The Friendly Swede Magnesium Fire Starters 

Others have said it but this video is one of the best I have seen on mag blocks very clear and complete presentation. I especially like the fact that you have said not all different manufacturers have the same quality magnesium as some of the Chicom products are worthless. This was a great review and demonstration. Based on your video I have got mine ordered. Thanks.

Great video, I was actually looking at The Friendly Swede's mag bars for a couple weeks now trying to decide whether to order them or not lol, Looks like a good product and very informative video.

Thanks for putting this up John. Really helpful. Noel

Good information, thank you! I was wondering which fire stater to buy for my nephew and this gave me a lot of good information on types of fire starters.

The coating is a great idea...I have coated mine in past with wax.... they also individually wrapped them. On the shelf the Mag. does erode but the I had found the flint deteriorated more rapidly in moist conditions...

I totally thought we wanted big shavings! Show's how much I know... At least I know now! Thanks

I always wondered why more people didn't use these, but I guess I know now based on the comments that many people thought they shaved it. Good video ;)-

That was great video, John. Made me realize that I did not know how to use a Magnesium fire starter correctly. I may look in to ordering these and put one in my pack and in my two cars. Thanks great review.

Very informative and helpful; thanks for the vid! Can you tell me what brand/style of folding knife is featured in the vid? It has a silver-colored body and an unusual shape to the blade tip. Just curious; thanks!

Awesome and clear instructions Thank you

Saw this and bought a pack. It's a good product. Thank you for your review.

The Friendly Swede makes some good stuff! Very informative John Thanks.

Thanks for the video. Time to add one to my bag!!

Great job in demonstrating it's use. Just purchased one and can easily use it after watching your video. Regards, Randall.

Some mag bars are harder than others. The softer the better as they are easier to scrape. You will always use up the fero rod before the magnesium. Nice job demoing the Friendly Swede. It is a softer mag bar, hence better, IMO.

excellent review and how-to video, I just got a block for Christmas and your explanation and demonstration is extremely useful. thanks.

very neat...I had no idea how to use a magnesium block until after this video...Good review...

Great review John! It never hurts to keep around different sources for making fire. I always carry a few like your ferro rod and striker laced into my boots and your true survival bracelet on my wrist while hiking. I keep keep mag block in my pack. Take care bud and keep the vids coming! Roger

Really gret and detailed information.

Does the black keep it from corrosion while stored away

Top tips again my friend , good work

Awesome video you make great outdoors videos and are very kind to your subs!! Thanks

Great review!

Great info.

very knowledgeable presentation, great video!

Thank You ..very good video ...

Great review. I have one myself

Hello John, I am a avid scuba diver if I wanted to bring a fire starter with me diving would you go with the mag? I do like the size of the rod. I am thinking that a rod for every day carry and mag for diving. love to hear what you have to say.

This was very informative video. Well presented. Please ignore the naysayers. I learned a lot

This is the best video on mag blocks Ive seen so far (and I saw many). I carry a mag block all the time now but never really had to use it. But I know now how superior a good quality mag block would be to a ferro rod in a real stranded damp situation if you had only one device and no tinder like wetfire or cotton balls. Of course, you can always pick up some lint on your own clothing to get dry, sparkable tinder but if you fell in a river and everything is damp around you, you better have a mag block. Not a ferro. The 2 blocks I use are Coghlans and they work pretty well (no Doan in my area). Did you ever used Doan mag and how would it compare to this Frienly Swede ? Thanks for the great video.

Wonder how long the flint rod will last vs the life of the Mag. block. Bought one from Wal-Mart a few years ago, the rod was gone way before the block was even partially worn away. Now I will admit I used the back of my knife n both as my arthritic hands made using the short piece of hack saw blade problematic. Good video, as usual.

Hey thanks for the super Information! I like it. Best regards from germany Torsten

great tutorial most don't know how to use this equip

Thanks for the info, now I can eat for a lifetime

You should've put those pine needles on top of the moss before the sticks. Didn't seem like you mentioned it but the fire seemed to have gone out into a smolder which you may not have been able to bring back to a flame with blowing. But I realize the point of the demonstration was how to ignite tinder with a mag bar, not how to get a full on fire going.

Never seen that brand, and i am swedish... apparently they are in uppsala

test starts at 13:00 thxs for great review i wonder if i can cut one in half to reduce size....

Is there still magnesium after you scrap the black coating off?

Thanks for the good video.

how to contact you for product reviw？

I have seen two fires involving magnesium... funny how the fire departments don't know how to handle a mag fire - NO WATER (causes a huge flareup) - it has to be smothered with sand for quickest extinguishing

you can buy the magnesium in tubs already shaven from ebay but be warned when using it on concrete floor . i put i small pile on the floor and ignited it , the concrete underneath got that hot it exploded and sparks flew everywhere .i was very lucky none went in my eye and when i looked at the tub a spark burned through the lid but i was lucky it did not set the whole tub on fire . there is no way to put the fire out so you have to be careful .using it in the wild on a woodland floor is fine or on a piece of wood but if you have a large pile of magnesium shavings do not light it on stone or anything like that

John you look exactly like Dave Canterbury

Be forewarned, salt water WELL eat up magnesium, ask me how I know

Fiirst of all throw away the little file. Take your knife and take some chips off the magnesium stick placing them on your Tinder. Now use your little file or the back of your knife and just strike the rod & the Fire Explodes

The striker on the magnesium block is definitely a ferro rod. Same as a fire steel. Flint is stronger than steel, so the flint would actually take off material from the striker if it was a flint rod. In a flint and steel, the flint is actually much stronger than the steel so the steel itself creates sparks. This video tells me you know nothing about flint and steel. (I’m assuming by now you know you were wrong)

4:00 oops

Who said you need magnesium shavings? lol

good bye gerber tanto 9:34

It's not moss, it's lichen, a fungus.

This video is dated and incorrect on SO many levels. ~ Ferrocerium is a pyrophoric alloy, capable of producing extremely hot sparks with temperatures in excess of 3,000 °C (5,430 °F). This is due to the fact that magnesium itself is part of the amalgam. ~ What you have been referring to as a "flint rod" on the magnesium bar is NOT flint at all. It too is a ferrocerium rod, but composed with a far lower magnesium content. That is why magnesium is scraped off the block separately, and then ignited to achieve the 3,000 °C+ flame temperature. ~ Flint is actually a form of quartz. It does not spark when struck or scraped. Rather, flint when struck, removes tiny pieces of iron from the striker. These tiny pieces of metal are pyrophoric and ignite when exposed to oxygen, producing sparks in excess of 425 °C (797 °F). ~ Burning magnesium does not turn water into hydrogen. It *is* capable of reducing water into its constituent parts; hydrogen & oxygen. ~ Magesium DOES corrode. Oxidation *IS* corrosion. A comment cause of magnesium degradation is saltwater. Contact with the sweat from one's hands, *can* cause exposed pure magnesium (or magnesium alloys) to corrode if it's left unprotected (ie. noncoated).

5 mins in and still banging on about health and safty!

Poor demonstration, a good mag bar, such as a doans bar, only takes about 5 to 10 scrapes down. People get it in there head as you say, because they are dealing with marginal mag bars. You should never have to scrape up and down like that. A good soft mag bar is easy to use and has a very soft magnesium thats extremely easy to scrape. I think you yourself might need a little coaching in a good bar and how to properly use one. That bar you have is about as effective as a cheap Chinese one. The friendly Swede is not so friendly.