Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

((The following info inside the double parenthesis was added March 28, 2011 in response to a recent comment this review received. This was my first product review on Amazon, and I didn't realize that my review would show up on product listings from other sellers in addition to the seller my item was purchased from, and for that I apologize. My fire starter was purchased from Hobbytoolsupply. It appears that at least one other seller is selling the correctly advertised item, so the review shown below should only apply to the fire starters sold by Hobbytoolsupply. I added two pictures of the item I received to the main listing (pics added by Jeremy) so you can see the difference between what I received and the genuine item. I have not modified anything outside these double parenthesis since my original review)) I bought this fire starter because I needed one that would serve as a secondary emergency backup for me in the woods if my other multiple redundant fire starting options had failed me in some way. What I needed was a very durable high quality tool that was unaffected by rain or immersion in water, and after searching and reading reviews online I found that would be a government issue (Doan's) fire starter. Doan's is in fact the brand that the government issues, and a Doan's fire starter is what is pictured in this listing, but that is not what I received. What I received was an unknown fake that was in a package that looked in every way like the Doan's package except the package didn't say "Doan's Machinery and Equipment Company, Made in the U.S.A." along the bottom of the front like it is supposed to. In fact the box said nothing about where the fire starter was made, what company made it, etc. The fire starter itself was obviously not the one in the listing picture, because the writing on the fire starter was just written on the magnesium instead of stamped into it like with a Doan's. The real one has a NSN number (NATO Stock Number) on it to identify it as a true government issued product. This one has a different number written just like an NSN number but when I looked the number up on a NATO Stock Number search engine it was an invalid number. The real one also has "Doan's Mach. & Equip. Co." stamped in the magnesium and this one does not. The real Doan's also has a P.O. Box address stamped in the magnesium. This one has a P.O. Box that is located in the same city, but it is a different P.O. number. It might not seem like a big deal that this is not actually a genuine military issued item (as advertised) or a real Doan's fire starter (as pictured), but it is a big deal in my opinion and it is offensive to me as well. The Doan's fire starter (pictured in this listing) has been made and used for over 30 years and is the only one of this type that does not (at least occasionally) have problems with the glue failing causing the ferro (flint) rod to separate from the magnesium block under stressful, cold, wet, etc. conditions. If the ferro rod falls off and becomes lost the tool becomes useless for starting fires. That is not good if you are counting on this tool to actually save your life someday. I give this tool one star only because it does still work to start fires, but after looking into it I don't trust it for woods carry, so instead of being in one of my packs it will be in a ziploc bag in the emergency kit in the trunk of one of my cars. In a ziploc in the trunk I don't have to worry about losing the ferro rod and it costing me my life. After receiving it in the mail, this tool is not worth sending back for a refund, because the shipping cost would be almost the price of the product to begin with. I figured that instead of trying to get a refund on this product, that same amount of time would be better spent writing this review and by telling others that they had better look elsewhere if they want a real government issue Doan's fire starter instead of this one, especially if they need a fire starter that they can truly depend on. A real one also costs about the same amount as this one. I am a private citizen that bought this product after careful research into fire starting methods and brands, because I believe that things you are going to possibly use one day to save your life need to be made well enough to be trusted to do so. I apologize if this review sounds harsh, but to me this is very serious and blatant fraud and copy of a great product done in a way that could cost someone their life just to save a few bucks by deceiving the consumer. I am also bothered by the fact that this product is clearly misrepresenting what it is and is marketed in a way that takes income away from the company that does make a great product and should be getting the reward for their effort. I have no problem with competition in the marketplace, but I don't like being told I am getting one thing and then actually receive a different much lesser item. I should say that I am a private consumer and in no way affiliated with any company that makes or distributes anything to do with survival, camping, or hiking. My preference for a real Doan's fire starter comes solely from the many personal and independent reviews found online that praise its' durability and reliability, and the many problems that other similar brands have with the ferro rod falling off or becoming lost due to weak glue. Don't take my word for it, those reviews can be found by anyone reading this with a simple Google search just as I did. There, I feel like I did my part and my conscience feels clear now, have a nice day everyone. -Jeremy