Exotac Nano Striker
I have finally found a better flint than my Light My Fire Scout. The Exotac Nanostriker is lighter and more compact. Don't get me wrong, the Scout is a great fire starter, but I favor the design of the Nanostriker.
Exotac Nano Striker
Reviewed by Jason Klass
on
December 26, 2009
Rating:
Reviewed by Jason Klass
on
December 26, 2009
Rating:
29 comments
That is way cool. I like how small it is. Plus it apparently makes a nice spark. I'll have to take a Christmas gift back and get that instead. Thanks for the info.
It's an interesting product Jason and looks very well made. It may however have been more appropriate to compare it to Light My Fire's smaller and lighter Mini model rather than the Scout model.
To further reduce the 'bulk' of my Mini I swap the supplied lanyard for a short piece of brightly coloured Dyneema guyline, remove the striker completely and just use the back of my knife blade. No pieces to get lost either.
Looks very nice Jason, I also find dragging the flint along the striker works well with alcohol stoves, partly because the sparks end up in the stove not every where else.
Thanks
Thunder in the Night-
Yes, that's a good point about the smaller LMF; however, the intention was to compare it to what I currently have and see if it's better. I only have the Scout. I like your idea about the Dyneema line. Another thing I just thought of is that I could wear the Nanostriker around my neck too.
Hey Jason,
Its amazing how similar our gear closets are. The first thing I said to myself was "hey thats just like mine". Cool flint, I have always used magnesium sticks but I realy like that new toy you have.
Lance
Hey Jason,
Man, I thought that was my gear closet for a second. I like your new toy. I have used simple magnesium sticks forever but, I may have to check out that little gadget.
Lance
Lance,
That's because I stole every single item in your gear closet, and replaced it with an exact duplicate. ;)
Looks like a great replacement. Where did you get your scale?
Hi Matt,
Big Lots believe it or not!
that's a good looking firestarter. I like that all the pieces attach to each other to cut down on clutter.
Hey Jason -- Just to clarify -- Is this your backup firestarter method, or your primary? Do you seriously not carry any matches or a mini bic in the woods? haha
-Carl
Jason, Thanks for the review, but could you show the Nano Striker open next to the Light My Fire Scout? I would have like to see the difference in size of the flint.
I checked out their web site, that MATCHCAP match container also looks good for those of us that still prefer matches.
Robin
BackpackBaseCamp.com
Robin,
I have a Match Cap as well. I don't think I would use it (even though it is another brilliant design) but would you or anyone else like to see a review of that too?
Carl-
Great question. No, it is not my primary fire source. First, Bic. Second, REI Stormproof Matches. THEN the striker. Check out my latest video.
I carry a flint striker also, but the few times I've tried to use it to start a fire, it seems to be a huge pain in the butt -- even with magnesium. I almost wonder sometimes why I even bother to carry it! haha... My primary method is a MiniBic also, but I use a Trioxane bar as my tinder -- Which blow up into a 5000 degree ball of flame instantly in all weather conditions. Doesn't weigh a whole lot either, so it seems like a good thing to carry for those times when you are trying to start a fire in a pouring rain and you are soaked to the bone.
These are my weight comarisons between Firelite Mini and Exotac Nanostriker:
Firelite Mini (no cord) = 8.6 g (.3 oz)
Firelite Striker = 5.4 g (.19 oz)
Firelite Total = 14 g (.49 oz)
Exotac Nanostriker (no cord) = 17.1 g (.6 oz)
Overall Comparison is that the Nanostriker is 3.1 g (.11 oz) more than Firelite Mini.
If you already carry a blade, you could eliminate the strikers in both. This makes the Exotac Nanostriker 4.3 g (.15 oz) more than the Firelite Mini.
I haven't tried my Nanostriker, but the longer rod and handle makes me think it is significantly easier to use and may be worth the extra 3.1 grams.
Just to keep you guys thinking... a brand new Bic Mini weighs in at 11 g (.39 oz). I know it isn't always a direct replacement for the other fire starters (weather conditions e.g.) but worth thinking about in "gram counting mode."
Around my neck, I wear my "mini firestarter," whistle, 2nd/backup photon freedom, and Swiss Army Classic on a lanyard made of bright yellow Zing-It throw line.
Severenz,
Thanks for all the info. I also thought about just taking the rod and using my knife. I like the idea of your "survival lanyard" for lack of a better term. I thought about putting something like that together with the Nanostriker as well. Maybe I'll do a video on that too.
Yes, the "survival neck lanyard" is convenient because it's always ready to go. The theory being that if you became disconnected from your pack (bear dragged it off, fell off cliff, floated down river, etc) you would still have some basics to hopefully see you through.
Thanks for sharing the Exotac with us - I ordered one after I saw your video. Gear lust......guh!
Jason... I am in Denver, which Big Lots did you find these at???
johnv9834@hotmail.com
John,
It was the Big Lots on Hampden and Broadway. But I got it there a long time ago and you know that they always change their stock.
Pretty cool Jason, but seems a bit over engineered with having to unscrew the cap, and then screw it back on as a cap. You can get drilled firesteel rods pretty cheap, and lanyard a couple inches of a old hacksaw blade to the rod
Tried a hacksaw blade (teeth to the steel) on the firesteel rod on a DOAN firestarter ($5.00 at REI) and it SHOWERS sparks
Jason, how about a review on this one.
http://www.campingsurvival.com/aufistflstan.html
I carry a piece of hacksaw blade with my flint rod also. It does seem to work great for showering sparks, and then you don't have to dull your blade when starting a fire either...
That looks pretty nice. I have yet to get a firestarter, other than my "waterproof matches" and the 2 Bics that I usually carry. I think I will look around and go with this though.
Thanks for the video!
Hey Jason, are the rods refillable?
Konrad,
Hmmmm...that's a good question. I don't think so.
couple of rounds of electrician tape took most of the rattle out of the lightmyfire setup.
Very nice design and great weight. The $27 price is keeping me at bay, though.
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