...and honestly that price jump isn't always the answer either. I got a nice ferro rod from a local outdoors store last year and had it fail on me too when my hands were too cold to hold it steady. The real trick I've found is carrying a tiny piece of fatwood or a vaseline cotton ball in a waterproof case, then you don't even need a perfect spark every time. My buddy swears by those electric arc lighters but they're way too finicky for real wet weather, just more things to break in the field.

Oh, I get what you're saying, @grace89, but I gotta gently push back on the "three feet away" part. Static can definitely cause damage, but the distance thing is kinda tricky. The basic rule is you usually need a direct path for the zap, like through a metal tool or your finger touching the component. A spark jumping through dry air that far is super rare unless you're dealing with some serious voltage, like from a carpet shuffle on a really dry day. I've seen it happen maybe twice in my years messing with electronics, and both times it was right next to the board, not three feet out. You're totally right that it's real damage though (I've swapped out a few fried PSUs myself), just wanted to clarify the range thing so people don't think it's magic or something.