In a survival situation, keeping warm is of primary concern. Except for immediate medical or safety concerns, everything else can wait. The Strike Master K7 Magnesium Fire Starter is designed for this purpose and is small enough to carry with you at all times. The Strike Master K7 Survival Fire Starter is made of a stick of flint and a stick of magnesium fused into one unit. This allows one to produce very hot, easily started fires. The K7 Magnesium Fire Starter by Strike Master Survival Tools is operated by using the included scraper to shave magnesium flakes into a pile, then again using the scraper on the flint side of the K7 Fire Starter to ignite the magnesium. If you have good tinder, it is unnecessary to use the magnesium. However, if conditions are less than ideal, the magnesium filings make things a whole lot easier. The magnesium will burn at 5400 degrees making it possible to ignite even damp tinder. Because the K7 Fire Starter is designed for 7000 strikes, it is a very reliable and long lasting survival fire starter. The Strike Master K7 Fire Starter is the "big brother" to the Strike Master K1 "Sparky" Fire Starter. Both survival fire starters are made in the USA. You will simply not find a better pocket fire starter than a Strike Master Magnesium Fire Starter. We offer the Strike Master K7 Magnesium Fire starter equipped with the leather strap to conveniently hold the components (magnesium/flint stick and striker) together for easy locating. The Strike Master K7 Magnesium Fire Starter measures approximately 2.5" (length) x 5/16" (magnesium) and 3/16" (flint), slightly larger than the Strike Master K1 Fire Starter.