Emergency Whistle And Fire Starter

Product Description

Originally developed for the Swedish Department of Defense, Swedish FireSteel is a flash of genius. Its 3,000-Degree C spark makes fire building easy in any weather, at any altitude. Used by a number of armies around the world, Swedish FireSteel's dependability has already made it a favorite of survival experts, hunters, fishermen and campers. It has also found its way into cabins and backyards as a fool-proof way to light stoves and gas-barbecues. The Scout 2.0 has an ergonomic design makes for increased ease of use, and the striker has an integrated whistle.

Features

• Durable - Scout 2.0 model lasts 3000 strikes
• 3000-Degree C (5,500-Degree F) spark and works when wet
• Smaller lighter stainless steel striker
• Signal whistle built into handle of striker
• Ergonomic design increases ease of use

Top Reviews

Works fine, but be careful of storage
by Amazon Customer (4 out of 5 stars)
September 8, 2016

Worked just fine the few times I used it. But I did order this for an emergency bag, so mostly it's been sitting in a backpack with emergency rations, flashlights, first aid items, etc for a long while. I just took it out to go camping, and apparently a couple button cell batteries had migrated into the pocket with it and corroded the thing down to a powder. So... be careful where you store it.
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Works great, simple to use, nice sparks (must use proper tinder)
by Candid Reviewer (5 out of 5 stars)
March 16, 2014

The Light My Fire Swedish FireSteel 2.0 Scout 3,000 Strike Fire Starter is an excellent firesteel to carry in your pack or haversack for hiking/camping/bushcraft. It's virtually unbreakable, weatherproof/waterproof, and long lasting. If you have adequate knowledge about how to gather proper tinder to take a spark (fine dry grass/moss, fatwood, charcloth, Vaseline-coated cotton balls, etc.), this is probably the most convenient, reliable means of fire-making you can carry. The included striker works great and has a built-in whistle that might be useful for signaling, though it isn't the loudest.

Those who find this firesteel difficult to use must be using it wrong--most likely with improper tinder. If you want to guarantee yourself a fire, try this: Take a cotton ball and approximately 1 tablespoon of Vasoline (petroleum jelly). Massage the Vasoline deep into the cotton ball for a few minutes until it is completely coated and won't absorb any more (it should compact down into a tight ball as small as it will go). Voila, you have one of the best firestarters known to man! Thanks to the petroleum jelly, it is highly water-resistant and easy to ignite.

When you're ready to light a fire, spread the cotton fibers apart with your fingers to thin and "fluff" them so they will take a spark more readily. Then place the cotton under a generously-sized teepee of thin twigs (preferably dry). Hold the firesteel close and scrape sparks onto the outspread cotton. One to three attempts should be enough to ignite it, and thanks to the petroleum jelly, will yield a wind- and rain-resistant burn time of up to four minutes on a single cotton ball--enough to light even quite wet wood! (Be sure to process enough wood ahead of time so you can build the fire properly, beginning with 1/8" thick and smaller twigs, then graduating slowly to 1/4", 1/2", 1" thickness, and so on up to logs).

I've noticed with this firesteel that a slower, harder scrape produces a better spark than quicker, lighter strokes. Enjoy!
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One of the best fire starters there is
by buckeye49 (5 out of 5 stars)
December 20, 2015

I have purchased several of these fire starters. This is the perfect one for size, durability and effectiveness. It is small enough to carry in your pocket, yet is very well built and puts forth a great spark (once you get the coating off of the rod). I used it to ignite dryer lint and cotton balls soaked in petroleum jelly and they both sparked immediately. Both the (red) portion you hold with your thumb (for a right-handed person, that would be with your left hand thumb) and the portion you strike with have indentations for you thumb/fingers to better enable you to grasp them. I have these in all my go-to bags and my get-home bags and have given several to friends for their survival gear. No one should be without a least one of these (better yet buy several). You never know when you may get stranded in foul weather and need a way to start a fire to survive.
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Lets be realistic Its just a Ferro Rod!
by Particular (3 out of 5 stars)
March 6, 2017

What can i say, Its a ferro rod! Even the cheap Chinese ones will work with good tinder.

I am a fan of the 2.0 Scout for a few reasons, the orange handle handle which i find comfy, The hi vis is easy to locate if i where to put it down, the stainless striker is a plus, Im not a fan of rust, and rust could ruin a striker edge, and lastly the kids like the gimmicky safety whistle, it doesn't hurt to have in an emergency situation and its none obtrusive.

Made in Sweden? Yes but i have contacted the company to find out if the rod itself is made in Sweden or if its just assembled in Sweden.
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Great striker - just don't forget to bring the tender or accelerant...
by Mb-amazon (4 out of 5 stars)
March 27, 2014

I had a couple older magnesium stick fire starter for years and was really excited to try this out. Most people I've listened to swear by them.

Here are the PROs:
- This performs medium to well for giving you a spark. Having never used one (and probably using poor technique), I was still able to generate a decent spark at least 1 out of every 2-3 strikes.
- Doubles as a whistle. This thing actually works extremely well. If you ever need it, it's simple and high-pitched, a great space-saver.
- Feels good to use. I'd rate it at around 6 out of 10. It's a little short and I found the striker attached to the steel via the cord a little restricting, but the thumb grooves make up for it. It's funny how a small depression in plastic can make that much of a difference in comfort.

Here are the CONs:
- This requires that you have good tender or some type of fuel/accelerant. I miss having my pile of magnesium scrapings to be honest. While it's another piece of equipment, I'm probably going to keep my magnesium stick with me. It seems like the majority of times I've gone packing or camping, it's been damp out, and finding a decent amount of usable tender isn't always a sure bet.
- A little small. This is my complaint with just about any striker. They're just about a 1/4"-1/5" too small to be really comfortable. This is being picky, but still worth mentioning.

Overall, I'm enjoying using this thing and I'll probably make it a mainstay of my gear.
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Good Steel. Gimmicky Whistle.
by R. Knowlton (4 out of 5 stars)
September 29, 2013

This is the first pure "fire steel" I've owned besides the tried and true Magnesium Fire Starter
. On the magnesium fire starter, a little pile of magnesium shavings will take a spark quite nicely, but I found the tiny little fire steel on the side of the block to be the limiting factor: It gets depleted rather quickly, say 100 strikes or so...FAR before the magnesium is used up. I believe the FireSteel will last much, much longer.

Pros:
- Larger than I expected. I don't think I'd want to carry the full size model around with me. Google a pic for size comparison in the hand before buying.
- Pronounced thumb indentations on the steel and the striker make it very easy to hold onto both parts.
- The metal on the striker is robust and sharp-edged. I see no danger of it breaking or bending.
- The fire steel throws a nice shower of sparks.
- Easily ignites Vaseline cotton balls in one or two strikes.

Cons:
- The whistle is hokey. Only light breath produces any kind of whistle, and it's pretty wimpy...like a whistle out of a cracker jack box. I certainly wouldn't rely on it to be of any use beyond 20 yards or so.

It'll do the job. In the future, I think I'll search out other sources for ferrocerium rods that don't have the name brand price markup of the Light My Fire brand.
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Watch out for the whistle
by Anna Dunster (4 out of 5 stars)
May 28, 2013

I know next to nothing about starting fires so when I got this as an emergency tool I figured it would be worth my while to actually practice a few times before I really needed it. Well starting fires is a lot harder than I expected (mostly getting from the point where you have a small flame or ember to the point where you actually make a fire out of it) but this tool absolutely did its job. Once I figured out the best way to hold the striker it was easy to fairly consistently produce nice strong hot sparks.

The biggest problem I had with this is that the edge of the safety whistle on the striker is very sharp and after my repeated attempts to start the fire I suddenly realized I had cut a gash on the inside of my index finger where it laid across the edge of the whistle. If I had only used it a few times (for example if I knew what I was doing building a fire!) I am sure it would not have been an issue but I was working on firestarting for over an hour and about halfway through I had to wrap the striker handle in electrical tape to avoid cutting myself more. So if you are a firestarting newb like me I strongly suggest covering the whistle BEFORE you start striking! The nice thing about electrical tape is I can still take it off and use the whistle if needed. (Also, the whistle does make a very loud sharp whistle with little effort - so that part works as intended also)

The only other issue I had was the lanyard was slightly short, a longer lanyard would have allowed more flexibility in positioning the striker on the rod.
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Outstanding used with a Trangia kit
by R. Hardy (5 out of 5 stars)
March 18, 2014

Piling on another 5 star review with my experience in the 2013 VA snow storms.

True experience with the Scout. Jan, 2014, VA was going to get a lot of snow and a lot of wind (Son of Snowmagedon). I'm a recent convert to the Trangia 27 alcohol burner setup (awesome, by the way). Hatched an idea to break out the winter camping tent and gear to give it a flex and stretch, and just practice in really adverse conditions in a safe environment (i.e. in the backyard). Wind chill was -10, wind was a constant 20 gusting to 35. To make it a real test, I put the Scout in a glass of water and the Trangia burner in the freezer for 30 minutes.

Set up tent (which went really, really badly by the way... my girlfriend was laughing with me... :-) ), and simulating bear conditions (shelter, food, and latrine 30 yards apart) set up the Trangia 27 20 feet away, plopped on the top of the snow with no windbreak, totally exposed. Took about 6 strikes with the wet Scout on the intentionally cold alcohol to light the burner. AND IT LIT! Put on the pot with 2 cups of water and ramen noodles, and walked away. Didn't look at it for 15 minutes. 10 minutes to bring water up to temp and 5 to cook. Came back and the pot was fine. Nothing flew off or tipped over, fully exposed to very stiff wind. Happily cooking away with a ton of wind swept snow up and over one side of the outer housing, and my ramen was done. That made a seriously positive impressive.

This firestarter just worked in really adverse situations. I can't imagine a bic lighter or match would have done anything in those conditions. Or the odds would have been MUCH lower, and certinaly not wet. Seriously, the winds were howling, and it was bitterly cold, which was the point of the test.

It just worked for me, even in this over the top experiment.

In another experiment in calm conditions, it lit a vasaline cotton ball on the first strike.

This is a permanent part of my top-10 for car camping, day hiking, or distance backpacking.
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Small but effective fire striker
by Sean C. (5 out of 5 stars)
August 14, 2019

It's a great value for what it provides. The striker isn't as long, which means you have to hold it right to get a good spark. It's better to hold it close to the fire to allow the spark to light the fire. Because it is small, you have to be careful with your hands to keep it steady as you're trying to light the fire. I'm also an amateur at starting fires and didn't break it in as much as I could've to allow it to work better. If you're looking for a small fire striker that fits in your pocket and is effective, then this is for you.
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Works great. I didn't realize this but I got the ...
by Amazon Customer (4 out of 5 stars)
February 20, 2016

I went to use it for the first time so I was doing light strokes to remove the coating and the rod itself just fell out of the handle. I know manufacturing mistakes happen so I didnt want a review on an issue that doesn't seem to be widespread. I heated up the rod with a torch and pressed it back into the handle. It's on there very tight as the plastic melted around it. Works great. I didn't realize this but I got the skinny one which is good for someone who is starting out. Overall great product. Also, the striker has a lip so it scratches the rod better than just a 90 degree spine

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