EricX Light 2 PCS 1/2 Inch X 6 Inch Ferrocerium Rod Flint Fire Starter, Super Thick Rod Provide You A Decent Shower of Sparks, Drilled A Lanyard Hold Great for DIY Your Own Survival Kit

Big ferro rods like these will literally last you for years and the size makes them very easy to hold and control compared to some of the tinier ones on the market. After one scrape to remove the exterior paint I was throwing strong sparks immediately. At the time of purchase these two rods were $16.99, which is a great price for rods this big that work this well.These rods do not come with a striker and while some people might complain about that, I actually look at it as an advantage because, IMHO, the standard strikers that come with ferro rods are worse than useless. When I first got into using ferro rods I ordered a pair of rods that at I initially thought were defective. Turns out the rods were actually fine, but the included strikers were so bad that it made it impossible to make anything more than a tiny spark. I got a $1.99 pair of scissors and use them closed as a striker on both the old rods and these new rods… sparks fly everywhere!The only minor disadvantages I can see are:1. If you want a firestarter for a compact/ultralight kit then obviously a big ferro rod like this might not be what you want, but that’s just the nature of the product.2. I really like that there is a hole pre-drilled for a tie-off, but in my case I have paracord that’s just a hair too thick to put through the hole easily. That’s not a showstopper though and of course a slightly thinner twine will work fine.