SharpSurvival Spark Fire Starter Kit - Magnesium Ferro Rod Fire Starter Kit with Compass and Whistle - Emergency Fire Starter Survival Multitool for Camping, Hiking, Hunting and more

I don't normally use a firestarter, opting instead to include a fresh Bic in my bag in case the normal one I use runs out of fluid when needed. I purchased this more out of curiosity than anything as I haven't used one since I was in the Scouts.It took a bit of work to remove the coating, but once removed I was treated to a pretty impressive spark. I was able to catch a small amount of dry grass on fire without needing to scrape off any of the magnesium which is definitely a bonus since this is more of a last ditch item in my bag.The included lanyard is appreciated as well, since it allowed me to secure it within my bag without having to worry about things getting too spread out.The included compass seems to work pretty well, judging by the orientation of my home but it required me to tap on it a few times. I won't knock off any of the rating for that as I had honestly forgotten it was included on the device until I received it.The whistle took a bit to figure out but it was loud enough I'm worried that I may have irked the neighbors when I got it to work at around 11pm.Mostly what I appreciate is the fact that the seller e-mailed me with instructions before I received it and the instructions included stated pretty much the same thing. Little stuff like that is definitely something that I appreciate from sellers as often the process of purchasing on Amazon feels quite impersonal.I'd recommend it to anyone who needs a firestarter for whatever reason. It takes up virtually no bag space and works amazingly well.

I'll keep this brief, because this is all you need to know......first, this wonderful ferro rod with a built in compass and emergency whistle. It also has a striker that doubles as a mini hacksaw blade. Alot of cool options for the very fair price point! All can be useful in certain situations.....however, I digress....I bought this strictly for the high quality spark striking machine that it is! The rod is longer than most other ones that are comparable and the grip is very nice, giving confidence that I can place a hot spark into the tinder with ease, get that fire roaring! Seriously, I own a few different brands, tried several over the years and this is probably my favorite so far. Great product for the money. It just works. Don't mess around with inferior magnesium when your life and health could be dependent on getting a fire started....you can't go wrong with survival sparks! Works everytime. Don't take my word for it though....Get yourself one and find out! Great product. Highly recommend and will purchase again for a backup, as well as gifts for family and friends.

I am more interested in the primary function of starting fires - for this it works very well. I get a nice shower of sparks and the more the better. I really, really like the substantial size of it - my arthritic hands can get a good hold on it. smaller ones are difficult for me to use.the compass is marginally useful - it is small and has to be held very close to level for it to work at all. I can't imagine trying to walk and read it at the same time, but to get coarse bearings it will suffice.the whistle is pointless. it sounds like a wheezy old cat, no musical note at all.so, i think that if what you're about is starting a fire, this is good - but the compass and whistle will disappoint. Despite the negatives I like it and am going to keep it and enjoy using it.

I am to the point in my quest for survival gear that when I see anything with a "compass included" I almost automatically count it off as Chinese novelty junk. (Almost always) until I stumbled across this spark stick with nearly a 5 star rating and over 1000 customer reviews. Customer reviews are a valuable indicator of product quality. Here's the deal: As far as add on compasses go, this one is pretty good (I have seen little add-on compasses that are absolutely useless) but this one will keep you headed in the direction you want to go. The whistle is a little tricky to figure out, but with practice you can make it scream.The most important point of this review is the fire starter itself. If you don't know how to use it you will scrape out sparks until your arm falls off without starting a fire (unless you get really, really, really lucky). So, the key is to gather your dry tinder into a small pile, then use the saw tooth part of the scraper to shave off the magnesium (off the stick) on to the top of the tinder pile. Concentrate on getting the magnesium dust to land nearly in one spot (on top of a leaf, for example) and be generous... then use the flat side to scrape the spark rod toward the magnesium in the tinder pile. It may take practice, but it will light dry tinder. Make sure you have twigs and larger wood on hand to build your fire!This is a cool addition to any survival/emergency kit. Seriously, If you get lost in the woods you want this, a bottle of water and a knife to survive.