EKA Kit

From EKA, the famous Scandianavian knife company, comes this amusing, yet practical, gadget that will not only help you keep your knives sharp, but also get your fire lit, help you signal in Morse, and even comes with a separate ear mountable torch!

The FireSharp itself measures approx 12cm x 4xm x 1cm with both a crossed carbide blade sharpener – to sharpen your knife – and a crossed ceramic rod hone – to then give the blade a razor finish – set in the top edge.

Folding out from the lower edge is a slim 6.5cm firesteel, the striker for which is tucked away in the left end of the FireSharp’s body.

Set into the body of the FireSharp is a metal plate with the Morse Code alphabet and, as the metal is quite shiny, it is conceivable that you could even fl ash a message using it as a heliograph!

The sharpeners work well and the unit is comfortable to use, and while the Firesteel sheds good sparks, the striker is so heavily coated it takes some “breaking in”.

The torch coming with the FireSharp is a single LED unit that swivels on the base unit that sports a simple on/off switch and an “ear hook” so that the torch can be worn “hands-free” for maximum versatility.

Although the FireSharp and torch look a bit “gimmicky”, both perform well, fulfilling the tasks they are intended for; the sharpeners put a good edge on a knife, the fire steel (once the striker is cleaned of excess coating) gives good fire-lighting sparks, and even the torch gives enough hands-free lighting for close work …I wrote this article with no extra lighting!

Costing £22.95 the EKA FireSharp is a useful gadget for outdoor use with loads of smile value as well. For more information visit www.casstrom.co.uk Tel. 01268 330330