Review Toothpick upgrade

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gadgetgeek

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May 19, 2007
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Just wanted to post about this just in-case anyone else had seen them and was wondering how well they worked. I backed the Tortoise Gear Fireflys, and finally got mine. Nice little firesteel, looks like they really did put more effort into it than just getting some little baby steels molded. Obviously won't last forever, they are pretty little, but as a slick little backup being handy for lighting that odd BBQ or in a stash-kit, I can see them doing pretty well. I mean, you have a knife, you can make a toothpick right? They do chuck sparks like a hot-damn, though they won't be on par with a gob-spark or even a big LMF, but to get a cotton ball going, more than enough. Add a little capsule with a couple tinder-quick to a Huntsman or a trekker, and you have a pretty ready fire-kit. In fact, you could get the mini-size and if flying in Canada, you now have a flight legal survival kit!

The only thing I don't know about is how susceptible they are going to be to corrosion. I'm a little concerned about every-day pocket carry because its going to be in contact with that aluminum liner, and so that might cause a problem in a high sweat environment. But for that backpack knife, or on a keyring, might be worth looking at.
 
I can talk about how I'm sure one with cold shaky hands would snap this thing right away, but really I just don't see anything as an upgrade to the Vic toothpick.
I love my Vic toothpicks and use them daily, I will never take a Vic with a toothpick and make it a Vic without one.
 
Its possible, but the forces required to spark it is much less than what most would expect. If you have the motor control to open the knife and remove this from the scale, you'd be fine. Its not going to be the stand alone fire-starter for someone who expects a cold water immersion, but aside from a road flare, what is?
Given how many people don't feel that the toothpick is sanitary and don't use it, I think that more people don't use it than do. But that's just my guess.
To each their own, but its a cool thing for those who want an all in one solution, given how many times "firesteel" comes up on "multi-tool feature you really wish you could get for the woods" threads that happen every couple of years. Well, now you can.
 
I didn't even know these existed... I think I might pick up the combo pack just for the hell of it. Thanks! :)

I don't use the toothpick to clean my teeth and I've found I can substitute the SAK push pin for the toothpick in most applications.
 
gadgetgeek said:
Its possible, but the forces required to spark it is much less than what most would expect. If you have the motor control to open the knife and remove this from the scale, you'd be fine. Its not going to be the stand alone fire-starter for someone who expects a cold water immersion, but aside from a road flare, what is?
Given how many people don't feel that the toothpick is sanitary and don't use it, I think that more people don't use it than do. But that's just my guess.
To each their own, but its a cool thing for those who want an all in one solution, given how many times "firesteel" comes up on "multi-tool feature you really wish you could get for the woods" threads that happen every couple of years. Well, now you can.
Click to expand...

What are you striking it with? The back of a SAK blade is pretty polished. Is it with the saw? Too bad they didn’t make the tip tapered. It could then be a toothpick and a fire steel.
 
So far I've tried the back of the saw, can opener, awl, and the blade from the scissors. So not ideal with the Compact since it will dull the scissors. Could use the blade, but given how you have to hold them, it would be a bit hazardous. Since the saw is ideal, its best for "woods" saks, but a little squaring of an edge would be pretty easy if you were going to use one of the other surfaces.
 
I think I'll just stick with my Bic or Zippo, and maybe some strike anywhere matches in a Marbles waterproof match safe.
 
I sniff someone getting offended. :D
Matches are very good option to have in the wilderness. If your lighter freezes in the middle of the winter, matches are pretty much the best option (if they are not wet).
 
No, no, not offended. Australia just has something against matches that work, and I miss the days of a pill bottle of red-birds in every coat pocket when I was kid. So for me, the idea of matches is kinda a bit of a, that'd be nice. I've also dried out a zippo in under 10 hours in the heat here. Its all good :D If that's the flipside to living in whats as close to paradise as I've found, I'll take it.
 
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