Hickory Fire Piston

Absolutely the best survival/camping gadget I’ve ever bought. Works perfectly, clear instructions and it got here fast. I’m very satisfied and impressed!!!

Product is well made and works as expected. These were purchased for both my husband and I to add to our fire making choices.Pros:Eay to use ( for my husband) and get a spark every timeNot a flimsy product , will last yearsDoes not use up much char clothCons:I could only get a spark once, it will not be my go to item to make a fire, I guess because I'm a smaller female I just don't have the strength to push the piston in fadt enough. I even tried it holding the bottom against a flat surfaceA little hard to store for future use. The picture portrays the piston in the closed position, which is ( once assembled) not ow it will store. Because of the o ring the piston will not store in the tube in the closed position .... Not a deal breaker though.

Will it make an ember, well yes but you have to smack it hard. No, no, you don't understand. You have to hit this thing with every ounce of power that you have to get an ember and then it is 1 in 3. Put the piston head down, grab the barrel with BOTH HANDS and smash it on to something very hard using all the speed and strength that you have. Ware some gloves or you will get blisters on your hands. Be sure to lube the O-Ring inside and out BEFORE you put it on the rod and don't leave the O-Ring on the rod for extended periods of time as it will malform the O-Ring and make it less effective.Update: Jan 14, 2018.It lights much, much, much easier if you make your own char cloth from some old blue jeans. Get a shoe polish can, clean it out, leave the twist opener on it and use a large nail to punch a hole in the lid. Put it on a camp stove empty first to burn all the paint and junk off of it. If the jeans have fabric softener in them, wash it out! Cut about 6 in off the end of the leg, cut the seams out then roll the two remaining strips. Four rolls will fit nicely into the can. Put the can on a gas burner, high heat, and leave it until no more smoke comes out of the hole. You are finished, open the can with the twist opener and see how easy it is to get an ember. I don't know what they used for the char cloth that came in the package but it is very hard to light.

This is of Excellent quality. First time a slammed it to a hard padded surface it made a perfect red ember. You won't regret this purchase. A small bag of Char cloth will make many fires. Purchase came with extra O-Rings. This will last a lifetime.

Like all tools, this fire piston works like a charm, if you know what you are doing. Put a thin layer of vaseline on the o-ring, and it will work better than if left dry. Produces an ember in char cloth every... single.... time. A bit expensive for my taste, there are other fire pistons out there that are cheapter, but I liked the hickory on it. Fits well in my fire kit. Small and compact. The only thing I don't like about this is that it has expendable parts (it has a rubber o-ring which will eventually wear out). Good tool for camping, boy / girl scouts, weekend packers, etc. I would not recommend for hard core survivalists. There are other pieces of equipment that you will get more oomph for their use.I can't give it any less than 5 stars though, since it works flawlessly everytime I've used it.

Difficult to use. The force required to ignite an ember nearly fractures one's hand.

It took a little practice, but the piston came with great instructions. It works great and comes with extra o rings and a small supply of char cloth so you can try it out right away. Also comes with instructions for how to make more char cloth. It only takes a small bit of cloth, so what is provided will last quite a while. The wood is beautiful and We are very happy with this campfire piston.

Quality for price is really hard to beat here. Very nicely made, comfortable to use, included extras are very useful and a nice touch. The product itself is fantastic. I have never used a fire piston before and it lit on the very first try! Thrilled to add this to my camping kit! Also, seller shipped very quickly and package arrived BEFORE the first estimated arrival date.Price: Given that it would be my first fire piston I didn't want to invest that much. I took a shot with this at the VERY reasonable $25 price tag and I am beyond pleased with the product, build quality, and performance for such an entry level price.Use: I tried mine 20 times right out of the box and 20 times I had a lit ember. If yours isn't working then you're not doing it right or you should contact the seller directly to discuss potential defect. I can assure you it is not a design flaw.