[We’ve found that all strikers use the same ferro rod but there’s a big difference in the steel quality. Half the strikers on the market won’t throw a decent spark because the steel’s too soft.
Ditto: tested cheap and more expensive ferro rods and strikers and found the same. The rods were the same but some strikers worked and others didn't. A main difference in strikers seemed to me to be ergonomics: how easy they are to hold and get a good strike/scrape. So the striker molded to thumb and finger, the one that comes with the Light My Fire, works well on a cheap ferro rod.
Like Ironbender, I've found a piece of hacksaw blade is my basic striker now, with a two piece wooden handle taped to it that has thumb and finger grooves in it, somewhat like the plastic handled striker that comes with the Light My Fire. Two cedar slats, make a handle in a minute or two.
