polySTRIKER XL Ferrocerium Fire Starter

Pros: I love this thing, great design, storing the striker in the handle was brilliant! This makes storing the XL a snap. Also the striker is in the shape of an "I" beam so you have multiple striking surfaces which is awesome! The handle on the XL is very comfortable to use and very rugged. The rod seems to be attached to the handle quite well, I haven't seen any movement at all (unlike cheaper rods). This thing throws showers of sparks, although it took me a few minutes to get the right angle. I think anyone could light a fire quite easily with this rod. All in all a very well designed, rugged and effective ferro rod. Cons: I could wish that the handle was a little shorter and the rod a little longer. Also the overall length of the XL is too long to fit in most sheath pouches. And because the rod is only 2 inches long it may not fit securely in kydex ferro rod holders. However, it fits great on my Spec-Ops basic modular sheath, I wove the rod into the molle webbing and it's secured in place.

Out of the box the unit as a whole has a quality feel to it even the plastic handle looks and feels quality, you have to see it to understand. That said I have been practicing with it lots around the house and yard to see what lights best. Any true tinder (cotton ball, twine, alcohol wipes ect.) lights right away one or two strikes. More damp stuff takes more work and prep but its the same with a zippo. The lanyard could be longer but not a big deal still workable, rode is thick and strong and handles all the over pressure I give it. I've learned to not use as much pressure and it works the same. it's light and the handy orange color makes it easy to find if you drop it. Just practice with it and it should serve you well, I'm going to buy a few more for some other kits and they should last a very long time. I've used cheaper flints and you definitely can tell the difference in handling and confidence it gives you, not a last ditch I hope this works or it doesn't break feel.

This Ferro rod is amazing! I did a lot of research before buying it and saw a few impressive videos on you-tube. The real test was when I took it to an REI Wilderness class this month. The instructors asked if anyone had a fire starter on them. I brought out mine and told him I wanted to try it out. By the end of the class everyone tried it, started a fire quickly, and wanted one. Once you take a few strikes and get some of the black coating off, the sparks fly. The experienced instructors said they had never seen a rod send sparks flying so far. We ended up giving the instructors ours and sending the link out to everyone. Couple this rod with some tender or cotton balls and Vaseline and you'll have a fire in mere strikes.

I first saw this thing in( prepared mind 101) on YouTube Chris liked it and recommended this product so I thought I'd give it a try.man this thing really throws globs of hot metal the striker works almost to good it scraps of metal every single time.the poly striker xl is the best fero rod I have ever used its really thick to so if ur looking for a good fire starter u found it.

This little striker really throws a good shower of sparks. The rod came out of the plastic housing but I was able to glue it back in place. I like how the striker is placed inside the handle for storage. Although I think this is a good striker, I have since got the light my fire swedish firesteel and it seems to be higher quality build. I haven't done extensive testing yet but so far I have used both on camping trips and those are my results so far.

Disclaimer: I paid full price for this and have received nothing from the seller other than this excellent fire starter. That said, I don't think i can add to the accolades other reviewers have given this tool. Like many, I have tried just about every fire starter combo there is. Some have been sufficient some have been almost embarrassing. I need to have a yard sale. I was convinced this was the best yet when yesterday I was able to start a fire in the rain in my fire pit ( at home ). My tender was a combination of lint, Vaseline soaked cotton ball and some magnesium sprinkled on for good measure. I also had some fat lighter laying around. The Exotac produced a couple of humongous sparks that ignited the tinder in no time. Gave the fire some air, added a little fat lighter and slowly built the fire up using semi wet twigs,etc. By this time I figured I was wet enough and let the fire die. I have no doubt I could have continued to build the fire up but being in my backyard saw no reason to do so. Plus, my wife was yelling at me. Didn't mean to ramble on but I really like this one. In fact, just ordered another one for my wife to pack in. Thanks

Okay, I own the UST Blastmatch, UST Sparkie (4 of them), Mora Light My Fire and four other name brand fire starters, all were my favorite at one time until something new shows up and it gets my attention. Now, In comes the Exotac Polystriker XL. All I can say is wow, what a great design, the striker stores in the handle (obvious) and the ferrocerium rod is 5/16" W 2" L, the total length is 5 3/8'' and the weight is 1.4 oz (40g). The material is not cheap on this thing, from my experience with plastics if it has the word poly you know it's some tough stuff and it's made in the USA so that's a plus right there. This fire steel puts out huge sparks so don't try this in the house. Now the striker, what can I say except that it's the best one I have ever used. The Tungsten carbide steel on this striker can be sharpened and if you use the striker on your other fire steels they will work better. Buy one you won't be disappointed. Thanks for reading my review of the Exotac polyStriker XL.

Doesn't work as good as most ferrocerium rods I have, bought two small ones and two larger ones. Guess you can't believe the so-called experts pushing stuff on YouTube. Neat idea about how the striker fits into the handle but other than that it's not worth buying. The striker is minimal size and minimally effective. My knife is a much better striker than the one provided here.

Dieses Teil hab ich auf Youtube entdeckt. Dabei wurden verschiedene Feuerstarter getestet. Dann war für mich klar, der PolyStriker XL ist für mich die richtige Wahl. Endlich hat man was in der Hand. Klasse auch der Schaber, der scharf und schön zu nehmen ist. Natürlich kann man dazu auch sein Messer nehmen, aber der Schaber ist so schön im Griff integriert, verbunden mit einer Kordel, das funktioniert einfach. Bin sehr zufrieden.

This things throws major sparks, it has a very good striker and has a good size. It is my first fire steel and will recommend to everyone.

Damit lässt sich in der Natur unter feuchtnassen Bedingungen prima Feuer machen. Würde ich immer weiter empfehlen. Allerdings ein bischen teuer. Es gibt auch preiswertere Varianten.

Une des meilleur sur le marche! Couleur vive facile a repairer au sol

le produit m'a l'air de tres bonne qualite et de tres bonne fabrication. la partie emboitable est astucieuse et pratique pour le gain de place mais pas facile a detacher. je l'ai essaye et il est vrai que l'on peut obtenir de belles etincelles mais j'ai du mal a en faire. peut etre que c'est moi qui n'a pas la bonne pratique.