Not sure why people are acting surprised. These rods (all brands) corrode easily, that’s why they come coated from the factory. Don’t scrape away the protective coating if they are your “just in case/bug kit rods”. If you use them constantly, it will be a non issue just like rust in your constantly used carbon steel knife.
That’s why I buy cheap ones. A few years ago I started to keep that in a dry container and no probs since
It's fairly common to be surprised the first time you see or come across a thing. Having come across it this first time, I'll be less surprised next time.
^^^^This^^^^ Buy a small cheap bottle of clear nail polish. When you're done fire rodding, wipe it dry and paint the bare spots with the polish. The chemical make up of a ferro rod makes them (any of them) very susceptible to moisture degradation. In reality, this is a cheap and valuable lesson learned. Better to learn this in relative safety of home, then pull out a worthless ferro rod in an emergency on a trail somewhere. Life offers experiences. How we choose to process them is up to us.
As a side note for you bourgeoning survivalist types. There are actually some benefits to carrying a small bottle of CNP on the trail. Mainly, it's flammable. Who would have thunk it?? Here is a brief explanation shamelessly stolen from the Interwebs. Nail polish is flammable because of the ingredient acetone – also known as dimethyl ketone or 2-propanone. The very powerful solvent emits toxic fumes that can cause several health concerns, including dizziness, headaches or nausea when used in a place with little ventilation. If ingested, it can cause headaches, confusion, increased pulse rates, nausea, vomiting and, if used in high levels, a coma. Labels warn to keep away from little children. The liquid can also dry out the skin around the nails and has been known to be able to melt most plastics. Paint a little on some tinder and see what happens. Warning, read the Warnings above!! Don't eat it. Don't drink it. Don't sniff it.
Saw a youtube post suggesting coating with patroloum jelly (like Vaseline). Protects like the original black coating and flamable when wiped off with your tinder. Haven't aged one out with this method yet to confirm it works.