Pros: 1. Thick! This thing has been getting struck over and over for days from me and I have yet to see any sign of significant wear.
2. Longer than others. It makes a huge difference when striking over and over in a life threatening situation to have it spark substantially every time.
3.really puts out the sparks. When I get going on it I have massive sparks sizzling all the way to the ground and then some.
A real quality tool.

Cons: I have yet to experience any negative issues with this striker. Of course you will have to put a little elbow grease into it. Deal with it!

Other Thoughts: Fantastic, by far the beast sparker I have ever used. the ones attached to a magnesium block are weak and the little thin ones will make your progress alot more difficult. put your money towards this one and you will be rewarded.

Bottomline: Buy it!! The best starter for the best price. I have seen thi go for in excess of 10 bucks. It's a win win, Affordable and reliable.

Pros: - It really works, and you can make nice sparks with it.
- It's just too cool to say. I must show to your friends.
- If you are at camping or leaving the city, AND if you forgot matches, this can be a life saver.

Cons: - Since I'm not really into camping, this have almost no use for me, althougt it's actually really cool.
- The string that comes with the tool is not really good. I guess I'll just replace it with some else instead.

Other Thoughts: Cool to have, nice sparks and a life saver if you are in the middle of nowhere with no matches. Just don't try to light your barbecue grill since it could take an unnecessary amount of time.

Bottomline: I liked mine, and you probably will love yours too.

Pros: will work with anything that's hard and a bit sharp
last very very long
creates great sparks
not to big and not to small
has a good coating to prevent it form oxidation
easy to light paper
can be used to light tree bark (this may take some practice)
a cool gadget
never fails to work

Cons: sparks don't carry a lot of energy
an oxidation layer forms quickly
hard to light dry leafs (they crumble into peaces that cannot be lit)
hard to light something the first few times.
rope that hold the rod and the striker together is really thick and annoying
you need to learn how to use it (it's not just like strike -> spark -> fire)

Other Thoughts: looks cool and shiny but it will turn doll after a day
don't buy it if you don't plan to use it in a real live situation

Bottomline: if you go out hiking you should really buy it
it is way easier than trying to light a fire with match when its windy

Pros: Works well if you know how to use it. Shouldn't leave civilization without one of these. The coating on the flint will make it last longer.

Cons: Can have a steep learning curve for those who haven't used alternative fire starting methods.

Other Thoughts: If you want to make it even lighter and smaller trash the striker and just use the edge of your pocketknife (you should have one on you anyway)

Bottomline: It is a great survival tool. I bought this after buying the smaller orange version about a month ago. This will come along with my for camping trips while the smaller one goes in my daypack. Check out my other review to see more specifics, as these are basically the same thing.