The Adventurer Survival Fire Starter is one of the most durable, most effective and most consistent flint fire starters available. The Adventurer Survival Fire Starter is the same as used by NATO troops. However, we made it better. Our fire starter, with no moving parts to break, is made from rare earth metals and Cu, Zn, Fe and Mg. That’s right, our fire starter is impregnated with Magnesium, allowing it to produce more and hotter sparks. Because of this composition, the Adventurer Survival Fire Starter can light up to 1000 fires and produce sparks in excess of 3000 degrees. We redesigned the hardened stainless steel striker so that it is easier to hold, has multiple attachment holes and universal striking surfaces. We also added Genuine Military Issue MIL-C-5040 Type III Parachute Cord as the lanyard holding the two together. To complete the fire starting kit, we include three Adventurer Tinder Tabs for practice or survival use. Stock#: WS1341 Series: Adventurer Fire Starter Size: 4” x 1” x .75”, Wt: 1.3 oz Striker: 2.5” x 1” x .039” (Stainless Steel) Fire Starting Tips and Tricks Fire needs fuel and air to light and stay lit. If it is windy, find a low spot out of the wind. Making your fire next to a rock wall or large tree will help reflect the heat back to you. in normal situations, three types of "fuel" are needed to start your fire: Tinder is material that lights when you touch it. Paper, grass, very small twigs and dry moss are perfect examples of tinder. Use your Adventurer Survival Fire Starter to shower sparks on your tinder. Try out the included Adventurer Tinder Fire Starter Tabs for practice. A candle can take the place of Tinder in many cases as a candle will usually light the next fuel required, kindling. Kindling is the next size fuel/wood. Small dead branches still on the tree or bush make good kindling. Dry sticks, bark and anything else that will readily light when exposed to a constant small flame fall into the category of kindling. Fuel is the next step and is what keeps your fire going. Ideal fuel is dead, dry wood. Be sure to practice using your fire starter prior to needing it in an emergency situation. Below is a common way to use your firestarter to get a fire going: Away from wind a moisture, ready your tinder for lighting. You will be showing sparks on this tinder in the first step. Be sure to place the tinder in an area that the fire will not get away from you, causing a forest fire. Do not under estimate the effectiveness of this fire starter, it will likely start the tinder on the first attempt. Practice will make your effectiveness much more reliable than a match. Hold the black "handle" of the flint rod between the thumb and forefinger of your non dominant hand. Then, place the stainless steel striker between the thumb and forefinger of your dominant hand. Use the round area of the striker as the contact point for your two fingers to aid in comfort and controllability of the striker. Next, place the inside of the "V" end of the striker on the top of the flint rod, closest to the black finger grip you are holding with your non dominant hand fingers. Adding moderate pressure on the striker so that it "bites" into the flint rod, rapidly move the "V" down the flint rod towards both the end of the rod and your tinder. You will find that the harder and faster you press down on the striker, the more sparks are produced. Because these sparks are VERY HOT, you should never "strike" towards yourself or any other person. Be sure to protect your eyes, skin and anything else you do not wish to burn. Repeat the above procedure until your fire is lit. If you are getting ample sparks but cannot get the fire to light, reconsider your choice or positioning of the tinder. Note: The flint part of this fire starter comes with a protective coating from the manufacturer. This is to prevent damage and the effects of moisture during shipping and storage. Several "swipes" with the striker will be necessary to "bare" the metal so that you receive ample sparks for fire starting. Using a sharp edge, like a knife, will cause greater sparks but will also cause the flint rod to be used up more rapidly. When used properly, the Adventurer Survival Fire Starter will light up to 1000 fires by producing sparks of up to 3000 degrees.