Light My Fire Swedish FireKnife

This is a nice basic knife with an integral FireSteel that would make a great all around camp knife.

First off, I would like to state that I received this knife as a gift for being a past reviewer of the month here at Trailspace.

The Light My Fife Swedish FireKnife is a basic fixed blade knife that comes with a sheath and a ferrocerium style striker that is stored in the handle of the knife. Here is a picture of the store packaging for the knife and one interesting note about the packaging is the the basic description of the knife included on the back of the packaging comes in a total of twelve languages, which I think sets the record for products that I am familiar with.

A picture of the knife and sheath.

Compared to a lot of knifes sold today, the Swedish FireKnife has a very easygoing friendly appearance (reinforced by the "Smurf" blue color) compared to a lot of the Rambo/Special Forces style knives that make up a large section of the knife market. While the Smurf blue color may not be very macho, I think it helps make the knife very visible in an outdoor setting which would help prevent it from being misplaced.

The knife, lanyard, and sheath weigh 3.9 ounces and the knife and lanyard alone weigh 2.9 ounces, so this really isn't a heavy knife, which is nice because you wouldn't even notice it if you had it clipped to your belt all day long.

The overall length of the knife is 8.5 inches and for comparison I have it pictured below with my Gerber folding blade knife that I carry with me daily.

As I spent time with this knife one thing that really stands out about the design is how well all the elements of the knife, FireSteel, and sheath are well thought out and integrated together. With the knife itself, the handle is composed of two materials where the Smurf blue material is a harder plastic with a nice slip resistant textured surface and the the dark grey material has a more rubber like feel and is very slip resistant.

There is a prominent feature on the lower side of the handle to prevent your finger from sliding forward into the blade and a slight depression along the top forward edge of the handle for your thumb. Combined, these features provide a nice comfortable grip while using the knife.

Here is a picture of me holding the knife and for reference I wear large size gloves.

With respect to the blade itself it is made out of a stainless steel alloy tailored for knives and seems to have the right balance of properties to make this a great knife. Here is a link that provides more information on the Sandvik 12C27 alloy that this knife is made from http://smt.sandvik.com/en/products/strip-steel/strip-products/knife-steel/sandvik-knife-steels/sandvik-12c27/.

The other thing that stands out is the size of the blade in that it's not too big, and also not too small, and really from a Goldilocks perspective is just right for most applications you would encounter in the outdoors.

When you get into the details of the design you really start to get the impression that this really is a "Swiss" design due to the details within the design and how well everything integrates together.

The FireSteel striker is integrated into the butt of the handle of the knife and is removed by rotating the end clockwise and then pulling the striker out. The latch feature that holds the FireSteel striker in the handle also has a detent so there is no risk that the FireSteel would come loose while the knife is being carried.

Here is a picture of the latch feature.

The FireSteel striker is about 1.5 inches long and the plastic end has depressions that allow it to be held while using it as a striker.

I'll also note that the handle of the knife has openings where the striker can be seen that also allow the striker to be stored in an environment where all moisture would drain away.

The FireSteel striker also does well in its intended function as a fire starter and here are a few pictures showing how easy it is to make sparks!

The sheath of the knife is a well thought out design. The knife fits the sheath like a glove and is also specifically designed so that when the knife is stowed the blade can't touch the sides of the sheath and there is also adequate clearance to allow any water to drain.

The sheath also has internal features that work with features on the handle of the knife to create a very positive detent when the knife is stowed, so there would be no concerns of the knife ever coming out of the sheath even if it were to be turned upside down.

Here is a picture of the knife stowed in the sheath and it also shows a thumb rest feature on the sheath that gives you something to push against to overcome the detent when removing the knife with one hand from the sheath. This picture also shows the nice detail of how the lanyard is attached to the end of the knife which keeps it out of the way while using the knife.

The sheath also has a hole at the bottom near the tip of the blade to allow water to drain from the sheath. The outside of the sheath also has a slip resistant textured surface.

The sheath also has an integral belt clip that can handle any belt up to about 1.75 inches wide and contains an internal barb to prevent the sheath from slipping off the belt while being carried.

Overall, the Light My Fire Swedish FireKnife is a very well thought out functional design (would you expect anything less from the Swedes?!) that would be a great fixed blade knife for anyone looking for a knife to use in the outdoors fishing, hiking, hunting, camping, etc.

A competent, high-value fixed blade for general bushcraft and campcraft. Lightweight and comfortable in the hand for detail work or carving; moderate in build to withstand judicious batonning. Quality integrated fire steel readily produces showers of sparks for fire building. Warmly recommended for weight-conscious backpackers or campers who want the options a light fixed blade offers without toting about the mass of a heavier chopper or survival blade. If you don't mind rubber and plastic, it's hard to go wrong here.

The Light My Fire/Mora FireKnife is a collaboration of a company known for quality fire steels (LMF) and a company know for quality, excellent value knives (Mora). The result is a quality blade with a quality fire steel at a reasonable, even temping (I gave in!) price.

The FireKnife comes in a choice of colors--black, blue, green, orange, and red--to suit any taste from stealthy to flashy. I opted for the high visibility orange. (For the curious, LightMyFire offers a YouTube overview of the knife's mechanics--Google it.)

Ease of Use: The design of this knife (credited to Joachim Nordwall and Mora of Sweden) is beautiful in its simplicity: the non-slip, TPE rubber handle ensures one can maintain an excellent hold of the knife, and a clockwise twist of the end cap releases the fire steel. The spine of the Sandvik 12C27 stainless steel blade is ground square, enabling the knife to be used at a 30-degree angle as a striker to effortlessly throw 5400-degree Fahrenheit sparks. The knife and fire steel could not be simpler to use.

Design Features: The twist-to-lock mechanism in the knife's handle (the manufacturer bills this as a bayonet lock) secures the magnesium-alloy fire steel well; no accidentally twist is likely to happen since it takes a firm clockwise motion to release the tension lock of the fire steel. The blade features a Scandi grind with a secondary bevel along much of the knife's edge, with a scalloped face on both sides of the knife's tip.

The knife came sharp, requiring only moderate honing and stropping to become truly formidable, and it is a superb carver for bushcraft tasks such as making feathersticks, carving notches, etc. Light but secure in the hand, it is a pleasure to use, a knife which inspires confidence. Please don't misconstrue that confidence to mean that you can take down a towering oak with it, though! This isn't a chopper by any stretch of the imagination. Nevertheless, I suspect a Mors Kochanski might find the knife adequate for a host of bushcraft techniques.

Construction and Durability: I have already described the materials used; the knife has held up nicely to my use and abuse (moderate batonning). This is a typical Mora knife: much has been written about Moras on the web. At 3.4 ounces in the sheath, it isn't a heavyweight. I've actually used it as a neck knife or just slipped it into the pocket of my pants, a scarcely noticeable weight secured by a tenacious belt clip to the side of my pocket.

The FireKnife isn't produced by hand by a master knife maker, nor does it feature some exotic scale material like Cocobolo. No, it isn't VG10 steel! The finish quality of the blade isn't quite what the quality of my Mora Triflex Bushcraft is--that knife has a higher polish to its blade. The FireKnife isn't built to withstand an apocalypse like my TOPS Brothers of Bushcraft Fieldcraft knife with its 3/16" thick blade.

I have found the FireKnife's plastic sheath to be very serviceable--it holds the knife securely and has a drain hole in the bottom, and the belt clip is designed to stay where you clip it--but it isn't a marvel to behold or to feel. It feels durable, but plasticky--a tad cheap, but then what can one expect at this price point?

I have a soft spot for leather sheaths (though probably not with the FireKnife's TPE grip), even a stout but plain one such as the one that comes with a Condor Bushlore, and this plastic certainly isn't leather. But I think that is an advantage, too: my knife is bright orange and gray, making it easy to spot in leaf litter. What the FireKnife is is a very functional, unpretentious knife that--at its price point--offers significant quality and value. Don't try to baton 4-inch Dogwood with this for heaven's sake, but it will do just fine splitting a variety of different woods in the 2-inch diameter range with judicious batonning technique. The stainless is a low-maintenance plus that opens the door for easy food preparation, too.

Conditions: The FireKnife has been my go-to camping and backpacking knife for the better part of a year. I have used it in rain and in sunny weather; I have relied on it (and had a group of twelve people rely on it) for firestarting on a weeklong backpacking trek in the highlands of southwestern Virginia. Weather was variable, from thickly humid, damp air to drier air more conducive for fire building. Regardless, the knife started fires each day, morning and night. It carves nicely, effortlessly turning out tent stakes in three cuts of the blade. I find myself picking up sticks just to carve or whittle with it.

Final Thoughts: Would I recommend the knife? In a heartbeat! I love it. And no, I am in no way affiliated with Light My Fire or Mora or in any fashion compensated by them. I bought this with my own money. Happily, at this price, it didn't take much! And I'd buy it again tomorrow if I lost it today. Good knife, excellent value.

I have usually carried only a swiss army knife...but the more canoe camping we started doing, the more I realized we needed a fixed blade knife. This knife, having the added benefit of an integrated fire-starter, has become a fixture in our canoe camping kit, as well as in our winter snowshoeing day-packs...it is used for culinary, as well as camp maintenance purposes!

Our bright green fire-knife... now a regular companion on our canoe camping trips. The knife is light, and the scabbard protects it well when packed. The blade has maintained a good level of sharpness over multiple uses; it is mostly used in the camp kitchen, but has also been used to cut rope/lines, fabric (intentionally!) and gauze. I have been quite pleased with the performance of the knife as a cutting implement.

I admit to having been a bit dubious about the fire-starter element; I thought it wise to have an alternative to matches, since in canoe camping, even the most "waterproof" match cases are no guarantee!

I am happy to report that it has exceeded expectations. Even I, Smokey Bear's best friend (I have always been terrible at the fire-building aspect of camp-craft), have been able to ignite a fire, and start a cannister stove with the fire starter. The fire-starter also is snugly attached to the knife handle, so my fears of it getting dislodged, and lost, have been unfounded.

The knife has also become a regular fixture in our winter day-pack gear, as part of a survival pack.

I would definitely recommend this knife to others.

I received this knife as part of the 10 Essentials Reviewer of the Month prize pack. I split an A4 page holding the page with one hand and started fire very easily with the blunt side of the knife (don't laugh) to some toilet paper.

The problem lies in the softness (purity maybe?) of the magnesium rod. No matter how slow I scraped the rod I couldn't get a pile of shavings as they burnt instantly. So lots of sparks but no pile to make a difference when in a difficult situation with wet tinder.

Overall it's a very sharp and reliable knife and will definitely have a place in my backpack when hiking alone.

Thanks a lot for this awesome knife, Trailspace!

P.S: Fire starting works a WHOLE lot better with the Light My Fire Tinder-on-a-Rope and a magnesium block.

Incredibly useful knife for a ridiculous price.

I stopped in my favorite outdoors store today to pick up a couple things, one was an extra fire steel. I went over to where they were and noticed the Light My Fire knife. I've been on a bushcraft knife binge, buying the Benchmade 162 and the TOPS BOB knife in the last couple month.

At first I just kind of wrote it off as a gimmick until I noticed the knife was a Mora. Spend any time in any place having anything to do with bushcraft and you'll hear the name Mora. I'd never bought one before because they've always looked to me like a cheap paring knife and a Fiskars scissor offspring. I decided to give it a go, since it was only $10 more then the fire steel by itself.

The Mora is awesome. Easily cuts just as well as my much more expensive knives and seems almost as durable. The blade is smaller then I'd prefer but that's the only real complaint. It throws a mean spark on all my fire steels, whittles and cuts wood like a demon and even withstood (light) batoning. The fire steel is quality like all Light My Fire's products and uniquely locks into the butt of the knife so securely that I doubt anything short of intentional abuse would make it come out.

Is it a pretty knife? No. Its beauty comes from its amazing practicality. It's durable, comfortable, sports a modified scandi grind and is easy to sharpen. I didn't mention any cons because in all honesty for the $35 I paid for it, it has no cons.

This Mora has caused me to change my #1 bushcraft rule, as far as knives go it's now 3 is 2 and 2 is 1 and one is none. From now on it has a place in my pack with the Tops and the Benchmade.

Great value, sturdy blade, fire steel and blade are a little short.

This is a good all around knife at a great price. I've had this knife about a year and bought another a few weeks ago in case the first one breaks, but I just can't seem to break it. The sheath is plastic and almost feels like a toy, but still holds the knife firmly. The twist in fire steel is also still snug when closed.

When in the backwoods for a few days I like to carry two sources of fire, and this knife has replaced my standalone fire steel. It comes along at least 5 days a month into the woods, and sees weekly use as a fire starter at home. Practice makes perfect, and people think you're cool when you can start a fire with a few showers of sparks, so...

I'm most impressed with the contour and feel of the handle when batoning and making firesticks. Yes, the blade is a little short compared to some of my friend's knife, but it isn't a hatchet, and I've never felt the need for a longer blade. It hasn't broke. That's more than I can say for some higher priced knives I've owned, and it doesn't seem to dull too quickly. The tip has been mishandled by friends and it's still there.

The fire steel is also a little short, but I got used to it quickly and don't notice now. I bought mine in red, available in some cool and visible colors.

This knife is a must have. It is carbon steel and easy to sharpen in the field with a diamond stick. It sparks like crazy because it is carbon steel. I have carved up quite a few salmon with mine and use it in the kitchen on vegies and to trim meat. Get this and you will use it every day.

The knife is the best camping knife to carry with you. If you are going to camp and hike and prepare wild food you need to have this knife.  It is so lightweight that it always seems to wind up in my pack. I bought several for my different camping and hiking setups.

The handle is gripable with gloves on. Small enough without gloves to work with food prep. The blade will get a dull finish as it is carbon steel but who cares. Very easy to sharpen. The steel takes a great edge without much effort. I think that is the beauty of this knife.

I wandered around the Missouri Ozarks the forests in Norway and the east coast of Australia with this knife. I like the bright handle colors as I have knocked my off into the grass and lakes a few times and can find it. 

The sheath works attached to your pack, belt or inside the pack. Their is just enough retention to the sheath to make this work. If you pack gets stolen, lost or knocked overboard you can afford to get another knife. I have given a few away as gifts.

I also carry a small mutli tool and a small hatchet so I don't use my knife to split wood or do stupid things like peen wood or use it as a pry bar to sneak into a hostel without paying.

I bought this knife on sale and I thought it would come in handy camping and backpacking and for other things. It has multiple uses and the fire starter works great.

I bought this knife to bring with me camping and backpacking for multiple uses. It comes in handy for a lot of things from starting a campfire to skinning and gutting fish, to small repairs around camp. I even used this knife as a trowel when I forgot to bring mine on a trip.

It is heavy duty and not too heavy. It's nice to have a tool that does more than one thing. The clip is nice on the sheath and has never fallen off my backpack. The knife fits securely in the sheath. The fire starter flint clicks into the handle of the knife nicely. 

Comes in multiple colors. Orange seen here and also blue, black, pink, lime, red, and green. 

Everything fits nicely into the carrying sheath with clip on back.

This is a really cool knife that has a removable fire starter embedded in the handle. I ordered it off of Clymb last spring and it showed up razor sharp and ready for action. This is a good knife for around the camp kitchen due to its blade size and sharpness.

This was a whim purchase because I thought the idea of the embedded removable fire starter in the handle was a cool idea. When it arrived I was not disappointed. The edge was like a razor blade with the back side ground to a sharp 90 degree angle so it grabs the fire starter and send out a shower of sparks.

The knife comes in a variety of color choices, each one a bright color which is easy to spot when lying on the ground. If you're looking for a good knife to go into your survival kit or to keep in your camp kitchen, this should be one to consider.

Great looking knife that feels good in the hand. Comes extremely sharp and has a built-in fire starter.

I used this knife for the first time on an overnight hiking trip. Easily handled my wood prep and allowed me to slice down beautiful feather sticks.

The knife's sharp spine threw a spark like nothing and made igniting my fire a breeze. Used it to slice and do my food prep. Have yet to use it for bushcraft, but am confident it will handle those tasks quite well.

Great knife at a budget-friendly price!

Good knife, it is very grippy even if it is wet outside. Very bright and colourful.

This is a great little knife. The little draining hole at the bottom of it is very convenient if you get it wet. The fire steel is AMAZING!!!!!!

The case is very strong and sturdy. Even though that belt clip looks like junk it works like a charm. It is very sharp thanks to the Mora blade. 

Sharp, easy to use.

Received this as a gift. Easy to throw in your pack -- but the plastic sheath feels weird to carry on a belt.