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Product Catalog > Camp Stoves > Stove Accessories Ultimate Survival Technologies BlastMatch Fire Starter By: Ultimate Survival Technologies Average Rating: 3.5 Total Reviews: 7 Features:
Product Description: The BlastMatch is a unique one-handed fire starter that generates intensely hot sparks with minimal effort. Where to Buy
Reviews BlastMatch Pros & Cons  by: on: 25-Jun 2010 Pros: 1. Not a whole lot larger than a standard butane lighter. 2. Rounded edges for easy carry without it poking you in your pocket. 3. Striker is pretty efficient at removing only a small amount from the firesteel without a lot of wastage. 4. Firesteel rotates between uses fairly well so as to produce fairly even wear. Cons: 1. More than a bit on the heavy side because of the large diameter firesteel used. 2. You have to push against a solid object to activate the internal striker. 3. The plastic arms aren't very thick/strong and probably wouldn't survive the very harsh conditions that this firesteel is marketed for, i.e. a plane crash or other such harsh condition emergency. 4. The internal striker will only make contact with about a smidgen more than 2/3 of the length of the firesteel and so the rest of the firesteel will go to waste, unless an external striker is used, which defeats the point of having an internal striker in the first place... 5. The biggest con by far is the following. The striker is made in such a way that it can only be pushed down so far and so probably no more than about 1/4 to 1/3 of the diameter of the firesteel can ever be used before the striker can't be pushed in far enough to make contact with the firesteel. This means that you are carrying around all of that dead weight that can never be used for it's intended purpose, at least not by the built-in striker anyway. Conclusion: This is a neat new concept for a firesteel; however, as it currently stands, it is fairly poorly implemented and could definitely use some more thought and re-engineering to turn a very mediocre product into a nice one. As it stands, you would be better off just buying a good firesteel and striker and that way you aren't carrying around any dead weight and can use every bit of firesteel in an emergency situation. As has been demonstrated before by others on YouTube and whatnot, a standard firesteel can also be struck with one hand by holding the firesteel under your foot and striking with your good hand. This technique kind of defeats the only real advantage this product has over a standard firesteel in my opinion, which is being able to be struck with only one hand. I'm still glad that I bought a BlastMatch, but pretty much only as a fun novelty item rather than something that I would want to depend upon in a life and death situation. Works fine, will it hold up?  by: on: 11-Jun 2010 I think this is a really handy little sparkmaker. Good idea to make something for one-hand use, but haven't used it enough to comment on its durability. I'm reserving it for emergency use. It may be a little flimsy, but I use my stuff carefully and gently anyway. Don't break stuff as much as I used to. Still trying to teach that attitude to my wife! Anybody who would use this device to try to light a grill.....well, let's just say they shouldn't be allowed outside without supervision, and certainly shouldn't be playing with fire. Oh, you do have your grill outside, don't you? Stay tuned for the Darwin Awards! Poorly made by: on: 25-May 2010 You need to press down carefully as the product is poorly constructed (and always has had this problem). If you are not focused on how you are pressing down, it will hang up and not work correctly. Over the years I have purchased three of these. I only purchase them because I know of no other product doing the same thing. When using the fire starter, you feel like you are handling something poorly made. Inappropriate (Misguided) Reviews  by: on: 16-May 2010 From folks trying to use this apparatus to start a grill, to those who bought the wrong thing (fire piston), and others trying to use it backwards... MOST OF THE REVIEWS AREN'T REVIEWING THE ITEM APPROPRIATELY. It basically a fire-steel that you use one handed by applying thumb pressure to the *integrated* scraper and pushing *down*. The spring is simply used to fully extend the steel *before* squeezing the scraper and applying downward pressure. The sparks are created when the steel is pushed inward... it is NOT a switchblade. But it IS one-handed. This is an emergency (or backup) fire starter for use in the great out of doors. And NO, I'm not affiliated with the company who makes or sells these. I didn't even buy mine at Amazon. However I like it and feel it's getting unfair criticism. View All ReviewsView All Stove Accessories |