This is the Kräftig Grip, it’s a ferro rod fire starter from Idaho-based company Überleben, and each one lasts 20,000+ strikes.
Ferro rods (short for ferrocerium) are made from a pyrophoric metal alloy that sends of a shower of red hot sparks up to 5,500ºF (3,000ºC) when a harder material, usually steel, is scraped down the side. They work in the wet, dry, cold, and hot, and as such they make an excellent backup fire starting solution.
This is the Kräftig Grip, it’s a ferro rod fire starter from Idaho-based company Überleben, and each one lasts 20,000+ strikes.
History Speedrun: Überleben
Überleben is an American outdoor gear company focused on traditional firecraft and compact camp equipment. The name comes from the German word for “to survive,” an apropos choice given their focus on the preparedness and bushcraft space. Überleben is headquartered in Bonners Ferry, Idaho, and this is where it designs, tests, packages, and ships its products.
The company was founded by outdoorsmen who wanted tougher, field-ready alternatives to the range of disposable fire-starting tools that dominated the market. The Zünden ferrocerium fire starter was the ferro rod that put Überleben on the map, and they now offers a number of fire starting kits descended from this original design.
Überleben kept their design emphasis on developing tools meant to last for years rather than a single season, or even just a single camping trip. The Hexå series expanded the line with hexagonal ferro rods available in multiple diameters, supplied without handles and typically paired with leather lanyards for easy carrying.
From there, the company added further to its catalog with modular stainless steel and titanium camp stoves and other related cooking equipment. The Stöker flat pack stove uses precision-cut panels that slot together without tools and is offered in 304 stainless steel or titanium.
All of Überleben’s product design and testing is conducted in Idaho. According to the company’s own “About Us” page, their ferro rods are produced in Austria, some metal goods are made in Asia, and certain other products are made in the United States. The company operates a mixed manufacturing model depending on the material and product category, common with smaller start ups.
Überleben rates the Kräftig rod at 20,000+ strikes, that’s around double what the company claims for its thinner Zünden model, and the added diameter means a larger scraping surface and a heavier shower of sparks per pull.
Überleben products are sold direct-to-consumer through its own website and through retailers, perhaps most notably through their popular Amazon store.
The company has always been about preparedness, survival, and traditional outdoor skills rather than high-tech electronic camping solutions that can tend to ruin the pure analogue experience of being out in the wilderness many miles from the nearest wifi network or power outlet.
The Überleben Kräftig Grip Ferro Fire Starter
The Überleben Kräftig is the larger of the company’s two ferro rod offerings, it’s marketed as the “original workhorse” of the range. It’s built around a half-inch (12.7mm) wide ferrocerium rod set into a handmade hardwood handle, with a total length of 7 inches and a weight of 4.9 oz.
That size puts it well above the pocketable end of the market, this was designed as a long-lasting rod you keep in a pack or a truck rather than on a neck lanyard.
Überleben rates the Kräftig rod at 20,000+ strikes, that’s around double what the company claims for its thinner Zünden model, and the added diameter means a larger scraping surface and a heavier shower of sparks per pull.
Ferro rods (short for ferrocerium) are made from a pyrophoric metal alloy that sends of a shower of red hot sparks up to 5,500ºF (3,000ºC) when a harder material, usually steel, is scraped down the side. They work in the wet, dry, cold, and hot, and as such they make an excellent backup fire starting solution.
The company calls its ferrocerium rod formulation Sånft-korr, it’s a softer-grained alloy intended to shed material more readily under the striker, and quotes a spark temperature of 5,500ºF (3,000ºC).
The kit comes with a multi-tool striker and a 550 paracord lanyard, and the price is $32 USD direct from the company’s official Amazon store here.
Images courtesy of Überleben
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