Tortoise Gear Firefly Variety 8 Pack - Fire Starter Accessory for Swiss Army Victorinox Knives

I figured this was probably just another hyped up gimmick that wouldn't be worth the cost, but decided to give it a try anyway. As long as you hold the little flat rod as directed, it works surprisingly well. If you have decent tinder such as cotton, good fatwood shavings or the fluff from a cottonwood tree, it will start a fire for you quickly and easily. Obviously, it would probably work effortlessly with most manmade tinders as well.

All I can say is,”It’s about time!” These are great, work good but they are delicate. Pay attention to the instructions and keep the rod supported with your finger while striking. Takes Swiss Army Knives to a new level of usefulness! I’ve started my fire pit a couple times now, with it. With good tinder it’s a breeze! A toothpick you can make with the knife, a ferro rod is a resource for fire, so who needs a toothpick?

Have used these a few years - they work!! Throws a good spark for fire starting or lighting a grill (be careful). I’ve found the size slots on the SAK knives are not precise for toothpicks and tweezers. In order to get a reliable fit adjustment has been needed (clipping length or grinding down edge). I have several SAKs and this product is in each one - I chose to eliminate the tweezers. These fire sticks are brittle and can break easily - either the head can come off from repeated removal and insertion in the knife - or during use to throw sparks - if not reinforced with a finger the stick can break. Definately use a scraper or knife with a squared corner - carbon steel works best.

Tested one out yesterday to start a wood stove going. I got it to ignite a pile of dry spruce shavings. Seems to throw hot sparks. It took quite a few tries but I admit I was trying to start a pile of spruce shavings. Had I mixed in scrapped birch bark or old man's beard it would have gone faster. Still was a lot of the rod left when I was done. I put one in a tooth pick slot and another in the tweezer slot. Got 2 in there now. Great idea, nice useful product.

These did not fit properly for the intended use. The large one stuck out too far and the small one went in so far that I had to use a blade point to remove it. I attempted a return, but they wanted to charge $16.56 shipping to return this item which weighs next to nothing and could fit in a small envelope. I could send it by USPS for $5.30 or UPS (which apparently they prefer) for $9.22. That's what I get for buying from a third-party vendor.

People keep asking about the toothpick on the Swiss army knife. I guess they are so bothered by the thought of a toothpick on a knife, they can't eat or sleep. This product just replaces the toothpick with a ferro rod which should be more useful and quell some of the criticism.

This product is an amazing idea, it works, but is not worth $40. There is only 1 packaging option which comes with 4 larger rods and 4 smaller rods. I bought these to use with my Victorinox Ranger Grip 57 Huntsman and neither size fit. I ended up trimming the larger model and managed to make it work. However I am now left with 4 rods that I do not need and will never use. Unless I purchase a smaller Victorinox. The rods don’t exactly last long but that was to be expected for the size. It is a much better option instead of the standard tooth pick that comes with most Victorinox SAKs. For $40, and 4 useless rods, I do not think that I will buy again. However if I was able to buy only the one size I needed I would consider as it is a great purchase.

Awesome, worth it!