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Ultimate Survival Technologies Sparkie Fire Starter

ORANGE

Ultimate Survival Technologies Sparkie Fire Starter

$9.95

(16)

Item # 783662

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Designed for use in the most adverse weather conditions, the lightweight and compact Sparkie™ fire starter from Ultimate Survival Technologies is a must-have for any serious adventurer.

Weighing in at less than 1 oz., the Sparkie fire starter is about a third the weight and less than half the volume of its big brother, the BlastMatch™
Internal tungsten carbide striker allows simple 1-handed operation; user must press thumb button to engage the striker
Rubberized grip gives you great control during use
Spring-loaded flint bar rotates 360° to allow for even wear; bar retracts inside the body for compact storage
If the Sparkie gets wet, simply wipe it off and it's ready for use

Made in USA.

Item 783662

View all Ultimate Survival Technologies products

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Ultimate Survival Technologies Sparkie Fire Starter Customer Reviews

REVIEW SNAPSHOT®

by PowerReviews

Ultimate Survival Technologies Sparkie Fire Starter

2.4

(based on 16 reviews)

44%

of respondents would recommend this to a friend.

Pros

Compact (16)
Lightweight (14)
Easy to use (8)
Functional (7)

Cons

Difficult to use (5)
Doesn't work (4)

Best Uses

Backcountry camping (8)
Camping (6)
Survival (5)
Day trip (4)
River (4)

- Reviewer Profile:
- Avid adventurer (10), Casual/ recreational (4)
- What Is Your Gear Style:
- Survivalist / minimalist (11), Comfort driven (4)
- Was this a gift?:
- No (5)

REVIEWS

Reviewed by 16 customers

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Displaying reviews 1-10

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Jan

2009

(14 of 16 customers found this review helpful)

2.0

Quirks not yet worked out.

By Falcon5000

from fl

About Me Avid Adventurer

See all my reviews

Pros

Compact
Easy to use when not jam
Lightweight

Cons

3 strike shots per time
Jams up easy
Very small rod

Best Uses

Backcountry Camping
Survival

Comments about Ultimate Survival Technologies Sparkie Fire Starter:

The product is a great concept but the design is prone for the rod to jam up in the body (even after cleaning), rod is way too small, cheap plastic guard easily gets damaged and your only allowed 3 strikes before letting it cool down or you will damage the unit. Bottom line is if the bugs are worked out it could be a awesome product, but for now it needs to go back to the drawing board. To many failure points and not enough rod for long time use like the blast match. Love the blast match, hate the sparky for now.

Jul

2009

(6 of 7 customers found this review helpful)

2.0

Pass on this gimmick

By Jabbakahut

from Oregon

About Me Avid Adventurer

See all my reviews

Pros

Compact
Easy to Use
Functional
Lightweight

Cons

Design

Best Uses

Comments about Ultimate Survival Technologies Sparkie Fire Starter:

I wanted a simple striker to keep on my key chain. This product only appears to fit the bill. In terms of spark generation-it does well as long as you aren't on a slippery surface (i.e. a rock). The one handed use is nice and the strikes have been reliable. It does feel cheap and I'm suspect of how long it would last.

I rate it so low because the selling point seems to be the collapsability of it. But it will not lock shut. When it was on my keys-each time I pulled it out of the pocket it was in the open position (which could catch and break). Even pulling it out of a pack it will be open.

If a product is designed to remain closed until use, and it doesn't fulfill this design-it is a complete failure in my opinion.

Dec

2009

(4 of 4 customers found this review helpful)

1.0

Much to be desired

By stephm514

from longmont, co

See all my reviews

Pros

Compact
Easy to Use
Lightweight

Cons

Not Durable

Best Uses

Comments about Ultimate Survival Technologies Sparkie Fire Starter:

I bought this as a Christmas gift. I was told it was a great product by someone at the store. It worked great the first 4 times, and then it jammed and totally broke. I will be looking for a replacement gift. Great idea and definitely easy to use, but is not dependable at all!

Jun

2009

(4 of 8 customers found this review helpful)

1.0

Interesting idea, but...

By Scoutmaster Matt

from Bellevue, Washington

About Me Avid Adventurer

See all my reviews

Pros

Compact

Cons

Difficult to Use

Best Uses

Comments about Ultimate Survival Technologies Sparkie Fire Starter:

A neat idea, but don't count on it should the device become wet. Also, it is ergonomically awkward if you're trying to light a stove.

As with any item in your ten essentials list, practice at home to ensure you'll be able to make it work in the field. Better yet, have the salesperson demonstrate the product in the store.

Feb

2009

(4 of 6 customers found this review helpful)

4.0

Big shower of sparks

By JL

from Boston, MA

About Me Avid Adventurer

See all my reviews

Pros

Compact
Easy to Use
Functional
Lightweight

Cons

Best Uses

Backcountry Camping
Campgrounds

Comments about Ultimate Survival Technologies Sparkie Fire Starter:

I loved the other UST products but they were always too heavy for my purposes. I use a flint to start my alcohol stove and start the occasional campfire.

At first I thought that it looks kinda like it could break easily and the pop-out mechanism could easily jam in the closed position. But it seems fine, and I figured if I was in an emergency I could break it open to
use the flint anyways.

I really like the one handed operation a lot. I use an alcohol stove and I never like lighting it using a conventional flint and striker. I always
worried about the striker hitting the stove by mistake and knocking it over and spilling the alcohol out. The Sparkie totally solves the problem! Now I can just extend the flint, hold it over the stove and press the flint in with my index finger. Much easier and safer!

The sparks are great, like your other two products which I've tried.

Anyways, nice product, much more usable than the SparkLites for example...bigger sparks, easier to use when hands are very cold...just great!

JL

Oct

2009

(3 of 3 customers found this review helpful)

1.0

Garbage

By getlost

from Poulsbo Wa.

About Me Avid Adventurer

See all my reviews

Pros

Compact
Lightweight

Cons

Difficult to Use
Gums up easy
Let me down
Not Durable

Best Uses

Playing in my back yard

Comments about Ultimate Survival Technologies Sparkie Fire Starter:

This product is light enough for a back up fire starter.This should never be your main source for flamage!

Mar

2010

(2 of 3 customers found this review helpful)

4.0

Little Sparkie Makes Big Sparks

By HominiLupus

from Chester, VA

About Me Casual/ Recreational

See all my reviews

Pros

Compact
Functional
Lightweight

Cons

Best Uses

Backcountry Camping
Campgrounds
Day Trips
River
Survival
Trips
Winter Camping

Comments about Ultimate Survival Technologies Sparkie Fire Starter:

Light and compact when clicked closed, yet delivers a shower of fierce sparks like no other fire steel I've ever owned. This newer version with a nice fire notch in the rod holder lights a cotton ball, fatwood dust or loosely wadded tissue every time. Newsprint lighting can be a little dicey with a breeze, but for something that never runs out of fuel, I can't find it in my heart to condemn the little guy. I've lit barbeque pits, charcoal chimneys, alcohol and tab stoves, and campfires with barely a hitch.

Jun

2011

(1 of 1 customers found this review helpful)

1.0

Junky and ineffective.

By JustinBaker

from Santa Rosa, CA

About Me Avid Adventurer

See all my reviews

Pros

Compact
Easy to Use
Lightweight

Cons

Easily Breakable
Ineffective

Best Uses

Comments about Ultimate Survival Technologies Sparkie Fire Starter:

The sparkie is an interesting concept but it does not work well and is very prone to breaking. It is very similar to the Blastmactch, just a whole lot smaller. It produces a mediocre amount of sparks that aren't going to light much more than a cotton ball. It also broke on me pretty quickly.
You are much better off getting a regular firesteel with a striker. It's not as simple to use, but its really not that hard to scrape and make sparks in the first place.

Jun

2011

(1 of 1 customers found this review helpful)

4.0

Perfect for alcohol stoves

By jsvm

from NY

About Me Casual/ Recreational

See all my reviews

Pros

Compact
Easy to Use
Functional
Lightweight

Cons

Best Uses

Backcountry Camping
River

Comments about Ultimate Survival Technologies Sparkie Fire Starter:

One handed operation which is perfect for lighting alcohol stoves. It has a less chance of knocking the stove over as compared to using a typical rod and striker.
The rod could get stuck inside specially if stored in its closed position. A more robust rod would have been better.

May

2011

(1 of 1 customers found this review helpful)

1.0

Return It!

By CougarGirl

from Beaverton, OR

About Me Avid Adventurer

See all my reviews

Pros

Compact
Lightweight

Cons

Difficult to Use
Ineffective

Best Uses

Comments about Ultimate Survival Technologies Sparkie Fire Starter:

The hubs and I got this on a whim, always trying to find better fire-starters, and were really disappointed. We tried for over an hour to get the sparks to light some tinder and because you have to push the tip down to get a spark it would crush anything that lit. The overall design is great, but I think there are definately some kinks to be worked out.