Gerber Fire Starter [31-000699]

[UPDATE] My problems with the firesteel were in fact, due to my own lack of knowledge. The striker part of the firesteel will work just fine, it's the way you hold it that matters. The top part of the blade should be facing AWAY from you, not TOWARD you. If you hold it with the top facing away from you, then the striker will produce a very nice shower of sparks, which is great because I'm not quite sure what kind of long term damage would be done to a knife if you consistently use it to produce sparks, but it certainly looks like it would do some damage. Because it was my own fault I had problems, this product gets a 5 of 5 for being a flawless firesteel. I wish they'd include some tip like that with the product because new users obviously have problems with it judging from my original review and other reviewers. It's an excellent product, I would definitely recommend it. I've left my original review below so you can see what else is good about this product. This is a decent firesteel, and my problem with it may be due to my own lack of skill with starting fires. First off, I like the build quality, everything feels solid and well put together. I also love the way it all snaps closed into a compact tube. The cotton inside the small storage space was perfect for starting a fire, and I'll be repacking it as soon as I get more cotton balls. The problem with it not producing sparks until you scrape off the black coating is minor, I used my knife and had it off and producing large showers of sparks in no time. This does, however, expose the big problem: the striker doesn't seem to want to produce sparks. Whether it's too dull, or I'm just using it wrong, I can't get it to spark using the striker. I can, however, get a huge shower of sparks when I use either of my knives. The whistle is neat, never know when you might need one, and I like both the pocket survival guide, and how the firesteel has useful signals printed on it. It's nice to have those, Gerber definitely hit a homerun there. The lanyard kind of ticks me off though because it seems to be twisted just due to the way the cap closes. Still, it's a good product, and if I had to buy it again knowing what I know about it now, I think I still would.

This works and sparked almost immediately. It's been a long time since I've seen a product, which goes WAY above and beyond; than just giving you what you've ordered. For me this is a FABULOUS product. The rod and striker goes together with a rubber washer to keep water, dust out. But that isn't why I love this. They have included a very compact, folded guide. An the title is a real gem, "So you're in a spot of trouble." A very personal message. It details information on determining direction, collecting water, snares/traps, knots, fire starting, shelter, signaling and a ruler in centimeter and inches. So much information so copy it, have spares and I really hope you do this. But No There's More - They've made little diagrams (but easy to read) - 'what position to take if a plane flies overhead, SOS and Alpine Rescue Signal - ON THE CASE. Oh and the lanyard is OK but I'm going to replace it with a weaved paracord; cause you can never have enough paracord. Anyway, I totally understand if it doesn't fit your needs or you're looking for something else. As you can expect, I definitely recommend this and will definitely purchase more.

The first part of the review: the fire starter: In short, the firestarter worked great. Plenty of sparks, hot enough to start even a small amount of dry tinder. Had my tinder smoldering after one flick of the bar. You can tell, however, how much of the material is worn away with every strike, so I wouldn't consider this a long-term firestarting tool (but what tool can you say that about?) but it's definitely something I'll keep in my pack. The second part, the strap: At first I didn't care for how the strap was designed, which basically goes completely through each endcap. It gives you really three lengths to grab on to... two (one each side of) the whistle, and the other one being the piece between the endcaps, without the whistle. After playing around with it, and twisting the one endcap, I realized I could create some decent string "patterns" if you will. In the end, it's a strap. I did notice that one of the end caps pops off (more on that later), but the other end of the tool is not removable, so there's no disconnecting that, unless the strap is cut completely. The whistle: It's a small plastic whistle. For it's size, it sure packs a decent volume of ear-splitting rescue goodness. No complaints there for now, hopefully it's durable enough to withstand a drop or two. One thing I really didn't like is that the end cap that is removable just pops off. There's no twisting or unscrewing involved. It's a pretty tight fit, but I can see a moderate bang (ie dropping it) and that cap might be pop off. The good news is that the cap that is removable has a length of the strap that fits through it, but the down side to that is, the striking bar (not the metal piece, but the "flint" piece) is not permanently attached to anything. If the end cap pops off, and the metal and flint pieces separate, you just lost your "flint". I think having a screw-off cap, or even something that would allow the strap to go through all parts of the tool would have been better. The cap itself came with a little wad of tinder (looks like a cotton ball), which is good. The cavity in which that fits is empty, with a little bit of room for maybe 2-3 more cotton balls, or an equivalent amount of tinder. I know the inside of that is used to hold the "flint", but if it was large enough to say, hold standard matchbox matches, that would have been a bonus. There's nothing like having a firemaking tool that has room to hold other firemaking tools! (Especially if it's waterproof, but I don't know that for sure yet.) One last thought, the tool is mostly a dary gray color with an orange gasket and small print. I think having the tool be a brighter color in general would have been better. We're not looking for camouflage, but rather being able to find your tool if you dropped it in a puddle or in some muck. In the end, for the price, I'm extremely happy with this tool. I wouldn't have paid $20 for it, but the $9 (with free shipping -- thanks to Amazon prime) was a very good price to pay.

This is a great fire starter. Very rugged and tough exterior case which protects the ferrocerium rod and metal striker. Plus the case is water proof and sealed up very tight. This is a nice size and it will fit in any pocket or bag. Gotta hand it to Bear and Gerber, they got this one right on the money. This is also so much easier to hold than those other tiny firesteels that just barely fit between two fingers. No, you wrap your hand around this thing and start blazing. You do need to scrape off the outer coating on the rod first. No biggie there. The lanyard is somewhat smaller but I'm not sure why you would wear this, or any survival gear for that matter, around your neck. Just stow it and go. Emergency whistle is nice feature but not the reason I bought this anyway. Cotton ball that comes with it is tiny but will work in a pinch if you spread it out first. There is basically enough space to stuff probably only one cotton ball but then most fire starters don't have that feature period. It's water proof and sealed nice so your tinder stays dry. You access the cotton ball by pulling on the two ends of the lanyard and it pops off. Basic alpine rescue signals and sos instructions are printed on the case. Tried it out and man this thing produces really big sparks. Much better than my magnesium fire starter. What's also nice is the Priorities of Survival, a pocket guide written by Bear that you get. Pretty informative and concentrated down to just some basic survival skills, but it does have illustrations which is cool. It's tiny and will fit anywhere. You got to like it when you get a bunch of well thought out extras with what is basically a very nicely engineered fire starter. Nice job Gerber. Shipping was super fast. No problems with the package or the product. For what it's worth, Walmart now carries this same survival series from Bear.

Honestly I was wasn't expecting much when I ordered this. The Bear Grylls branding made me roll my eyes but as I like to see things for myself (and some other BG series things are quite nice) and it was only 10 bucks I decided what the hell. It impresses the hell out of me. I have two other firesteels, the Light My Fire Army model and the Blastmatch; this steel lights tinder better than either. The LMF steel throws an impressive shower but the sparks are fairly small and short lived. The Gerber model throws fewer but they seem to be "chunks" that catch on their way off the rod and then remain lit once they hit the tinder for a second or two. These light imperfect tinder much better than the LMF or Blastmatch. Using something like cotton balls you can't tell the difference but using the most common tinder in my area (palmetto husk from the base of the plant) the light rate is much better with the Gerber than either of the other steels. I like the two piece design of the Gerber, it is larger than the LMF or Blastmatch but carries well around a neck lanyard and gives much better purchase when grabbed. As far as downsides, the lanyard that comes with it sucks. Took all of 2 minutes to replace this with paracord long enough for it to go around the neck, easily fixed. It's not as small as other steels. Honestly that's about it. Short summary Pro's -Cheaper than many of the comparable steels from LMF, Gobspark or Blastmatch -Comparable longevity, ferro rod diameter is similar to many models -Design allows for good grip and watertight storage in cap -Excellent striker that throws good long burning sparks from the ferro rod -Watertight storage that could be used for a small hook and line, pills or other things instead of a cotton ball if you were so inclined -Available at most large chain stores if you need to replace a lost one quickly Cons -Cheap, short lanyard. Easily remedied -Larger than many other steels

Having been something of a Gerber fan for life with their multitools (I've had the same model on my hip daily for the past 8 years), seeing that they partnered with Bear to create a line of survival tools automatically sealed the deal on this firestarter. The beautiful thing about this device is that it's compact, sturdy, watertight and most of all keeps your hands safe and comfortable when trying to get a fire going. Everything else--from the printed SOS/Air rescue instructions printed on the outside to the tight little space for tinder in the cap and the added whistle is just icing on the cake. There's little else to be said other than what others have already pointed out, but I would like to add just a few more. * I managed to cram another four cotton balls into the cap, providing me with tinder for quite some time. * The complaints in other reviews about the lack of a longer cord to wear the device around the neck should be taken with the device's weight in mind--while not heavy in the hand, I certainly wouldn't want this thing thumping on my chest all day as I walked around--it definitely isn't light when it comes to your sternum. It's ideally suited to shove into your coat or pants pocket, ready to go in moments. * When you first use the striker against the ferrocerium rod, don't be discouraged it isn't sparking--the black coat around the rod needs to be stripped away to get at the metal to create the spark--a few good strikes against it and your intital attempt will yield results in a matter of seconds. * The guide incidentally has a few touches all its own: the side is printed with a 10-inch measurement and even suggests using the guide as an impromptu dewcatcher for drinking water if the situation calls for it. Nothing about this device or survival guide is wasted.

The quality of this product is amazing. The flint rod is very thick, and the striker is heavy duty as well. The size of the handles makes it easy to keep a tight grip when striking, and the flint rod puts of thick sparks that burn for bit after they land with a good strike. The product is high quality and very durable. I see people complain about the overall size of the product, but I don't see the problem. I don't walk around with fire steel in my pocket all day, or on my keys. This product fits in any pocket or in any bag, and I find small fire starters difficult to use when trying to actually start a pile of tinder instead of just striking them into the air on a YouTube video while complaining about minor details. I was demonstrating this fire starter for a friend, and put some firecord (standard paracord with a resin soaked cotton core strand that fluffs up when removed) into a small pile of leaves and sticks and the sparks from this device are so thick that when I went to start the cord the spark just ignited a leaf directly. For $10 this is best fire starter you can have in your bag. Especially since as survival gear these are to be used if your matches and lighter have both already failed.

I'm reluctant to only give this 3 stars because I am a first-time user of any of these "fire starter" devices. AND, I CAN ONLY GIVE MY REVIEW ON THIS PARTICULAR Gerber Bear Grylls Fire Starter. Unfortunately, I was under the impression that this would easily provide a significant amount of falling hot sparks. Generally, I research the crap out of everything that might save my life in the wilderness (even if I'm an infrequent hiker/camper). But, this time I relied on the Bear Grylls name. So, just now I returned this item in hopes of finding a better one (at almost any cost, just to see how a quality one would perform). Here's my findings on this item (Preface: I'm an engineer and mechanic for more than 30 years). So, my first impression is that I even though I could get a good spark with some good grip, I can't imagine my girlfriend (not a tiny girl) getting anywhere near the amount of high-energy spark. Even with my significant effort (and, I did learn that the black coating needed to come off), I STILL did not get anything close to what I expected with spark emission...THAT'S #1. You can watch videos on how the center section seals do provide some "waterproof" equivalent. But, it's obviously there's no real o-ring seal going on here. The plastic barrels, and the plastic "seal" in between are garbage. (Note to Bear: Don't put your name on a $10 dollar device unless it truly has some quality)...your name is losing clout with me. (I'm a serious (retired) thermodynamic engineer. And, I definitely know that the middle seal on this device could have been solved with a 10 cent Viton O-ring and a proper locking design. Again, I only have ONE to review, but so far I'm just disappointed). Last, good luck opening the end-cap for "kindling" storage. Bring some channel-locks. Bottom Line: This will generate sparks, and maybe enough (it seems cotton balls with other kindling will work well). Unfortunately, I don't see this working when the kindling gets wet in the handle (if you can get it open). Additionally, I know the center "seal" won't seal for any time, or even maybe at all. This is cheap, and hopefully there's something more expensive that works. I was looking for something small and useful for a long while...I can't see this working for my needs.

Man muss schon sagen, typisch für die Bear-Grylls-Reihe, es hat alles seinen Preis, ich bezahlte für meinen ersten ca. 30€. Aber wenigstens taugt der Feuerstarter was, auch wenn für sein äußeres der Starter selbst mir zu klein ist. Aus meiner Sicht, ebenso wie beim BG USK, wenn schon Survival Experte Bear Grylls mit Gerber eine Serie heraus bringt, sollte man sie möglichst gut machen. Wer den Starter vom USK kennt, die Größe ist für den Preis einfach ein Witz, zumal auch wenn die Funken gut fliegen, ein Feuer zündet nun mal nicht immer gleich beim 1. Versuch. Wegen des kleinen Durchmessers hab ich persönlich gar keine Lust mehr ihn zu benutzen, hab bislang etwa 3 mal mit dem Messerrücken drüber gezogen, ich benutze lieber billigere Army Firestarter, größere Masse, wg billiger und hab mehrere davon. Der Durchmesser des BG FS ist ok aber ich hätte ihn länger gemacht, wenn ich da an die Größe des Armageddon von firesteel.com denke. Wie auch immer er ist wahrscheinlich einer von wenigen auf dem Markt, der trotz seiner Größe auch noch Zubehör hat. In Form einer Pfeife am Nylonband und einem Fach mit Watte als Zunder, wie auch umfangreichem Aufdruck für Notfälle, wie zb. SOS.

一度試しに使用しましたが簡単に使えたので防災用品に入れてます。

Por fin un ferrocerio que funciona. Probé muchas marcas y modelos. Pero no me convencía ninguno. Hasta que di con este. Conozco la marca Gerber y su calidad. Así que no dude en comprarlo. Aunque el precio no es el de los mas baratos. Pero compras calidad. El diseño es compacto, el estuche resistente y estanco. El cordel cómodo y multiutilizable. Lo recomiendo a todos a los que les guste la aventura y salidas al campo.

I purchased this Fire Steel to take with me when walking. While I normally carry a Zippo, you never know when you will find yourself without fuel. The compartment for tinder is not very large, but assuming you can build and start a fire, it holds more than enough cotton wool/fluff from tumble drier to get a flame very quickly. It takes a few strikes when new to remove the protective coating that is applied prior to shipping, but then the sparks are strong and on cotton wool or tumble drier fluff, very effective and they take a spark well. The lanyard contains a SOS whistle and on the side the steel are the SOS morse singals and the alpine rescue signals, (this also come with a BG survival guide, which is quite informative on shelter, food etc). The lanyard is not meant to go around your neck but rather to prevent you from losing one of the two parts (although if you take the tinder compartment lid off, then it is possible to lose part), so be careful. So far have only lit my chiminea with it, but more than certain it will live up to its reputation when needed in the woods! Highly recommended!

Well made although a bit heavier than I expected. The sparker and ferro rod works real well. You can remove the cap. I put a few tiny cotton puffs impregnated with Vaseline in mine. There is also a whistle for emergency and the basic Morse code for SOS, alpine rescue signal, semaphore for need help and don't need help are painted on the body of the device. Once closed, it is sturdy enough and just the right size to be use as a Kubaton for self defense against an assailant.