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Fire Starters

The best fire starters, reviewed and curated by the Trailspace community. The latest review was added on March 17, 2023. Stores' prices and availability are updated daily.

user rating: 4.5 of 5 (3)
Doan Magnesium Fire Starting Tool
$12
user rating: 5 of 5 (2)
UCO Stormproof Matches
$6 - $9
user rating: 4 of 5 (2)
UCO Sweetfire Strikable Fire Starter
$8 - $11
user rating: 5 of 5 (1)
UCO Stormproof Match Kit
$9
user rating: 4 of 5 (1)
Vargo Ultimate Fire Starter
$25
user rating: 4.5 of 5 (1)
Coghlan's Waterproof Fire Sticks
$4 - $83
user rating: 4 of 5 (1)
MSR Strike Igniter
$13 - $17
user rating: 4.5 of 5 (1)
Exotac MatchCap XL
$36 - $39
user rating: 4.5 of 5 (2)
Mautz Fire Ribbon
$7
user rating: 4 of 5 (1)
UCO Titan Stormproof Match Kit
$12 - $13
user rating: 4 of 5 (1)
Vargo Titanium Flint Lighter
$20
user rating: 4 of 5 (1)
Zippo Windproof Lighter
$25
user rating: 3.5 of 5 (3)
Exotac nanoStriker XL
$31 - $34
user rating: 3 of 5 (2)
Optimus Sparky
$17
Outdoor Element Firebiner Multi-Tool / Fire Starter
$15
user rating: 3 of 5 (1)
Coghlan's Flint Striker
$6
user rating: 3 of 5 (13)
Soto Pocket Torch
$24
user rating: 2.5 of 5 (2)
Soto Pocket Torch XT
$27
user rating: 3 of 5 (2)
Coghlan's Waterproof Matches
$4
user rating: 2 of 5 (1)
Coleman Fire Starter Magnesium
$7
Kupilka FireSteel 8
$21
user rating: 5 of 5 (1)
SE Magnesium Fire Starter
user rating: 5 of 5 (3)
UST StrikeForce
user rating: 5 of 5 (3)
Light My Fire Swedish FireSteel Scout
user rating: 5 of 5 (1)
FireSteel GobSpark Armageddon
$18 MSRP
user rating: 4.5 of 5 (1)
Exotac nanoStriker
$27 MSRP
user rating: 4.5 of 5 (2)
UST BlastMatch
user rating: 5 of 5 (1)
UST WetFire Tinder
user rating: 4 of 5 (2)
UST Sparkie
user rating: 3.5 of 5 (3)
Light My Fire Tinder-on-a-Rope
user rating: 4 of 5 (4)
Coghlan's Fire Paste
user rating: 4.5 of 5 (1)
UCO Waterproof Matches
user rating: 5 of 5 (1)
Light My Fire Swedish FireSteel Army
user rating: 5 of 5 (1)
UST Delta Shockproof Lighter
user rating: 4 of 5 (2)
Light My Fire Swedish FireSteel 2.0
user rating: 5 of 5 (1)
REI Storm Proof Matches
$6 MSRP
user rating: 4 of 5 (1)
Exotac fireROD
$25 MSRP
user rating: 2.5 of 5 (2)
Exotac titanLIGHT
$50 MSRP
 
user rating: 4.5 of 5 (1)
Cabela's Windmill Classic Stormproof Lighter
user rating: 3.5 of 5 (1)
SOLKOA Fastfire Fire Starting Kit
$20 MSRP
user rating: 4 of 5 (1)
U.S. Military Fire Starter Trioxane Fuel Bars
user rating: 4 of 5 (1)
UST Trekker Stormproof Lighter
user rating: 3.5 of 5 (1)
Lightning Nuggets Lightnin' Bug
user rating: 3.5 of 5 (1)
BudK Waterproof Permanent Match Survival Lighter
$6 MSRP
user rating: 3 of 5 (3)
Primus PowerLighter
$22 MSRP
user rating: 4 of 5 (2)
Emberlit Flint and Steel
$20 MSRP
 
Fatwood
user rating: 3 of 5 (1)
Schrade Ferro Rod Fire Striker

Recent Fire Starter Reviews

rated 1 of 5 stars
Primus PowerLighter

Do not buy this piece of junk! I purchased this lighter brand new from a retailer here in Sweden. Took it home, waited until I had the necessary adapter to fill it from a camping gas refill. Filled it and then tried to use it... NOTHING. You can see it occasionally try to light but never does. It sparks just fine. I have even tried adjusting the "intensity screw" both to minimum and maximum and many stops in between. Still Nothing! I would not recommend this lighter to anyone!! An expensive waste… Full review

rated 5 of 5 stars
Emberlit Flint and Steel

I have the Trout and T Rex strikers—they work great. I have the Trout and T Rex strikers that I bought back in 2017. The striking surface is shorter than other strikers that I have and I believe this is why they appear weak to other strikes. I did a comparison between my two Emberlt strikers and two other strikers: https://bushcraftusa.com/forum/threads/flint-striker-comparison.270433/ One of my other strikers did not do good at all. Maybe the steel was not tempered right. My other Pskook striker… Full review

rated 0.5 of 5 stars
InstaFire

This product sucks. Total waste of money and they're hickory??? Particle board knockoff blows!!! Horrible! Hahaha! What a joke... Full review

rated 4 of 5 stars
Doan Magnesium Fire Starting Tool

There are a lot of Magnesium Fire Sticks out there and many sadly are subpar. The Doan Magnesium Fire Stick though is ahead of the race. Many people use these Fire Sticks to start ordinary camp fires. Where this product excels at is burning hot enough to even catch wet logs on fire. I would recommend this product to everyone that goes into the outdoors.                                 The Doan Magnesium Fire Stick Doan even engraved the Fires Stick to show you where to shave and… Full review

rated 3.5 of 5 stars
BudK Waterproof Permanent Match Survival Lighter

Someone on Trailspace asked about amazing gadgets out there for camping... Look no further: The Budk Matchless lighter fits the bill. This innovative lighter is self contained. It uses easy to find Zippo lighter fluid, a flint, and a metal rod with a wick on the end to create a fire up to 15,000 times. Unlike a Zippo that draws the lighter fluid through the wick-like material to produce a flame, this match only uses the lighter fluid that has been saturated on the striking match wick. When not being… Full review

rated 1 of 5 stars
Exotac titanLIGHT

This company has a non-responsive customer service attitude. Sent a TitanLight to be investigated for a leak issue. Repeated attempts to contact someone regarding the issue have not been successful. Phone calls and emails are never returned. Now I am out the purchase of a unit and no unit. Horrible business practices Full review

rated 5 of 5 stars
Outdoor Element Firebiner

Well made carabiner with fire wheel that sparked pretty much every time. Also has a sharp cutting tool, bottle cap opener, etc. Enjoyed trying out the fire wheel to get a fire started. With the tinder from Outdoor Element or other homemade ones, we were able to get a fire started in a couple of seconds each time. We got a couple of these for a recent camping trip since I thought they’d be fun to try out with the family. Having never used anything other than a lighter or matches to start a fire,… Full review

rated 4.5 of 5 stars
UCO Sweetfire Strikable Fire Starter

I started using the UCO Sweetfire fire starter sticks this season. They have become my primary go-to for starting fires. I've used them in wet conditions and in winter without fail. I've used them in alpine conditions and in the damp Smokie Mountains in the springtime. One stick is all that you will need to get the job done. This has become an essential fire tool for me. Check out my video featuring the UCO Sweetfire:  Full review

rated 2 of 5 stars
Coleman Fire Starter Magnesium

The Coleman Fire Starter Magnesium is another option to get a fire started. It requires patience and persistence, but does work. It’s not the best option, but it’s never a bad idea to have alternatives to start a fire. This fire starter is my last resort. It’s not the greatest, but it works. The way that you operate this product is you take the serrated end and use that to shave pieces of magnesium off of the giant block you have. You need to get a lot off. It takes a long time because you… Full review

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