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What is a fire piston?

Discovered in Southeast Asia, a fire piston works very much like a diesel engine, (some people think the inventor of the diesel got the idea from a fire piston) a piece of fuel, wood or cloth, is put on the end of a piston and then quickly compressed. The compression causes the fuel in the piston to combust allowing someone to then use it to start a fire. Prior to the invention of the match the fire piston was a common means to light fireplaces in England. Some advantages of using a fire piston are that they can be reused over and over again and can be used to light fires even in adverse conditions--like snow or rain.

The SparxGear fire piston:

Currently, the largest manufactures of fire pistons create them by hand. The basic design has not changed and often they are hand carved or hand machined and cost between US $ 75-$150, too expensive for the everyday outdoors person. The Sparxgear fire piston will be a quality crafted fire piston with unique design elements. Projected retail price of a Sparxgear fire piston will be US$55.

We have a working prototype of the fire piston and are excited by the results. We're planning a kickstarter campaign (kickstarter.com) to fund the next stage of the project.

We'll keep you updated.