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Toothpick firestarters

gb Offline craggus2000

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Toothpick firestarters
on: February 10, 2019, 12:24:22 PM
Hi all,

Just looking at these : http://kck.st/2xDkczL

For anyone who has one, can you comment on their quality /reliability?

This may sound like a daft question, but it's there any danger of them sparking if you pull them from the sak too quickly??!  :rofl:

Also do you know if they are available to buy from anywhere in the UK?

Thanks in anticipation  :)
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Craggus2000

"If it ain't broke, break it and make it better!


us Offline this_is_nascar

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Re: Toothpick firestarters
Reply #1 on: February 10, 2019, 01:39:46 PM
I have one that's installed into my EDC Executive.  No chance of sparking while removing or inserting.



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us Offline Nix

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Re: Toothpick firestarters
Reply #2 on: February 10, 2019, 02:52:13 PM
I have some in a couple of SAK's.

They fit well and I don't see any risk of falling out.

They do spark well, too. But they are small! (About the size of a toothpick....duh... :doh:) So they throw a small amount of sparks. I tested one out and started a couple of fires using vaseline cotton balls or waxed jute for tinder. Worked great.....

....until I snapped it in half.   :oops:

They are small and fairly fragile. It's important to strike them (gently) along the thin edge, not the flat edge. Or one could break them....   :facepalm:

Still, even with the one that was snapped in half, I could still throw a few sparks and light off some jute fibers.  :tu:

The Firefly ferro 'toothpicks' seem like a real tool to me, not just a gimmick. I wouldn't plan on using one as my primary fire starting tool, but as an emergency backup, when I might not otherwise have matches or a fire-steel with me. They seem like a good resource.

The caveat to all that is that you had better have some really good ferro-rod skills to use them. If all you have is that Firefly, you'd better be able to get some fine, fine tinder together that is dry and ready to take a small spark. I tested mine with cotton and jute, knowing that would give me the tinder that would work. But, odds are that if I don't have a proper ferro-rod or matches with me, I probably won't have prepared tinder either. So, I'll need to be very creative in getting good tinder pulled together in order to use that small shower of sparks. This might be a good argument to keep a couple of flattened vaseline cotton balls in your wallet as emergency tinder.

Don't know about UK availability.....  :dunno:


us Offline Rapidray

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Re: Toothpick firestarters
Reply #3 on: February 10, 2019, 03:13:01 PM
 :iagree: and especially striking on the edge, not the large flat surface.
Great review!  :cheers: :tu:


ie Offline McStitchy

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Re: Toothpick firestarters
Reply #4 on: February 10, 2019, 04:06:55 PM
Ok, well.... I think I could use some of these.
Especially after reading Nix's review  :like:


us Offline Aloha

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Re: Toothpick firestarters
Reply #5 on: February 10, 2019, 04:17:41 PM
An additional option for your SAK if you use a lanyard are toggles.

« Last Edit: February 10, 2019, 04:21:13 PM by Aloha »
Esse Quam Videri


us Offline Nix

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Re: Toothpick firestarters
Reply #6 on: February 10, 2019, 04:22:29 PM
 :like:


us Offline Aloha

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Re: Toothpick firestarters
Reply #7 on: February 10, 2019, 04:33:56 PM
That pic was borrowed from the interwebs.  I've seen them also placed onto folks outdoors shoes, onto the laces.  Lots of versatility with the toggles.
Esse Quam Videri


us Offline Nix

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Re: Toothpick firestarters
Reply #8 on: February 10, 2019, 04:38:55 PM
I've never tried them, but they seem like a great idea.

I imagine they could be made fairly easily, too.


us Offline Rapidray

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Re: Toothpick firestarters
Reply #9 on: February 10, 2019, 05:26:04 PM
An additional option for your SAK if you use a lanyard are toggles.

(Image removed from quote.)
That is interesting  :like: :tu:


us Offline smiller43147

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Re: Toothpick firestarters
Reply #10 on: February 10, 2019, 06:14:51 PM
Not following this thread.  How are toggles related to toothpick fire starters? ???
- Steve


us Offline Nix

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Re: Toothpick firestarters
Reply #11 on: February 10, 2019, 06:47:40 PM
My earlier response to Craggus' inquiry got me thinking.....

I decided to make a wallet-sized fire starter for that most unlikely situation where an emergency fire might be required.

I started with one (1) cotton ball and worked a bunch of vaseline into the cotton. I then stretched it out and flattened it. The squashed cotton 'ball' got placed in a thin envelope made from a plastic bag.




The envelope got sealed in one layer of duct tape. This small packet of fire-starter now fits easily into one side of my wallet. It adds a bit of bulk, but not an enormous amount.




I'm quite pleased wit this so far. We'll see if after a bit of wear and carry if the vaseline works it's way out of the plastic and duct tape. Slippery stuff. But, for now, I think it will work.   :tu:

Thanks for the prompting, Craggus!


us Offline Nix

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Re: Toothpick firestarters
Reply #12 on: February 10, 2019, 06:52:42 PM
But wait.....

Does the wallet fire-starter work?

Only one way to find out......




I took half of the cotton out and fluffed it up as well as I could. The vaseline makes it stick together. Not ideal.  I dropped that in the snow and got out a Firefly.....

Two strikes later and I had fire!   :tu:






Don't worry, the snow didn't catch on fire.  But the cotton did not go out. It kept burning and burning...and burning....

I didn't time it (sorry), but I'd estimate it burnt for about one (1) minute. Maybe a bit longer.  It burned itself right into the snow.......





I think this is a good result. I'll try testing another after I've carried it around for a while. 


us Offline CallsignBadger

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Re: Toothpick firestarters
Reply #13 on: February 10, 2019, 07:09:57 PM
Great idea  :like:


us Offline Nix

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Re: Toothpick firestarters
Reply #14 on: February 10, 2019, 07:26:36 PM
 :cheers:

I blame Craggus.   :D


us Offline CallsignBadger

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Re: Toothpick firestarters
Reply #15 on: February 10, 2019, 07:31:20 PM
Not following this thread.  How are toggles related to toothpick fire starters? ???

Those toggles also throw sparks just like the firefly rods. They're a good alternative if you want something a little more substantial  :tu:


nz Offline Syncop8r

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Re: Toothpick firestarters
Reply #16 on: February 10, 2019, 07:50:53 PM
They are small and fairly fragile. It's important to strike them (gently) along the thin edge, not the flat edge. Or one could break them....   :facepalm:

Perhaps if there was a way they could be supported whilst being struck they would be less likely to break.  :think:


us Offline Nix

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Re: Toothpick firestarters
Reply #17 on: February 10, 2019, 07:58:44 PM
I think you are right. You could lay the Firefly on a flat object to support it. I haven't tried that.

When striking with one now, as above, I support it with my finger and just strike gently, focusing on pushing down, along the long axis of the 'rod', and not trying to carve huge globs of burning metal from the little guy.   :whistle:

I'm certainly no expert with these, and there may be a few people out there with more experience and better ideas.  :tu:



nz Offline Syncop8r

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Re: Toothpick firestarters
Reply #18 on: February 10, 2019, 08:10:31 PM
You could lay the Firefly on a flat object to support it.
Perhaps in a groove on a custom scale...


us Offline CallsignBadger

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Re: Toothpick firestarters
Reply #19 on: February 10, 2019, 08:12:47 PM
 :pok:  :D


be Offline Top-Gear-24

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Re: Toothpick firestarters
Reply #20 on: February 10, 2019, 08:40:08 PM
I like the idea of having a firestarter on my SAK all the time, but I just checked their website, and 3 of them along with shipping costs and customs fee and import tax would cost me around 50 Euro, if I buy 8 of them they would cost me around 75 Euro, and that's just too much in my opinion.  I admit it's the customs fee (15 Euro) and the import tax, which is 21% on the total (so the price of the goods + shipping + customs fee) that pushes them over the edge.

But all this makes them just too expensive in my opinion, 16,6 euro a piece if I buy 3, and 9,4 Euro a piece if I buy 8. Knowing I can get a full size "Light My Fire" scout firesteel for 12,95 Euro, and the bigger Army version for 18,95 Euro  ...  :-\

I hope one of the outdoor stores or webshops here will notice them and start selling them here (which would make them just as expensive probably  ::)).


00 Offline Mechanickal

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Re: Toothpick firestarters
Reply #21 on: February 10, 2019, 09:38:55 PM
:imws:


us Offline Aloha

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Re: Toothpick firestarters
Reply #22 on: February 11, 2019, 06:20:40 AM
Not following this thread.  How are toggles related to toothpick fire starters? ???

Just an idea for an additional option  :tu:
Esse Quam Videri


ie Offline McStitchy

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be Offline Top-Gear-24

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Re: Toothpick firestarters
Reply #25 on: February 11, 2019, 02:38:54 PM
Maybe Mechy and I should contact them and suggest to become their European distributor ... :think:

What do you think Nick ? 

Ready to quit your day job and become CEO ?  :pok:

 ;)

Edit: We should also contact Victorinox to become their Belgian distributor, while we're at it  :whistle:.



us Offline Rapidray

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Re: Toothpick firestarters
Reply #26 on: February 11, 2019, 03:10:41 PM
I’ll be your first customer!  :cheers:


us Offline kamakiri

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Re: Toothpick firestarters
Reply #27 on: February 11, 2019, 05:53:34 PM
Spendy...but all this talk and Nix's demonstration helped me pull the trigger.
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00 Offline Mechanickal

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Re: Toothpick firestarters
Reply #28 on: February 11, 2019, 08:36:39 PM
Maybe Mechy and I should contact them and suggest to become their European distributor ... :think:

What do you think Nick ? 

Ready to quit your day job and become CEO ?  :pok:

 ;)

Edit: We should also contact Victorinox to become their Belgian distributor, while we're at it  :whistle:.
I'd probably keep more to myself than selling...


us Offline kamakiri

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Re: Toothpick firestarters
Reply #29 on: February 11, 2019, 08:42:53 PM
Got mine here and they take paypal. Also listed on Amazon.
https://tortoisegear.com/product/firefly-variety-8-pack/





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