Firesteel math

A Swedish Army firesteel (the larger model on the Left) generates sparks at 3,000° Celsius and lasts approximately 12,000 strikes.

Using charcloth with the firesteel greatly improves my chances of starting a fire within the first two or three strikes.

Assuming it takes me three strikes to get a fire going that means I'll get approximately 4,000 fires from one firesteel.

If I lived outdoors and started a fire every day using the firesteel it would last me 10.9589 years. Yeah, almost 11 YEARS!

Of course I neither live outdoors nor do I use the firesteel to start every fire. That means I'll get more than 11 years out of the firesteel unless it corrodes to dust through neglect. <--this is the biggest shortcoming of the firesteel. Fortunately a coat of fingernail polish takes care of the best part of the corrosion problem.

A few years back I was buying these two at a time from a friend that was selling them to support the Boy Scouts in the Netherlands. I think I have six left.

I don't think I'm going to live long enough to use them all...

Thanks for reading,

B