überleben Hexå Ferro Rod Fire Starter for Survival – Up to 20,000 Strikes, 1/2" Thick Hexagon Fire Steel with Striker and Lanyard – Waterproof Flint and Steel for Camping

I mean, as long as you have a good striker, I could imagine someone could parish in a survival situation without it! This product seriously renders most other rods obsolete aside it's huge and adds weight to a pack but to me it's one of the most important things I own for a potential bad day. I shocked a lifelong hunter with this tool who was used to the cheap harbor freight magnesium chingadero ... it's not rocket science either . I am seriously impressed and I go hiking in pitch black darkness .... yeah.... this thing could be vital

Sparks Amazing, Tried striking the normal way striker on rod onto newspaper and did not work. Looked up a video, you need to move the ferro rod back and forth, on the planted striker for it to be more effective.

This thing spits sparks like no other. I use it every time I camp. This and some firestarter material and a little patience always yields a solid fire. Small footprint in my ruck is always appreciated. This product delivers exactly what I need out in the bush.

Just what I ordered. Glad to receive shipment.

Great fire starter, but I was under the impression it came with at least one wick. The photo shared is my explanation to why I was under that impression.

Yes, you can purchase a ferro rod at virtually any sporting goods store for a fraction of the price. Common are the magnesium blocks with a small ferro rod glued in on one side with what looks like a small chunk of spent hacksaw blade spray painted black and attached by one or those little strings of metal beads that never stopped anyone from stealing a pen from a bank teller window, ever.On such cheapies the ferro rod can fall out of the magnesium block which is not good when you really need to spark a warming fire.Enter the Uberleben (English translation “to survive”) Hexa.This one is different. This one is special. This one just feels “right” in an unquantifiable sort of way. One look and you just know it’s a good design.The hexagonal shape makes it easier to spark a fire and lets face it: the time you absolutely NEED a fire could well be the time you’re compromised mentally and/or physically in some way. Early into hypothermia we humans get uncoordinated and less cognitive. You can’t think the way you normally do and you’re shaking and maybe frustrated and all sorts of things and the fire you need to get through the night might not be so easy to make.Which is why I like the flat sides. You can slide the spine of any decent knife fixed blade knife down the flat side and get a shower or sparks, and the more sparks the better.(And on a related aside: the SOG Pillar is an awesome all around fixed blade for just under 200 bones. It’s made in the USA of good S35VN steel but more importantly it has a large, squared sharpening choil that can put a good scrape on a ferro rod while keeping the edge pointed at the tinder and away from you.)This ferro rod has a metal tool tied to it with a leather strap that could easily be replaced with paracord or what have you, and that little chunk of metal is good for shaving tinder from sticks and likely even for striking the rod though it’s not as heavy as a good camp knife.The Uberleben Hexa appears to be a good piece of essential kit. One I’m sure will get it’s share of use over time. About the only real problem you could ever have with it would be to lose it.You could go cheaper. You could go more expensive. But this one is about right.Maybe if you’re a hardcore hiker who measures your gear by fractions of an ounce this one wouldn’t pencil out. For the rest of us it’s worth making a little bit of room in the backpack to accommodate.You’ll want to carry more than one source or fire, and this would be a good one to include in the gear.And DO go for the 6” model because again: the time you really need to spark up a fire could well be the time when you’re not firing on all eight due to the situation at hand and the more sparks you can get for your efforts, the better.As for myself, I am already considering buying another. Maybe even a few more for gifts.

Works great. An essential for camping or bugging out!

never used one of these in my life and i can get consistent sparks 30 bucks is on the pricey side kinda most people would rather get the 5-15 dollar ones but if im gonna get things to survive why would i try to get the cheapest of the cheap