product. The two ways I can think of that this might happen is if
the spark is large enough to spark onto my fingers, or if the fire
starts so quickly from the spark that I can't move my hands away in
time to avoid being burned.
Thanks to BackpackGearTest.org
and Light My Fire for giving me the
opportunity
to test the FireSteel Scout.
Read more reviews of Light My Fire gear
Read more gear reviews by Liz Neely
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