Improving... <gulp>... Super Cedars?

I have a desk with a fairly sharp edge. I leave the super cedars in the package, snap them in half on the edge of the desk, rotate 90 degrees and snap again. I then open the package in a plastic bag.to save any droppings.

I put them on the table and look real hard at them and say BREAK ! Then my wife breaks em lol she is much better at it than me !

Pete

I honestly set them on the butcher block and take an 8" Santuko to them, usually do two at a time, store in a ziplock.

Just set the damn thing on the floor and stomp the snot out of it!

Like others I've broken them by hand and also have used a junky knife as well to make deeper score marks (I like to break into 1/6th). I generally do about 6 or so at a time to filly my container and I then sweep the crumbs into said container.

When I use the last piece I mash the crumbs into one more soft piece and use it as well. It is interesting how even the crumbs work well - I once spread a line of them along a split and put a couple splits above (like a tent) and that started the fire rather nicely, sort of a fuse effect as I lit just the end near the door.

i put mine in a 5-gal bucket with a lid (from chlorine tabs) and crack them on a the edge like crack'n an egg into quarters.

I switch off

It's the Super Cedars mime!

I got some free samples of SuperCedar. They do work well with just a quarter disc to start a fire. I am more impressed with Zap starters, and also my homemade starters using clothes dryer lint stuffed into a cardboard egg carton, soaked in wax works just as well using things I already have.

I put them in a deli slicer, and slice them like balogni.

I would like to see some deeper score marks. I'm not sure if they're not deep or non existent, but i cant see any on marks on mine. I thought at one time i saw some, which eased the breaking. Its not that they're hard to break but some can be so brittle that the marks helped make less of a mess. If BB is right and the marks are under the label, the marks should be on the opposite side so they can be broken while in the wrapping, again easing the mess.

I have a case of SC's that I am working through, but I also use dryer lint, old candles, and egg cartons as well, but I also add pistachio shells. They work great.

With a cold stove, I use 1/2 a cedar. With a warm stove (but not enough coals to re-light, or I don't want to wait....), I'll se 1/4 of a cedar. I put 4 of them in a gallon zip lock bag, then break the over the edge of a counter in the bag. 2 I'll break twice into quaters, and 2 I'll break once into halves. Now it's all (includign crumbs) in one nice bag. When empty, just repeat...

But I would LOVE to see them make 1/2 size super cedars. Or even make them as long sticks (maybe 4" long x 1" wide), that would make it much easier, and you would not have to break them at all.

I break mine into 5 or 6 pieces. I've never had to use as much as 1/4.

You must use some kindling with it then, right?

I just put one or 2 small strips of kindling over the 1/4 or 1/2 super cedar, surrounded by two splits (one in back of stove, one in front of stove), then load whatever load I want to burn on top of that.

I think they're the perfect size, and don't find them that difficult to break into whatever size I need. The full-sized puck is the ideal size for lighting outdoor brush piles, where there's wind and unseasoned wood to contend with. Four quarter pieces will burn too fast, but a full puck lasts long enough to get the pile going good. I have used more for outdoor burn piles than for lighting my stove, as the stove has only required a re-light once in the last month. I also break either 1/2 or 1/4 pieces to light charcoal in the chimney on my Weber grill.

Best charcoal starter ever. Don't have to worry about wind scattering incandescent pieces of newspaper over flammable surroundings.

What are Zap starters?

I don't know! I meant Zip starters, sorry. They aren't made from sawdust, at least don't appear to be. I did find an MSDS from UK(England) that lists 75% kerosene, >1% hydrochloric acid, >1% sulphuric acid, no mention of the other 23%. I found them at Walmart and was very curious why I couldn't find anything on Zap firestarters myself.
(my bad, zip, zap, something like that). Well, they are called Zip firelighters actually. Made in Ireland. They are quite curious. They put off a dark black smoke that seems to stick to the wood, then ignites, spreading out the firestarter flame area. I have never tried a firestarter without kindling, but the box says just put one between a few logs. I am a top down fire builder. I like my dryer lint and wax starters just fine, they're almost free, I can make a lot quickly, faster than driving to the store and back! I put a few big logs in the box and cover them with kindling. Stuff a dryer lint homemade starter just under a few pieces of kindling and a long burning fire results. Top down also helps keep the bureaucrats away on no burn days, much less smoke if any at all. I even had a neighbor ask why I wasn't burning all that wood in my yard, he never sees or smells smoke from my chimney. I just laughed and assured him there was a hot fire going as we spoke.

I figured they were something named after hearth.com member Zap. That being the case, I had imagined something involving high voltage and extremely volatile chemicals. No, wait... that's Jags.

That's not a knife. This is a knife.

I dont use kindling per say. I use smaller cut pieces of softwood. I put down a regular sized split, then the SC on top of that, then I put a few pieces of soft wood across the SC. Catches every time with 1/5 or 1/6 of a SC...