Fire Starters

[Trail X]

What is the benefit of a mag striker vs a lighter like the peanut lighter?

[DirtyBacon04]

apples to oranges, JD.

Mag strikers wont produce flame on their own, only sparks.

lighter is limited on fuel, for one. With a mag striker, you can shave a small pile of magnesium on to your tinder, and it'll catch a spark super easy. The good thing about a lighter like that is that even if you're out of fuel, you still have a good sparker.
Mag strikers can sit under water for days, all you have to do is wipe if off and it's ready to spark. (just make sure the other item is high-carbon steel in order to get a strong spark)

[dvanbramer88]

you really don't want a metal match on a key ring in your pocket could become a enLIGHTing experience. especially in the pocket of some cotton paints.

So everyone carrying a zippo in their jeans pocket is a fireball waiting to happen?

I'm not buying it.

[Trail X]

So, basically, the mag lighter is good for a long-term survival scenario where you are jumping from place to place. A fluid lighter is limited by its fuel quantity, and might be better suited for short term survival scenarios, or a stay-in-place survival scenario where you can keep an ember living?

Eta, in a pinch, can a standard lighter create enough sparks for regular tinder?

[Conner299]

When I was smoking, a regular bic lighter would last at least a month. That was an average of 20 smokes a day. Plus, all the times I used it for utility purposes. That's over 600 uses, on average. Plus, if you've ever taken one apart, the flint is almost twice as long as a standard zippo. Just out of curiosity, I used one with the metal cowl removed, and had no problem starting a fire from scratch.

[nvrs]

how about cardboard dipped in wax, stove pellets in muffin cups with wax drizzles and visco cannon fuse ,or chainsaw noodles soaked in diesel then coated with wax.

[DirtyBacon04]

So, basically, the mag lighter is good for a long-term survival scenario where you are jumping from place to place. A fluid lighter is limited by its fuel quantity, and might be better suited for short term survival scenarios, or a stay-in-place survival scenario where you can keep an ember living?

Eta, in a pinch, can a standard lighter create enough sparks for regular tinder?

Depends on your tinder. Char-cloth and cottonballs in pet. jelly will catch just about any spark. The key with tinder is to make it as light and fluffy as possible.
But to answer your question, yes, it will work as a sparker.

[navigator]

I was at work one time and dropped a cheap lighter and it broke sending lighter parts across the store.
I'm sure it was due to the pressure of the compressed fuel but it did help me learn to treat them more carefully.

[KingBird]

[Trail X]

Well, I'm sold. Split pea for me I think.

[boog2006]

[Conner299]

If you have a zippo, already, you can accomplish something close to the peanut lighter. Just cut a piece of old bike inner tube close to half the height of the zippo. Then, just slide the zippo into it. Your fluid will last a good bit longer than normal. Maybe not as much as the peanut lighter, though. Still, neither would be my first choice.

[AA1PR]

I have several stashed here & there of magnesium fire starter blocks like this ~ http://www.amazon.com/Genuine-Issue-Mag ... B0002X1IOM

& theres usually enough natural stuff in the wilds for starter material, cattails, milkweed pods, dried grass etc