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The Best Fire Starters for Effortless Ignition

The Camping List Review Team
Written By The Camping List Review Team
Last updated: Feb 16, 2025, 07:17 PM
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Fire starter

As a long-time outdoorsman and bonfire enthusiast, I’ve used my fair share of fire starters and learned that not all are made equally. After reviewing all of the most popular products on the market, I can comfortably say that these are my top picks based on efficiency, longevity, and cost. Whether you’re looking up at a stunning night sky with your feet warmed by flames or you need an emergency spark for survival situations, these are all great options for getting your fire burning brightly. Read on for my picks, as well as some advice on how you can shop smart and purchase the right fire starter for you.

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Our Top Picks of Fire Starters

Top Fire Starters Worth Considering in 2025

EVEREST FITNESS Fire Starter

Best Overall
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The EVEREST FITNESS Fire Starter is a must-have for campers, survivalists, and adventurers. This magnesium fire starter is made of high-grade material to ensure a blazing hot spark even in damp outdoor situations. The Ferro rod easily and reliably produces a spark with only a few strikes, offering up to 12,000 strikes. The Fire Starter is designed to be compact and lightweight, making it easy to carry in your pocket or backpack while you’re out exploring the great outdoors. 

The multifunctional use of the fire starter makes it a great addition to any camping supplies list. It can be used as a straight-edge striker, tinder scraper, map scale, ruler, hex wrench, or bottle opener. The EVEREST FITNESS Fire Starter is an essential tool for any outdoor enthusiast. Its reliable ignition capabilities make it great for any camping or survival situation. Its multiple uses make it an excellent choice for all your outdoor adventures. The fire starter is sure to become a favorite piece of equipment on all your nature expeditions as the best overall choice on our list.

Product Pros
  • Works in damp situations
  • Offers up to 12,000 strikes
  • Compact and lightweight
Product Cons
  • Paint can come off after a few uses

Swiss Safe Fire Starter

Best Value
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The Swiss Safe Fire Starter is a must-have for any emergency survival kits or outdoor camping trips. Each box includes two fire starters equipped with a unique design that provides instant fire in any weather conditions. With over 16k strikes at 5,500 degrees Fahrenheit, both starters provide reliable access to fire when needed. Each starter also features a multi-tool design that includes a built-in compass, 150dB whistle, steel scraper, 450LB 8-core paracord, and rod. The entire set is incredibly compact and lightweight, weighing less than two ounces and five inches long. 

It’s more reliable than using matches or lighters and can easily fit into your backpack or pocket! Whether you’re planning an outdoor camping trip or packing an emergency survival kit, this handy accessory should be at the top of your list. The Swiss Safe 5-in-1 Fire Starter proves itself to be versatile and efficient with its high-quality construction and reliable performance. 

Product Pros
  • Easy to use 
  • Reasonably priced 
  • Great for emergency preparedness
Product Cons
  • Plastic handle may break eventually

AOFAR Fire Starter

Most Versatile
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Made to work in any weather condition, this fire starter by AOFAR is one of the best fire starters on the market. It comes in a pack of two, so even if you lose one you still have a second spare, and you can even use both at the same time if you’re working in tandem with someone else. It can take a while to get used to this method of starting fires, but once you know how the motions work, it’ll be second nature to you.

Product Pros
  • Can be used thousands of times
  • Comes in a pack of two
  • Usable in any weather condition
Product Cons
  • Can take a while to get used to the method 

PREPARED4X Fire Starter

Best With Wick
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Fire starter tools don’t cause fires on their own – instead, they create sparks that, when coming into contact with tinder or any other flammable dry substance, causes the fire you’re looking for. This is all well and good, of course, until you end up in a situation where you can’t find any good branches or tinder to start a fire with. PREARED4X’s fire starter tool has the solution – it comes with a wick that’s placed right in front of the fire starter, catching the sparks and causing the fire to start without any need for dry branches or leaves.

Product Pros
  • Comes with a wick rope
  • Allows you to start fires even without any branches or tinder
  • The large shape makes it easy to hold
Product Cons
  • Takes up more space in your bag than other fire starters

Lightning Nuggets Fire Starter

Best Fire starter Material
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The term firestarter usually refers to one of two things – it’s either the reusable toolset that lets you create sparks or start small fires, or it’s the flammable material that you can use to make fires grow quickly and reliably. This set of firestarters by Lightning Nuggets belongs to the latter category, and you can use these little pieces of material to start fires in just about any scenario. You can use it in the woods, at home, in your backyard or anywhere else that’s in need of a fire. They must be stored in a cool and dry location, however, if they are to be used effectively.

Product Pros
  • Great for starting and growing fires
  • Can be used indoors and outdoors
  • Available in packs of 100
Product Cons
  • Must be stored properly in order for them to be effective

bayite Fire Starter

Most Durable
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When in the outdoors, the environment can take a toll on both you and your equipment. You may be trained to handle hours of walking and trekking, but not all camping and outdoor materials can withstand the sheer force of mother nature. If you want a firestarter you know will last as long as you can, then try this one by bayite. With a paracord that’s braided around a Ferro rod and flint, you can start fires without losing either component of the kit. The paracord is durable and won’t snap or cut unless done intentionally.

Product Pros
  • With braided paracord
  • Made with tool grade steel
  • Can cause sparks even in wet weather
Product Cons
  • A little difficult to work with when connected to the paracord

Melt Candle Company Fire Starter

Biggest Bundle
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We showcased a pack of 100 fire starter materials earlier, but if that isn’t enough for you, consider getting this pack of 160 fire starters instead. Made by Melt Candle Company, the fire starters can be used in grills, stoves, chimneys and more. They’re made with a blend of wood and wax which causes the fire to start almost instantly. Thanks to the design of the fire starter, they’re also durable and can burn for up to 10 minutes at a time, giving your fire plenty of fuel to work with before needing more.

Product Pros
  • Available in large packs of 160 pieces
  • Can be bought in either square or tumbleweed shape
  • Burns for up to 10 minutes at a time
Product Cons
  • The tumbleweed variant isn’t very space-efficient

Buyer’s Guide: Finding the Best Fire Starter for You

Starting a fire isn’t that difficult, but it could be a lot easier with the right tools and materials. This guide will share everything I’ve learned in my years of using fire starters.

What Is a Fire Starter?

A fire starter — quite simply — is a tool used to start fires. Fire starters are useful in situations where you need to create a fire reliably and quickly without any other tools. Typically, fire starters are reusable and require no fuel whatsoever, so unlike lighters or matchboxes, you can use them almost indefinitely.

Fire starters are made up of two components: a metal rod and flint. When flint scrapes on the metal, it causes sparks to fly from it. While these sparks won’t cause your skin any significant harm, they can start a fire when they land on flammable and dry material. This process is a lot more involved than striking a match or lighting a lighter, but it gets the job done without using any fuel or matches.

Because of their reusability, fire starter tools are especially useful when traveling outdoors. They can be used in any weather, even in relatively damp conditions; as long as the wick, tinder, or branches are dry enough, the fire will start. Carrying around a box of matches or a lighter can be handy in the short term, but you will eventually run out of them, so having something that you can fall back on during those situations is critical when outdoors.

Tips When Using Fire Starters

Use only dry wick or fuel

A common beginner’s mistake when starting a fire outdoors is to gather up any branch or leaf they can find to start the fire with. There’s just one problem – many of the leaves and branches are still very much damp or newly removed from the tree, and this makes it almost impossible to start a fire. Fires can only start with branches and leaves that have been dead for a while and have no moisture in them whatsoever, so finding that is the first priority.

Alternatively, you could make use of fuel. Fuel is much more difficult to carry around than something like a fire starter, but it has the advantage of not being difficult to light up. In fact, you could light up relatively damp leaves and branches with enough fuel.

Don’t add too much fuel at a time

When the fire starts going, don’t just toss every available fire starter or branch you have. Instead, wait for the fire to go through the already burning material first, and once you see the fire dwindle a bit, you can add more. Throwing too much can cause the fire to get out of control quickly and make you waste fuel in the process.

Fire Starter Price Range

Fire starters can vary in price depending on their size, shape, or design, but you generally shouldn’t have to spend more than $15 to $20 on a decent fire starter kit. At that price point, you should be able to find a fire starter of significant quality, and that’ll be more than enough for your next few camping trips at the very least.

People Also Asked

Are fire starters easy to use?

While they may take a while to get used to, fire starters aren’t that difficult to operate once you know how they work.

Should I use a fire starter or a match?

If you need a fire to start immediately, matches and lighters are much faster, but fire starters have the advantage of being usable without any sort of fuel or match.

Is it safe to use a fire starter without gloves?

You should be fine with using fire starters even without gloves. The sparks that come off the fire starter don’t really cause any significant injuries or burn marks at all.

Can you use start a fire in the rain?

Yes, it is possible to start a fire in the rain using a fire starter (as long as it's waterproof). But, according to Matt Bowman, former Army Special Forces Officer and avid outdoorsman, you can still start a fire in the rain even if you don't have a fire starter on you. He advises to "...use any available cover (such as a tarp) to keep the fire pit dry. If you need to gather wet fuel, look for brittle sticks that snap when you bend them, as they will still be dry inside and can still burn.  You can also peel bark off of downed trees and split small logs to access the dry wood within."

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