If you're broke, you don't care about SAKs or survivalism, or you just don't know what "great value is", then yeah sure. A classic SD is like $35 so yeah the pack costs as much as the cheapest and most basic SAK which isn't saying much. And the rods and tinders altogether can last for years, so spending $35 just once for a product that you won't have to buy again for years is a great value. Some people just look at numbers and without even thinking they get scared that they'll have to pay money no matter what value they're actually getting. Ferro rods aren't cheap as it is so with that in mind, there's nothing absurd about it besides your expectation for something you can pay for in pocket change. Survivalist gear costs a little more than regular supplies. You should know this by now.
This is, far and away, the greatest mod to all my SAK's with corkscrews! It allows these knives to catapult their usefulness forward, turning them into dedicated, stand-alone fire-producing tools. Forget trying to rub two sticks together. Fluff the tinder and strike with the mini Ferro rod instead.
This just screams for modding a set of plus scales to open up that other channel- tweezers, toothpick (which does have uses for me, just not in my mouth), pen and a firefly, plus the tinder on the screwdriver. And thank you VERY much for answering the question about fitting the glasses screwdriver to the short tinder. I can about see my feet without my glasses
Felix Immler has put up a video that shows how to open up a third slot on the plus scales on the corkscrew side, which allows you to put the ferro rod in the toothpick slot and then he shows how to shorten and re-profile a toothpick to put that in the newly opened slot. This allows you to keep tinder and eyeglass screwdriver in the corkscrew and you don't lose any of the tools at all. Just sayin'
Great little piece of kit that adds arguably the most important outdoors/survival function to the SAK -- fun to use and handy as a back-up. Nice to see Victorinox carrying them officially as well. I often use the wood saw to make very fine sawdust for starting a campfire. I do wish the grey tinder was available in the kit as orange clashes with red, and I hope the FireFly toothpick replacement firerod sticks become available through Victorinox as well.
You could always split the difference and use the shorter tinder with the mini screwdriver in the corkscrew and the firefly ferro rod in the toothpick holder.
If you’re an outdoor person, and hiking in low populated areas, this is a cheap life insurance. Most people that die in the mountains, die from exposure, and keeping warm can become a real problem. Making a fire to warm up, or creating smoke as a signal for people to come get you, is something that can literally save your life. You have to ask yourself, what’s your life worth. If going for an option like this, practice making fires with this tool. If you very easily can make a fire on a good day, than you will probably be able to on a bad day as well. Preparation is everything.
@@JonGadget Thank you. I very much appreciate you making these videos. And I didn’t know these products existed before I watched one of yours. So thanks to you, I’m getting myself another lightweight way of starting a fire (the long ferro rod + the long tinder in/on my Victorinox). I can carry this as an EDC item. But more importantly, I can take it with me on a hike if I want to go light, and still be able to start a fire. I live in Norway, and just as in the UK, the weather can change in a blink of an eye. These products gives me another lightweight option to be able to bail out if trouble arise. Is it expensive, yes I guess so. But compared to all the other things we buy in life, that doesn’t have the potential to save our lives, this is quite cheap. So as I commented, what’s your life worth?
Great info. I have the FireAnt on my SAK Compact and on the occasions I've had to use it, performed perfectly. A word of caution tho, after residing inside my pocket for awhile I noticed the tinder began to unfurl from the friction of rubbing. Felix Immler found a novel way of protecting it with a short length of heat shrink tubing. I'd think a piece of plastic straw would also work.
Toothpicks are easily made in the field. Eyeglass screwdriver is super useful esp for those of us that require glasses for everyday sight. choice is easy for me. Then again, I carry a monster ferro with me all the time but hey a backup is good.
Personally I think it's a better idea then sliced bread. I replaced the toothpick with the ferro rod. Then used the corkscrew for a full size starter. I outfitted all of my Swiss army knives that would accept the modifications so no one would be without it. No matter which of them I take I have the safety factor of a fire if everything else fails. Might call it a wilderness fire insurance policy.
i know i'm late but i take the cork screw ferro rod and flip it so it seats in the cork screw rod out giving me a better striking surface and stability best to have a secondary striker on hand ... remember redundancy lol cause ya know murphy's law and such
if you are hiking or camping always carry a small survival kit with sufficient fire starting capabilities. dont rely on this add-on or this knife if you think you might have to spend an unplanned night in the woods.
I was actually thinking about getting both. I don't have a need for a tooth pick, so I wouldn't mind having both in a hunter and having the tooth pick replacement in a explorer, or whichever city victorinox I choose to carry. I would then have the tinder in both and the eye glass screwdriver in the city carry. I ride a motorcycle and this is why I am thinking about setting it up this way. If my bike breaks down, no matter which victorinox I have, I'll be able to make fire, if I break down driving from 1 city, to another. I don't have a hunter yet, but I am planning on going camping, like I used to as a kid, and this setup with the hunter would be awesome. I used to have some kind of Swiss Army Knife as a kid and I lost it, but I would basically have a better setup than I did as a kid. Thank you for this video, I was wondering how good this worked, but I will have a litter as well, but it would be awesome to start a fire this way.
The ferro rod is like a long piece of lighter flint, very fragile. If you carry it make sure that you have the tender in place to slide the rod into it to protect it from breaking . I didn't and it did.
Very informative. I am new to watching your videos. Great job in explaining the tools. I really like the idea of replacing the toothpick with a ferro rod.
Since i bought a modified victorinox with titanium scales from fittosurvive, the long ferro rod does not fit in the toothpick slot, so ive ordered the fire ant and the tinder with tactical grey color, hope to get it soon, Anways! Love your channel mr. Jonathan!
I have the Ferro rod in the toothpick slot on my ranger SAK. My Forestor ( wood ) doesn't have scale tools so this fire ant is excellent for that particular SAK, or any SAK without scale tools, as long as you have the corkscrew of course.
@@E.L.RipleyAtNostromo I have seen the German model, I hadn't noticed that it had the Phillips driver instead of the corkscrew. I do prefare the corkscrew. The length of the driver limits how useful it is. That said Ive only used the corkscrew to loosen knots. I do like the US military issue but they have the driver and are quite expensive. I have at least 5 different 111 mm SKA models, including a custom one I built to get the knife I really wanted. That's what I like about the SKA's, besides the quality, they are easy to customize. I think most of them can be changed to how you want it. Wood models are the exception.
Every Men a few Days after this Video … Women: Hunny? What’s this Scrapping Sound? … do I smell burning? Men: hu hu hu 🧔🏽♂️ made Fire, I have. Time to hunt Food next.
Also, you might not have known this, but the gray and orange tinders are not created equal - as I recall the gray burns faster, but is also more wind-and-or-waterproof.
I've noticed victorinox has also started doing those little items for in the corkscrew also all the different styles of mini driver's very interesting indeed i would love for you to do a review of your victorinox super timer I'm sure a lot of people would find it very interesting much appreciated you sharing your videos with us 👍🏻
Thanks William - yes, they have only recently started stocking these - I assume they are a distributor for Tortoisegear. Super Timer is really just a Champ with a clock - would tthat still be of interest do you think?
@@JonGadget you know there's a lot of victorinox fan's out there you bet it would be of interest there's a big victorinox following and people would love to see the super timer and maybe the story behind it i would be interested to see a review of it as I'm also a big fan of the Swiss champ thanks Jon
Bought one of these today, must be in the top ten worst buys I have made. The 'tinder' is basically a blob of wax with the merest hint of fibres through it. The plastic on the rod is soft and is very awkward to fit into the corkscrew. The rod also has some sort of thick coating on it that you have to scrape off before you can get any spark, far less something large enough to light something. Took about thirty attempts to get anything close to lighting some tinder. This was a Victorinox branded pack so especially disappointing. I shall stick tried and trusted method of carrying a Bic lighter.
Great review. I wish they were not so pricey. Plus I like adding to my knives without sacrificing a tool, even the toothpick. I agree with you though. I would rather sacrifice the toothpick and go with the larger rod and keep my mini screw driver.
Nice review. I got my SAK huntsman on ebay and then got the firefly to get a bigger ferro rod and more tinder. Lighter than carrying dedicated tinder/ferro rod, gives the Bic some redundancy.
I have never been able to use the Vic toothpick as a toothpick; I don't have gaps between my teeth. it is even hard to get waxed dental floss to pass between some of them. So the Victorinox toothpick has no real use for me. I carry a different sort of toothpick in a folding toothbrush that actually works pretty well. Thus, I am using a combination of the Firefly from Tortoise Gear along with the full-sized firestarter which can be bought separately and still allows the tool portion of the eyeglass screwdriver to fit down the center.
Interestingly, in this video, the FireAnt is shown stored in the corkscrew of the Compact model but when it comes to using it, it was shown to be used with the Huntsman model. That implies that it is unusable on Compact. But I have found a good way to use it on the Compact itself. The nail file at the back of the hook acts as a very good surface against which the fireant can be rubbed against to produce good sparks. The hook has to be in open position for this to work.
Added this to my kit. Also found that with a little coercion FireAnt fits the Gerber Armbar Cork, my outdoor kitchen multi tool, too. I was a Scout and later a USMC Mountain Warfare Instructor, many years ago, and when there was a lot less gear available. And I have a bit of outdoor experience under less than Idea conditions. I can tell this is a tool I wish I’d had, although I always managed to get fire when I needed it. And, I do admit enjoying the irritation of other “outdoorsman” when I started fire first try without fancy fire starters.
I've been wanting to get these for a while but their shipping costs to Canada are way too high for such a light item. Would cost me more than the price of buying a new SAK, so unless they start selling in stores it's unlikely I'm ever gonna buy their product sadly. Which I emailed them about and they replied to say they had no plans to sell in stores yet. What a shame.
I believe they sell them through Victorinox, too. Maybe the shipping is free if you order over a certain amount. On their U.S. site, shopping is free for orders over $50. I dunno!
How well does the tinder take pocket wear over time? Do you need to have it covered somehow to prevent it fraying up and loosing its waxed coating? Thanks!
Awesome system review as usual Jonathan. I have found that the 'pick makes a decent crevice tool and so I like having it along even if I don't use it for the stated purpose. It's not an issue for my urban system as that typically has a Compact paired with a Rally which has shorter, stiffer tweezers which I consider to be slightly better than the large tweezers. Therefore I would replace the Compact's tweezers with a Fireant, if that works, and if I adopted the system you showed. If the Rally wasn't along I might find a different place to stow the 'pick.
thanks for the feedback - much appreciated - the tweezer slot is a different shape to the toothpick and the Firefly is designed to fit the toothpick slot if that makes sense 🙂
Bought a set today (Victorinox accessories). When twisting the firestarter into the corkscrew, a lot of force is needed so that it folds flush again. In doing so, you risk breaking the thin fire steel due to the deformation of the plastic handle. This happened to me with two out of three fire steels. The product’s fit is too imprecise (yet).
Hi I was just wondering as to why people who go outdoors would not carry a cigarette lighter instead of a ferro rod ?. I am asking it as a genuine question.
They generally do (and probably matches too) Ferro - for me at least is a back up option that always works. Gas can leak, fuel evaporate, matches get damp - ferro always works.
Just a side note, but with the Huntsman, you can actually have the longer ferro rod AND the toothpick. How? There's a gap next to the scissors that is the perfect size to hold the toothpick nice and snug. In practice, it's never come loose while in my pocket.
Hi, besides the ferro rod, do you have links for all the other little tools like eyeglass screwdriver, toothpick, tweezers, and isn't there one other tool too? Thanks very much.
No as neat a solution, but a normal thin fire rod does fit nicely under the VIC saw. I’d be OK to swap out the tweezers, but never the toothpick. (In my younger days, I thought the toothpick was, well, kind of stupid. Now I realize that it really isn’t.)
Like all of your videos, keep doing more helpful videos. I’m having trouble getting the name of the ferro rod company that you’re saying. Please spell the name of the company and website name. I really want the ferro rod for my SAK.
Hello, will the fire-ant fit the Victorinox Huntsman? I have the Victorinox Camper and it do not fit properly, can not close the corkscrew properly when tinder and fire-ant screwed in.
@@JonGadget Thanks for the reaction Jon. You have the Huntsman and the Fire-Ant, can You try it on please? I can not close my Camper when tinder and Fire-Fly installed. Can You close the corkscrew in the Huntsman all the way down when both are screwed in?
I was just curious to know if you carry a Swiss knife, ferro rod and gas lighter only when you go to the woods or treks ? Or do you carry them daily to work and even during casual outings ?
25 quid for a pathetically tiny fire steel and tinder set. For the diminishingly small chance you need to light a fire in a survival situation and all you have is a swiss army knife. The saner thing to do, when a survival is a necessity is to actually prepare a kit. Buy a real fire steel rod and some parrafin soaked cotton, pack in a lighter and some storm matches / striker for good measure. Put them in a waterproof bag along some other survival tools - paracord, mirror, utility knife, torch, hooks, pins etc. Don't half arse it with some expensive gimmick.
Another great video, thanks! I have the long firefly rods and just picked up the tinder. I like the micro eyeglass screwdriver, so don’t think I’ll be going with these micro rods, but they are a nice option. Question: I ordered the standard orange tinder because it was listed to burn longer, but the grey is supposed to burn hotter in a windy environment but for a shorter period of time. Do you have a preference? Thanks for any input.
Good question - I think the tinder supplied with the Fire Ant micro rods is only supplied in orange (slower burn) - I think this would be my preference - but if I use the firefly and use full length of the corkscrew for tinder the grey would be best of both worlds due to increased amount.
@@JonGadget Thanks for the info. Checking the Tortoise Gear site I found that they make both the Firefly full length helix tinder and the Fire Ant half length tinder in both Orange waterproof and Gray water/wind proof. I like the eyeglass screwdriver in the corkscrews, so bought the gray Fire Ant tinder, and also a pack of the orange Firefly tinder that I could cut in half, just to try it out. It looks like if you’re willing to cut it you get a bit better deal. The eyeglass driver is more useful to me than the toothpick, so will pass on the little Fire Ant rods for now, plus I think the Firefly will last longer.
In decades of wearing glasses I've fortunately never needed an eyeglass screwdriver which is good because without the glasses I'd not be able to see to use it anyway! Good opticians seem to lock those screws in somehow that they don't come loose.
I operate a lot of power equipment such as hammer drills, chainsaws, pneumatic impact gun, snowblowers, etc. On my coffee breaks I got into the habit of checking the screws on my safety glasses, prescription glasses, and sun glasses. I have even found screws on my watch loosen up on occasion. I also have been told on many occasions that I have a screw loose.
In my personal experience if the lenses are the first ones in the frame, the screws almost never come loose. If the lenses get changed several times in a frame, the screws loosen easier. My car sunglasses for example have their 5th set of lenses in the frame (in 23 years), and i do have to tighten the screws approximately twice per year. My current mainly used prescription glasses have their first lenses in them, the frame is 3 or 4 years old, the screws haven't come loose yet. The older frames i have, are like my sunglasses. (they had several lens changes) So i don't want to miss my little corkscrew screwdriver.
Does anyone know if the keyring Manager with only tweezers (and pen) no toothpick will take the shorter type of Firestarter. I see two sizes of Firestarter. I find I never need tweezers but sometimes a starter on a cooker ring doesn't work so a ferrorod is an interesting idea.
@@JonGadget So I have a USA person visiting UK soon so I'm likely to get one their mixture kits, the longer one for my SAK SwissChamp, shorter for my SAK Manager. Thanks for bring us attention to the product family. I've read the Victorinox site reviews for the twisting short product and they have negative reviews on unreliable (twisting breaks them) so think the long tweezer/toothpick is my item to go to buy.
@@GeekfromYorkshire Hi Nigel - if you can spare the toothpick slot it's the better option - especially if you have the wire bender/stripper tool as a striker. The fire ant worked fine for me too (using back of saw as a striker) but not as easy to use.
I prefer the FireFly to the Fire Ant. The latter is too small to use and therefore impractical. In terms of tinder, there are plenty of sources in the outdoors, no need to carry extra in the corkscrew.
The fact that these teeeeeny little additions cost almost as much as the knife itself if truly absurd
If you're broke, you don't care about SAKs or survivalism, or you just don't know what "great value is", then yeah sure. A classic SD is like $35 so yeah the pack costs as much as the cheapest and most basic SAK which isn't saying much. And the rods and tinders altogether can last for years, so spending $35 just once for a product that you won't have to buy again for years is a great value. Some people just look at numbers and without even thinking they get scared that they'll have to pay money no matter what value they're actually getting. Ferro rods aren't cheap as it is so with that in mind, there's nothing absurd about it besides your expectation for something you can pay for in pocket change. Survivalist gear costs a little more than regular supplies. You should know this by now.
@@chilliecheesecake yes
Well said.@@chilliecheesecake
This is, far and away, the greatest mod to all my SAK's with corkscrews! It allows these knives to catapult their usefulness forward, turning them into dedicated, stand-alone fire-producing tools. Forget trying to rub two sticks together. Fluff the tinder and strike with the mini Ferro rod instead.
I agree!
Ferro rod to small !
This just screams for modding a set of plus scales to open up that other channel- tweezers, toothpick (which does have uses for me, just not in my mouth), pen and a firefly, plus the tinder on the screwdriver. And thank you VERY much for answering the question about fitting the glasses screwdriver to the short tinder. I can about see my feet without my glasses
Thanks for the feedback Kevin 😀
"Twisted firestarter"... 😄
😂 I see what you did there 😂
What a Prodigy!
🤣🤣🤣
😁
@@woodypigeon 😬🤣
I just purchased both the toothpick replacement and the fireant. Very cool and truly sets SAKs abilities way above the rest. Thanks for the video.
Felix Immler has put up a video that shows how to open up a third slot on the plus scales on the corkscrew side, which allows you to put the ferro rod in the toothpick slot and then he shows how to shorten and re-profile a toothpick to put that in the newly opened slot.
This allows you to keep tinder and eyeglass screwdriver in the corkscrew and you don't lose any of the tools at all.
Just sayin'
Thanks Peter, I have seen this video. I am a big fan of Felix and his insights. I’m not a fan of the toothpick though 🤣
Thanks Peter, I have seen this video. I am a big fan of Felix and his insights. I’m not a fan of the toothpick though 🤣
Thanks for replying. I enjoy your videos. As it happens, I've always found the toothpick useful. Each to his own.
@@JonGadget Sometimes the toothpick comes in handy just to clean stuff out of the rest of the knife.
Great little piece of kit that adds arguably the most important outdoors/survival function to the SAK -- fun to use and handy as a back-up. Nice to see Victorinox carrying them officially as well. I often use the wood saw to make very fine sawdust for starting a campfire.
I do wish the grey tinder was available in the kit as orange clashes with red, and I hope the FireFly toothpick replacement firerod sticks become available through Victorinox as well.
Great feedback - thank you 🙏
@@JonGadget And you for the great videos! Cheers my friend
You could always split the difference and use the shorter tinder with the mini screwdriver in the corkscrew and the firefly ferro rod in the toothpick holder.
exactly what I do with the Compact
I got the twisted fire starter reference. :D
That was good opening the package with the blade.
😀
A twisted fire starter...... I see that you too are a man of culture. 😉
oh yes 😊
Appreciate the review, but the product is very expensive. Yes convenience is great.
Keep up the you tube videos thanks from Vancouver Canada
Hi James, thanks for the feedback. It is expensive - it is cool though 😃
Same reason i won't buy even though they look great. Can't justify the shipping cost to Canada!
If you’re an outdoor person, and hiking in low populated areas, this is a cheap life insurance. Most people that die in the mountains, die from exposure, and keeping warm can become a real problem. Making a fire to warm up, or creating smoke as a signal for people to come get you, is something that can literally save your life. You have to ask yourself, what’s your life worth.
If going for an option like this, practice making fires with this tool. If you very easily can make a fire on a good day, than you will probably be able to on a bad day as well. Preparation is everything.
@@p.richter9592 great comment 👍
@@JonGadget Thank you. I very much appreciate you making these videos. And I didn’t know these products existed before I watched one of yours. So thanks to you, I’m getting myself another lightweight way of starting a fire (the long ferro rod + the long tinder in/on my Victorinox).
I can carry this as an EDC item. But more importantly, I can take it with me on a hike if I want to go light, and still be able to start a fire. I live in Norway, and just as in the UK, the weather can change in a blink of an eye. These products gives me another lightweight option to be able to bail out if trouble arise. Is it expensive, yes I guess so. But compared to all the other things we buy in life, that doesn’t have the potential to save our lives, this is quite cheap. So as I commented, what’s your life worth?
Great info. I have the FireAnt on my SAK Compact and on the occasions I've had to use it, performed perfectly. A word of caution tho, after residing inside my pocket for awhile I noticed the tinder began to unfurl from the friction of rubbing. Felix Immler found a novel way of protecting it with a short length of heat shrink tubing. I'd think a piece of plastic straw would also work.
I saw that too 👍 I’m using scotch tape wrapped around it and that’s been working for me too.
@@bar8067 Wire stripper notch.
I’ve been carrying the toothpick replacement version for a while but just got the tender. Adding it to the knives I carry often.
good stuff Dale 👍
Excellent that will save a model upgrade and save money 👏👏👏
great 👍
Have the mini Ferro rod in my Huntsman. Great product. Thanks for the review.
Great to hear 🙂
I have the glow in the dark fire ant in my huntsman and camper.
I use my toothpick several times everyday. I really like this fire starter. Thanks for sharing 👍
The toothpick is great for squeezing into tiny cracks and crevices.. It's like a little plastic jimmy
Tom Hanks in the Castaway would appreciate that 😁👍 Especially with the Compact is such a neat package. Cheers
you're not wrong!
Toothpicks are easily made in the field. Eyeglass screwdriver is super useful esp for those of us that require glasses for everyday sight. choice is easy for me. Then again, I carry a monster ferro with me all the time but hey a backup is good.
Very helpful, informative video with a cool background. Thank you!
Thanks Timothy 😀
I have this (glow in the dark) fire ant
I use the tooth pick so always keep it.
Great video, thankyou
Personally I think it's a better idea then sliced bread. I replaced the toothpick with the ferro rod. Then used the corkscrew for a full size starter. I outfitted all of my Swiss army knives that would accept the modifications so no one would be without it. No matter which of them I take I have the safety factor of a fire if everything else fails. Might call it a wilderness fire insurance policy.
Thanks for the great feedback Chuck
i know i'm late but i take the cork screw ferro rod and flip it so it seats in the cork screw rod out giving me a better striking surface and stability best to have a secondary striker on hand ... remember redundancy lol cause ya know murphy's law and such
Thank you for making it. I'm excited to try it out.
if you are hiking or camping always carry a small survival kit with sufficient fire starting capabilities. dont rely on this add-on or this knife if you think you might have to spend an unplanned night in the woods.
Looooove your videos man!! Maybe you could do a budget EDC segment one day for EDC enthusiast college students like me!! All love mate!
btw im watching you all the way from the Philippines 👏🏻
Thank you for the feedback and suggestion Nico - greetings to the Philippines 🙂
I was actually thinking about getting both. I don't have a need for a tooth pick, so I wouldn't mind having both in a hunter and having the tooth pick replacement in a explorer, or whichever city victorinox I choose to carry. I would then have the tinder in both and the eye glass screwdriver in the city carry. I ride a motorcycle and this is why I am thinking about setting it up this way. If my bike breaks down, no matter which victorinox I have, I'll be able to make fire, if I break down driving from 1 city, to another. I don't have a hunter yet, but I am planning on going camping, like I used to as a kid, and this setup with the hunter would be awesome. I used to have some kind of Swiss Army Knife as a kid and I lost it, but I would basically have a better setup than I did as a kid. Thank you for this video, I was wondering how good this worked, but I will have a litter as well, but it would be awesome to start a fire this way.
The ferro rod is like a long piece of lighter flint, very fragile. If you carry it make sure that you have the tender in place to slide the rod into it to protect it from breaking . I didn't and it did.
Very informative. I am new to watching your videos. Great job in explaining the tools. I really like the idea of replacing the toothpick with a ferro rod.
Thanks for the feedback. Welcome to the channel 👍
Since i bought a modified victorinox with titanium scales from fittosurvive, the long ferro rod does not fit in the toothpick slot, so ive ordered the fire ant and the tinder with tactical grey color, hope to get it soon, Anways! Love your channel mr. Jonathan!
Thank you Ryan 😊 Yep, sounds like an ideal solution 👍
Great add on tool
I have the Ferro rod in the toothpick slot on my ranger SAK. My Forestor ( wood ) doesn't have scale tools so this fire ant is excellent for that particular SAK, or any SAK without scale tools, as long as you have the corkscrew of course.
great solution 👍
Good point. I almost went with the Forester but went with the German Army one instead, that has a Phillips driver. That wood Forester is nice though.
@@E.L.RipleyAtNostromo I have seen the German model, I hadn't noticed that it had the Phillips driver instead of the corkscrew. I do prefare the corkscrew. The length of the driver limits how useful it is.
That said Ive only used the corkscrew to loosen knots.
I do like the US military issue but they have the driver and are quite expensive. I have at least 5 different 111 mm SKA models, including a custom one I built to get the knife I really wanted. That's what I like about the SKA's, besides the quality, they are easy to customize. I think most of them can be changed to how you want it. Wood models are the exception.
Thank you. Great review as always
thank you
Very useful video, thank you!
great!
Every Men a few Days after this Video …
Women: Hunny? What’s this Scrapping Sound? … do I smell burning?
Men: hu hu hu 🧔🏽♂️ made Fire, I have. Time to hunt Food next.
😁
😁👍
Great review, thanks 😊👍
thank you 🙂
I have added this to my Huntsman. I wrapped the tinder in electrical tape so it does not wear in my pocket.
Also, you might not have known this, but the gray and orange tinders are not created equal - as I recall the gray burns faster, but is also more wind-and-or-waterproof.
ah! yes, I did pick this up from the website but totally forgot - thanks for the reminder
I've noticed victorinox has also started doing those little items for in the corkscrew also all the different styles of mini driver's very interesting indeed i would love for you to do a review of your victorinox super timer I'm sure a lot of people would find it very interesting much appreciated you sharing your videos with us 👍🏻
Thanks William - yes, they have only recently started stocking these - I assume they are a distributor for Tortoisegear. Super Timer is really just a Champ with a clock - would tthat still be of interest do you think?
@@JonGadget you know there's a lot of victorinox fan's out there you bet it would be of interest there's a big victorinox following and people would love to see the super timer and maybe the story behind it i would be interested to see a review of it as I'm also a big fan of the Swiss champ thanks Jon
Thanks @@name5949 that's great feedback - OK I'll put it on the list - would probably work really well with the new 5 minute format
@@JonGadget😃 fantastic I'm going to be on the look out for it now, thanks Jonathan i really appreciate it 😃👍
Bought one of these today, must be in the top ten worst buys I have made. The 'tinder' is basically a blob of wax with the merest hint of fibres through it. The plastic on the rod is soft and is very awkward to fit into the corkscrew. The rod also has some sort of thick coating on it that you have to scrape off before you can get any spark, far less something large enough to light something. Took about thirty attempts to get anything close to lighting some tinder. This was a Victorinox branded pack so especially disappointing. I shall stick tried and trusted method of carrying a Bic lighter.
Fantastic Video! really cool fire starter kit!
thanks for the feedback
Great video. Could you tell me what size Farrell rod to purchase to replace the toothpick for the compact and the huntsman.
Great review. I wish they were not so pricey. Plus I like adding to my knives without sacrificing a tool, even the toothpick. I agree with you though. I would rather sacrifice the toothpick and go with the larger rod and keep my mini screw driver.
Thanks for the feedback 👍 much appreciated Jeffrey
Nice review. I got my SAK huntsman on ebay and then got the firefly to get a bigger ferro rod and more tinder. Lighter than carrying dedicated tinder/ferro rod, gives the Bic some redundancy.
Amazing video as always Sir 🥳
Thanks Eyal 🙏
The ranger group is a nice Swiss Army for outside work too
I have never been able to use the Vic toothpick as a toothpick; I don't have gaps between my teeth. it is even hard to get waxed dental floss to pass between some of them. So the Victorinox toothpick has no real use for me. I carry a different sort of toothpick in a folding toothbrush that actually works pretty well. Thus, I am using a combination of the Firefly from Tortoise Gear along with the full-sized firestarter which can be bought separately and still allows the tool portion of the eyeglass screwdriver to fit down the center.
great feedback - I'm the same re the toothpick
Interestingly, in this video, the FireAnt is shown stored in the corkscrew of the Compact model but when it comes to using it, it was shown to be used with the Huntsman model. That implies that it is unusable on Compact. But I have found a good way to use it on the Compact itself. The nail file at the back of the hook acts as a very good surface against which the fireant can be rubbed against to produce good sparks. The hook has to be in open position for this to work.
I’m talking about the toothpick replacement ferro rod.
Added this to my kit. Also found that with a little coercion FireAnt fits the Gerber Armbar Cork, my outdoor kitchen multi tool, too. I was a Scout and later a USMC Mountain Warfare Instructor, many years ago, and when there was a lot less gear available. And I have a bit of outdoor experience under less than Idea conditions. I can tell this is a tool I wish I’d had, although I always managed to get fire when I needed it. And, I do admit enjoying the irritation of other “outdoorsman” when I started fire first try without fancy fire starters.
I really like these too 👍
I've been wanting to get these for a while but their shipping costs to Canada are way too high for such a light item. Would cost me more than the price of buying a new SAK, so unless they start selling in stores it's unlikely I'm ever gonna buy their product sadly. Which I emailed them about and they replied to say they had no plans to sell in stores yet. What a shame.
It's a good point - same is true of UK - I am sure they will get distribution sorted at some point in the future
I believe they sell them through Victorinox, too. Maybe the shipping is free if you order over a certain amount. On their U.S. site, shopping is free for orders over $50. I dunno!
Very interesting. Thanks a lot for tips.
How well does the tinder take pocket wear over time? Do you need to have it covered somehow to prevent it fraying up and loosing its waxed coating?
Thanks!
Jon, The Compact SAK (my favorite EDC SAK) doesn’t have a saw and the blade doesn’t have a sharp spine. How do you spark the Ferro Rod?
Cool
I see what you did there. Youre a real Prodigy at puns.
Here's a fiver for your efforts.
Thanks so much for that. Really appreciated.
The toothpick or ferro rod will also fit under the saw and fish scale tool of the SAK Champ. So I don’t need to leave eyeglass tool.
great suggestion - I must try that - thanks for sharing
Awesome system review as usual Jonathan. I have found that the 'pick makes a decent crevice tool and so I like having it along even if I don't use it for the stated purpose. It's not an issue for my urban system as that typically has a Compact paired with a Rally which has shorter, stiffer tweezers which I consider to be slightly better than the large tweezers. Therefore I would replace the Compact's tweezers with a Fireant, if that works, and if I adopted the system you showed. If the Rally wasn't along I might find a different place to stow the 'pick.
thanks for the feedback - much appreciated - the tweezer slot is a different shape to the toothpick and the Firefly is designed to fit the toothpick slot if that makes sense 🙂
@@JonGadget Ah, thanks for enlightening me.
Hello: What is the Compact and Rally, with reference to the Huntsman? Thanks very much.
I prefer the long Ferro rod as well, I think is possible to make a similar homemade firestarter with cotton and candle wax.
agree - nice to have it perfectly fitting the corkscrew though 🙂
Bought a set today (Victorinox accessories). When twisting the firestarter into the corkscrew, a lot of force is needed so that it folds flush again. In doing so, you risk breaking the thin fire steel due to the deformation of the plastic handle. This happened to me with two out of three fire steels. The product’s fit is too imprecise (yet).
That's interesting as mine fits fine!
All that toothpick hate...love mine :D
many do 😀
They are great for opening cable ties for reuse
Hi I was just wondering as to why people who go outdoors would not carry a cigarette lighter instead of a ferro rod ?. I am asking it as a genuine question.
They generally do (and probably matches too) Ferro - for me at least is a back up option that always works. Gas can leak, fuel evaporate, matches get damp - ferro always works.
@@JonGadget Thank you :)
Great review by the way
The toothpick is my most used item on my sak’s
Just a side note, but with the Huntsman, you can actually have the longer ferro rod AND the toothpick. How? There's a gap next to the scissors that is the perfect size to hold the toothpick nice and snug. In practice, it's never come loose while in my pocket.
that's really good to know Peter - thanks for sharing
Was not expecting the nod to Prodigy in the open.
@Jon Gadget Make a video where you show how to make the fire starter and the tinder for it from cheap materials available and you get much more views
Hi, besides the ferro rod, do you have links for all the other little tools like eyeglass screwdriver, toothpick, tweezers, and isn't there one other tool too? Thanks very much.
almost impossible to find in Italy 🤦♂️ i would give a try but buying abroad it is to expensive
sorry to hear that - try Victorinox website!
Hey! Where do you get the larger grey tinder? Looks great but can’t find a link or information on where to buy that. Thanks so much!
Tortoisegear.com 👍
A twisted fire starter! hahaha! good one
So what is the firefly and fireant. Thank you for your feedback!
No as neat a solution, but a normal thin fire rod does fit nicely under the VIC saw.
I’d be OK to swap out the tweezers, but never the toothpick. (In my younger days, I thought the toothpick was, well, kind of stupid. Now I realize that it really isn’t.)
Thanks for the comment - some people do really value the toothpick - not yet for me though 🙂
nice, but missing a black and red version :)
Like all of your videos, keep doing more helpful videos. I’m having trouble getting the name of the ferro rod company that you’re saying. Please spell the name of the company and website name. I really want the ferro rod for my SAK.
That’s cool but availability and price is the issue. 35$ for a fire is just too much .
there are some other options on the website which are a lower cost - but not cheap 🙂
Have you tried using this with the Victorinox compact? What would you use as the striking surface on that knife?
not a good option with Compact - no striking surface for the FireAnt
Does it fit in a Leatherman or Gerber too?
Wait....me using the toothpick puts me in some kind of SAK minority? When did this happen?
I think I might be in the minority 😁
3:25 I see a problem with this set up; out and about the temperature and conditions are most likely not as ideal as inside.
Hello, will the fire-ant fit the Victorinox Huntsman? I have the Victorinox Camper and it do not fit properly, can not close the corkscrew properly when tinder and fire-ant screwed in.
It should fit the Camper as the corkscrew as I understand it will be the same across 91mm knives
@@JonGadget Thanks for the reaction Jon. You have the Huntsman and the Fire-Ant, can You try it on please? I can not close my Camper when tinder and Fire-Fly installed. Can You close the corkscrew in the Huntsman all the way down when both are screwed in?
I was just curious to know if you carry a Swiss knife, ferro rod and gas lighter only when you go to the woods or treks ? Or do you carry them daily to work and even during casual outings ?
I always carry a Compact - so a ferro rod and tinder might as well be there - gas lighter more for travel and outdoor
@@JonGadget I ordered a huntsman after seeing your video. Is it a good knife to carry on an everyday basis ?.
25 quid for a pathetically tiny fire steel and tinder set. For the diminishingly small chance you need to light a fire in a survival situation and all you have is a swiss army knife. The saner thing to do, when a survival is a necessity is to actually prepare a kit. Buy a real fire steel rod and some parrafin soaked cotton, pack in a lighter and some storm matches / striker for good measure. Put them in a waterproof bag along some other survival tools - paracord, mirror, utility knife, torch, hooks, pins etc. Don't half arse it with some expensive gimmick.
I have been watching your channel for a while now and I just have to ask. Where can I buy the mini fero rode for the huntsman.
Another great video, thanks! I have the long firefly rods and just picked up the tinder. I like the micro eyeglass screwdriver, so don’t think I’ll be going with these micro rods, but they are a nice option. Question: I ordered the standard orange tinder because it was listed to burn longer, but the grey is supposed to burn hotter in a windy environment but for a shorter period of time. Do you have a preference? Thanks for any input.
Good question - I think the tinder supplied with the Fire Ant micro rods is only supplied in orange (slower burn) - I think this would be my preference - but if I use the firefly and use full length of the corkscrew for tinder the grey would be best of both worlds due to increased amount.
@@JonGadget Thanks for the info. Checking the Tortoise Gear site I found that they make both the Firefly full length helix tinder and the Fire Ant half length tinder in both Orange waterproof and Gray water/wind proof. I like the eyeglass screwdriver in the corkscrews, so bought the gray Fire Ant tinder, and also a pack of the orange Firefly tinder that I could cut in half, just to try it out. It looks like if you’re willing to cut it you get a bit better deal. The eyeglass driver is more useful to me than the toothpick, so will pass on the little Fire Ant rods for now, plus I think the Firefly will last longer.
@@E.L.RipleyAtNostromo that sounds ideal
But the compact you can't beat it
Where do I find the eye glass screw driver for the compact?
Vic website
How would you strike sparks from your Compact with the FireAnt?
Good question - not easy, I tried, would recommend FireFly and wire stripper.
You'd probably have to modify it by filing a flat part on one of the tools.
@@Pinki2019 yes, that would do it
Squared up the back of the fixed half of the scissors for that using sharpening stone.
Leatherman PS4 Review Please 🙏🙏🙏
😃😃😃😇😇
I'll put it on the list - a new LM product review coming up in next week all being well....
In decades of wearing glasses I've fortunately never needed an eyeglass screwdriver which is good because without the glasses I'd not be able to see to use it anyway! Good opticians seem to lock those screws in somehow that they don't come loose.
Sunglasses seem to be my issue - even prescription ones 🤔
I operate a lot of power equipment such as hammer drills, chainsaws, pneumatic impact gun, snowblowers, etc. On my coffee breaks I got into the habit of checking the screws on my safety glasses, prescription glasses, and sun glasses. I have even found screws on my watch loosen up on occasion. I also have been told on many occasions that I have a screw loose.
@@kevola5739 👍🤣🤣🤣
In my personal experience if the lenses are the first ones in the frame, the screws almost never come loose. If the lenses get changed several times in a frame, the screws loosen easier. My car sunglasses for example have their 5th set of lenses in the frame (in 23 years), and i do have to tighten the screws approximately twice per year.
My current mainly used prescription glasses have their first lenses in them, the frame is 3 or 4 years old, the screws haven't come loose yet. The older frames i have, are like my sunglasses. (they had several lens changes) So i don't want to miss my little corkscrew screwdriver.
@@nirfz thanks for sharing 👍
👍👍👏
👍😃
Pretty awesome how one of the least utilized and practical tools of SAK just got upgraded lol
Does anyone know if the keyring Manager with only tweezers (and pen) no toothpick will take the shorter type of Firestarter. I see two sizes of Firestarter. I find I never need tweezers but sometimes a starter on a cooker ring doesn't work so a ferrorod is an interesting idea.
if the Manager is the same layout as other small SAK's then it should I think - Tortoisegear.com will know for sure.
@@JonGadget I asked them and yes "Hi,
Yes the Firefly Mini will fit into the tweezer slot on the Manager model.
Thank you,
Eric"
@@GeekfromYorkshire that's great to hear 👍
@@JonGadget So I have a USA person visiting UK soon so I'm likely to get one their mixture kits, the longer one for my SAK SwissChamp, shorter for my SAK Manager. Thanks for bring us attention to the product family. I've read the Victorinox site reviews for the twisting short product and they have negative reviews on unreliable (twisting breaks them) so think the long tweezer/toothpick is my item to go to buy.
@@GeekfromYorkshire Hi Nigel - if you can spare the toothpick slot it's the better option - especially if you have the wire bender/stripper tool as a striker. The fire ant worked fine for me too (using back of saw as a striker) but not as easy to use.
Ordered mini fero rods and fire ants from kickstarter but never delivered!
that's unfortunate - I'm sure it can be sorted if you drop them an email
I prefer the FireFly to the Fire Ant. The latter is too small to use and therefore impractical. In terms of tinder, there are plenty of sources in the outdoors, no need to carry extra in the corkscrew.
You are one of few that uses the ferro rod correctly! Pull the ferro rod, not the striker.
🇵🇬
i opened a bottle of wine without removing those first and i started a fire