ESEEFire Steel 3.25 in Overall Length

The product works wonderfully What can I say it's a fire striker It makes good sparks Reasonably easy to use Spend the money It's the best fire striker I found so far! I would buy it again I don't think I'll ever need to Quality build!

I am not an expert in fire-making or wilderness skills. However, I became interested in true flint and steel after seeing this done on a random YouTube video. Knowing how to make fire the way humans made fire in the Iron Age is not mandatory, but it is a fun skill to learn. I can say that with a bit of practice, I am reasonably proficient in lighting charred material with flint and a steel striker.I have tried several different strikers, and I can say that the Esee is one of the better steel strikers I have tried. The Esee just throws more sparks than others. I am unsure why, but I am guessing the Esee works better because of the 1095 carbon steel and their proprietary heat treatment. I can definitely say that this striker makes it easier for me to throw good sparks.I know some people have expressed frustration over the tarnished finish on the Esee when you first get it. But I can say three things:1. If the tarnish bugs you, removing it with ultrafine sandpaper only takes a few minutes and is very easy.2. The tarnish does not impact the performance; it is a tool that will naturally show some wear with use.3. The Essee is a very effective flint and steel striker that throws good sparks. If that is what you are after, then the Esee delivers.

It's a good design with room for improvement. I like using it as a bow drill bearing block, it'll throw ferro rod sparks, and it can throw sparks from chert/flint but not the best. For a third of the price the Psook steel striker that I also purchased here on Amazon will throw twice the shower of sparks... it is slightly heavier and definitely a harder heat treat.

Works as advertised, and is a very well thought out tool for starting fires in more than one way.This isn't the easiest way to start a fire, but it is the least fragile, and is certainly satisfying. I ordered a piece of actual flint to see how it is supposed to work, but I have also gotten good sparks from lots of rocks I picked up in the woods.It is basically just a 1/4" thick chunk of very hard carbon steel. I don't think you can wear one of these things out, and I don't think I could physically damage it even if I tried. You'll get little marks on it from the rock, but this is expected. The sparks are tiny pieces of burning steel. It'll last a lot longer than a ferro rod and is far more robust.Also works well as a ferro rod scraper -- every edge of the thing is a nice clean 90 degrees, including the inside openings. The outside edges will tend to get banged up from the flint, but the inside edges stay pristine for this use.I don't know that I'd want to wear this thing as a necklace, but it isn't too heavy to attach to a knife sheath. I just keep it in the Altoids-style tin they ship it with -- the tin is a good tool for making char cloth. Add a bit of tinder, a small ferro rod, and some Spectra line (for a bow drill, and also because cordage is your friend), and you have three fire starting methods in a tiny package that easily attaches to a field knife sheath.

Some reviewers complaining because they got one that’s scratched or off color. Amazon is now just like eBay, a lot of stuff sold here was purchased by someone as a defective or “second” quality product from the manufacturer or wholesaler. Mine was obviously very discolored, can’t even read the writing on it. But…. It’s a piece of steel made for hard use outdoors. It’s perfectly fine and functional! No problem, just wish it was cheaper to reflect the lower grease products sold here.