Light My Fire Swedish FireKnife Gear Review

No serious backpacker, hunter or outdoorsmen(women) would ever enter the woods without a sturdy knife or the means to start a fire. Wouldn't it be great if you could combine these two essential backcountry tools into one?   Well, look no further. The Light My Fire Swedish FireKnife was created through a collaboration between Light My Fire, the maker of FireSteel, and Mora of Sweden, the manufacturer of top-notch knives for over 120 years.  

Three parts of the Swedish FireKnife

The FireKnife consists of three components, the sheath, the knife and the fire steel.  The sheath is made of light-weight, durable polypropylene.  It has a large clip making it suitable for clipping to a belt or pants pocket.  The sheath does and excellent job of holding the knife in place.  When properly inserted, the knife "clicks" into place.  Turning the sheath upside down and shaking it will not dislodge the knife. 

The Sandvik stainless steel knife blade is a little short at 3 3/4 inches but extremely sharp and sturdy.   It is capable of batoning smaller branches and still keep a sharp edge.  The tip  of the knife is very strong and will not snap if accidentally jammed into a log and twisted. The rubber coated handle is comfortable and will work well in all but the largest of hands.

The fire steel is similar to the Light My Fire Scout model but the rod is slightly shorter and the handle is smaller with a different shape.  The rod can product a fair amount of sparks that reach a temperature of 5,400 degrees Fahrenheit.  This makes lighting a tinder bundle fairly easy on dry, low wind days.  Another great thing about fire steels is that they work equally well when wet.  The same can not be said for matches or Bic lighters.

The fire steel fits securely in the handle of the knife.  It can only be removed by twisting the fire steel a quarter turn, so losing the steel is highly unlikely.  If but some chance you do misplace any one of the components, they come in very bright colors making it easier to locate them on the ground.

A neat, compact package

At 3.9 ounces for the complete set the Swedish FireKnife is not only durable, it is very light-weight.  It would make a great addition to any outdoor enthusiast's gear inventory.

The Light My Fire Swedish FireKnife can be purchased at REI.

Disclosure: Light My Fire provided Breakheart Trail Running with a complimentary Swedish FireKnife for testing and review.