PSKOOK Bow Drill Kit Fire Starter, Primitive Wood, Survival Practice Friction Fire Tool for Scout Outdoor Activity Teaching, Outward Bound Training, Wildness Survival Beginner

I wanted my middle school students to get a feel for what it was like to start a fire without modern tools, and this was a great tool for them to use. The success rate was about 20-30% (it was a moist day), but all the groups had a lot of fun, have a tactile memory of the effort required, and practiced team work in doing this. I will order again for next year.

It was larger than I thought and was made durable; great price for it!

Reminiscing of my time in the BOY Scouts of America, I decided to purchase this so that I can teach my kids this crucial skill. Upon first use I was able to get an ember and start up a fire. The most impressive part of this is the bearing system. If you use this spindle up and needed a new one, it would take just as much time to taper the bearing block end of the spindle and make a bearing block as it would to just whittle the bearing block end to accept this bearing system. There is absolutely NO heat generation with this bearing system! The only end that makes heat is the end you need to make heat. The only issue I have with this is that the wood is very soft (this is good for beginners because it makes it easy to make an ember), however, for those who are not beginners this wears down pretty quick. Also, the ember generating end of the spindle is tapered too narrow. This can literally make it into a drill with it being so narrow. Now that mine has worn down to just the beginning of the taper it is wearing down much slower. For the beginner I cannot recommend this enough, it is an easy way to learn the basics of bow and drill fire making. For the expert I still recommend this for the bearing system, it's genius and you can use it on your own spindles! The design is well thought out as I have made three of these and have successfully made fires with all of them using this as a template (1" dowel, drill, small sign stake, some whittling, and para-cord).

Great tool to work with outdoor kids on building and staring a fire

After an hour, I realized using a match would be easier and chucked this thing. The instructions are horrible and the bow in the photos look nothing like the cheap piece of wood I got. It's not even worth the time to return it.

The Bowdrill kit from PSKOOK is a neat little way to learn and or practice primitive friction fire making. It is great for learning and teaching the basic skills needed for this task. The many reviews I've seen are usually in agreement with me on this. The very few negative reviews I've seen are related to lack of included instructions. I have attached an electronic copy of the instructions for any who may need to use them.I also want to mention that this and any other PSKOOK product is supported by great customer service. They are quick to respond to each and every customer. If you have any questions about this bow drill kit or any of their other products contact them and you'll receive immediate response. I have been in contact with them over the last few months and I assure you they are great to work with and you'll like their products.You can see my reviews of their products as I do them on Mosher Ridge KY on Facebook.

I got a couple of these to introduce my young sons (ages 5 and 7) to the concept of friction fire. I really like that the bow is attached to the spindle, so it removes the frustration of having the spindle fly away from the bow like a regular bow drill. I think this is a great teaching tool for those unfamiliar with friction fire as it eases the learning process, especially for younger users. We got to practice our form, and learn the concept, which was the goal. While they weren't able to get an ember during their first attempts they did learn some things, and most importantly, they didn't get frustrated and had FUN! We will continue to refine our techniques with this kit until they are able to get an ember and start a fire, and then we will progress to a regular field crafted kit. Overall, I think this is great way to teach newcomers, and it is also a great way to share and spend time with your kids.

Got this for my son for Christmas. Makes a great gift. He was excited to try it although he was inside the house. Good quality and easy to use. Read directions first so you know how the strings work.