Friday 14 October 2011

Sharpening Tools - firesteel, emergency kit


If you find yourself stuck in a place high up because zombies or some other form of danger is beneath you, you could lower yourself down with this paracord once the danger had passed or was eliminated. That is unless of course you weigh more than 550lbs. In which case you're probably awesome enough without the paracord considering you climbed to a high place in the first place. ROTHCO NYLON PARACORD 550LB 100 FT / CHOCOLATE BROWN

Bought 300' so far.....indispensable. Keep some in wife's car, truck, work truck, make lanyards outta it....tie down ANYTHING....use as boot laces(laces that will never break)...hang antennas from trees...or to tease the cats with......love this stuff....and it's the real deal...not some Chinese ripoff stuff.

I'll keep this short, but if you want the real military grade stuff, the nomenclature is MIL-C-5040H. MIL-C-5040 is different! Unfortunately I learned too late that many companies stock two different versions of Type III paracord. This stuff is ok, but please know it isn't the same stuff we use in the military. Real paracord has two colored strands in addition to the standard white to designate the manufacturer. The strands are also much tighter. If you receive paracord that has all white strands, then it isn't the same stuff. It's still paracord, and fine for normal use.

For those of you making paracord bracelets or skydiving, this stuff is not real paracord. If you compare this stuff with real paracord (the stuff you get at an army navy surplus store)it is very clear that this stuff flatens easily an has very little structure. Look Somewhere else.

This is commercial grade type III paracord and works great with the suggested light duty tasks from lanyard making to tying down tents, securing light gear (no more than 150lbs) and making fishing line etc. The sheath of this commercial parachute cord is braided from 32 strands and the core made up of seven two-ply yarns.



Military grade paracord is marked with the code "MIL-C-5040H Type III" and is usually available only in bulk (not always) and costs more. Type III 550 cord for military use must have between 7-9 core strands and they must be 3-ply each. It MUST have one or more unique colored threads in one of the cores to identify the manufacturer.

The title says it all. Though it appears to be quality paracord, it broke under a 290lb load, far less than 550lb breaking strength this stuff is supposed to have. The test I conducted was a single strand looped over a shop rafter and tied into a loop at the bottom. I hung a swing apparatus from the loop and gently started resting my weight on the swing. I almost got my full weight on it, but it snapped in the middle of the strand (not anywhere near the knots I had tied). No bouncing, swinging, etc. I just gently started resting more of my weight on the swing and snapped the paracord. Good thing I've got a padded bum.

Retired AF here. You can't hear it enough times that there's a world of difference between grades of paracord. This stuff is NOT true military grade paracord. The twisted coreds inside the main sheath are white vs the color of the outside and the material is lighter weight and a bit thinner over all than true military grade paracord. This material is fine for making knife lanyards and the such but if you're getting this for any kind of serious heavy use or survival packs, I'd pass on it and get the real deal. The supplier did ship quickly and it's okay material but the "commercial grade" para cord isn't the best.

I purchased (2) 100' rolls of this product. (1) was labeled "Rothco", this looks and feels like the real stuff.

The other roll was labeled "G.I. Plus" the same color and price, NOT the same stuff. It feels thin and flat.

Two DIFFERENT rolls.

I will buy from a military distributer in the future.

I'm not saying this stuff isn't useful, but what I received does not appear to be genuine military type parachute shroud line as claimed. I inspected what I received and it actually had eight internal strands (seven is normal). The strands were very loosly twisted and tended to unravel. The sheath was so loose it almost flattens out in your hand. I purchased some from www.bestglide.com and it has seven very tightly twisted internal strands and the sheath is tight and almost round. It is more expensive but I believe more authentic if that is important to you. - Firesteel - Emergency Kit - Fire Starter - Firestarter'


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