Monday, April 2, 2018

Epiphany Outdoor Gear Bellows Fire Starting Kit



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Today Luke is reviewing the Epiphany Outdoor Gear Bellows Fire Starting Kit.  Do you need the entire kit or just the Bellows?  Find out now!



Link to V3 Bellows Review : https://youtu.be/EnIYti2UOhE

Link : https://www.amazon.com/EPIPHANY-OUTDOOR-GEA-EOGV3LEO-Starting/dp/B00LDYLJDE

Price : $19 at the time of filming

Weight : 2.3oz for the kit including the tube

Included : 3 piece fire starting kit – ferro rod, bellows, fire fuses



This is a basic but highly functional fire kit which I can easily recommend.  I reviewed the V3 pocket bellows a long time back and finally I’m able to get around to the review of the kit.

Light weight, watertight, acceptable price, good performance.

Received a handful of these for review purposes where I have been using one, I have this one for review and I ended up giving away two others away.  One to a viewer and another to a friend of mine.

The Baddest Bees Fuses : The "Baddest Bees" tinder fuses work extremely well. Compact, waterproof, fast-starting, hot burning. But be sure to tease them apart into little fluffballs before trying to light them. In contrast, cotton balls impregnated with petroleum jelly (e.g. Vaseline) are also compact, waterproof, fast-starting , hot burning, and they last longer (all once you tease them apart into fluffballs), and can be made cheaply at home, but your hands get greasy when handling them. The Baddest Bees seem to be wax-impregnated, so there's no greasiness, and they're more compact than cotton balls (but don't burn as long). You choose.

These are great for getting the fire going; strike up, place tender and materials around it and go.

Would I purchase more of these; no as I can make my own fire starter..

Bellows : The bellows is very well made, sturdy, and works extremely well. (Works well for fires in fireplaces too, but a little short for that use.) Buy it, carry it, use it!  It's long length keeps your face out of the fire and the smoke out of your eyes. Bellows can be purchased on its own for $12 and it is WORTH IT!

Extended it is 19" long
Collapsed approx 3.75"
Max width at base is 3/8"

Fire Steel : The fire steel is a pretty standard product. This one has a nice, ergonomic plastic handle. It's a little short, but then this is a compact kit. You can easily get longer ones if desired.

The fire steel striker has serrations on the short end. I found it awkward to use the end, but it strikes easily along the long edge.

The striker is a bit flimsy in my opinion but you can put your own in there if you like.

Container : is awesome – 5.5 inches long. A little over an 1 wide.

Plenty long enough for the included items and anything else that you may want to add.  Steel wool, magnesium shavings, or even a small lighter.

The smaller container is also watertight and once you run out of fuses you can purchase more or you fill it with something else such as Magnesium shavings.

The star of the kit in my opinion is the V3 pocket bellows and the waterproof continer which is comes in.  In my opinion, it is well worth the money especially in regards to the Bellow.. The bellows are of very good construction and made of 300 series stainless steel.

This is perfect for backpackers and bushcrafter; just awesome

Great for getting a fire going.

Great when working with wet materials

Great for getting a fire going in the morning with only embers.




1 comment:

  1. The Epiphany bellows is an incredible tool to add to one's fire kit. It has saved so much effort in starting morning campfires when finding a single burning ember. With a Vaseline-cotton ball and a few quick puffs of air and the camp fire and coffee is on. Like you I also keep trioxane in my kit; love it for initial start up of the camp fire. If for some reason you run out of cotton balls, dryer lint works well. A mini tube of Vaseline from the travel section of Walmart is a handy item to store in one's kit. I'll have to add steel wool to my kit. Many years ago when 9-volt batteries were in high use, I used two of them, a short length of snare wire and an SOS steel wool pad to start a fire...my wife and I forgot to pack matches :( Anyway, this bellows could also save your face...take that from personal experience.

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