I see a lot of folks here on BPL mentioning they use a firesteel. I have a couple of these and I like them well enough but I honestly can’t say I prefer them over a plain old Bic Mini.
To me the Bic just seems less fussy and easier to use. It lights an Esbit tab in seconds and it can usually set flame to tinder without using any firestarter. For canister stoves I’d say it’s about a draw between the two but I will give the nod to firesteel for an alcohol stove (just barely).
As to weight, a Bic Mini and a Light-My-Fire Mini weigh exactly the same on my scale at .5 oz each.
As to longevity the claim for the Mini Firesteel is that it’s good for 1500 strikes whereas a mini butane lighter is supposedly good for 600 lights. OK, Firesteel wins that one but 600 back country meals is a lot.
There’s the issue of the ligher being useless if it’s wet. That’s true but they’re also pretty easy to dry out as demonstrated by this fellow. And even if the Bic runs out of fuel it can still toss enough sparks to get a fire going if you’ve got some good firestarter to work with.
So I’m just wondering why folks like the Firesteels so much. Is it just aesthetics or is there something else I’m missing? For now I’ve gone back to my trusty old Bic.
Gordon
