Fatwood or Lightning Nuggets

[2PistolPacker]

Anyone using these types of fire starters? Fatwood, Lightning Nuggets or is there something better out there? I personally enjoy starting a fire with paper and kindling but I want my wife to learn to start fires without the mess or the hassle. Easier is always better.

 

[craigbaill]

I use fatwood BUT...I got a free sample of Super Cedars with my stove and they also sent me one upon request. (They were Super Cedars included with the new stove) I love the Super Cedars!! The fatwood from Plow & hearth does take a bit to light and it goes out occasionally. The Super Cedars light and stay lit. They burn hot too.

Payday is coming and we will be ordering a 72 count.

 

[jimdrea]

I also use super cedar and they are awesome. From this web sight super cedar sent me two samples, I liked them so much I bought 75. They look like a hockey puck and light quickly and burn for a while. No more paper and sticks.

 

[begreen]

+2 They are the cleanest and longest burning product I've tried. 1/4 a cake is all I need to get things going.

 

[Sprinter]

1/4 a cake is all I need to get things going.

Or less

http://www.supercedar.com/

email them with request for a free sample. Then, when you buy them online, use the code hearth14 for a 10% discount. Lots of threads here about them if you want to read more.

 

[Jags]

Hearth.com members also get a percentage break when purchasing super cedars. Contact member @NWfuel or look up supercedar.com if interested. There is a code that needs to be entered when ordering for the discount.

Thomas will also send out a couple of free samples to test. Warning - they are the crack of the hearth industry.

Edit: I obviously type slow.

 

[Sprinter]

Edit: I obviously type slow.

Damn close race, though...

 

[bsruther]

I usually save scrap from the miter saw for kindling and starter and split it into little pieces. This year I got some old boards that were up in the rafters and cut them up. When I split it, it had a strong turpentine smell and the grain looked a lot like fatwood. I decided to try lighting one up and sure enough, it fired right up. It's all split down to about half inch. I have a crock by the stove that's mostly filled with the stuff and half of a cedar chest filled with it as well. I usually use about 5 or six pieces of it and don't need much bigger kindling to go with it. Hoping it will last a few years and if this winter's as cold as last, it may last longer.

 

[Seanm]

I use fat wood but like someone above said sometimes they don't lite. The majority of them work great but are a bit thick so I split most into two. I haven't used paper in years. I would like to try supercedars but they don't deliver to my area. My wife looked into having them shipped to the shipping outlet in Eureka Montana but that's also an hour south and over the border. Has anyone ever seen them in Canada?

 

[Sprinter]

My wife looked into having them shipped to the shipping outlet in Eureka Montana but that's also an hour south and over the border. Has anyone ever seen them in Canada?

If you order 100 at a time (the best bargain), they'll last for at least 400 starts (more the way I use them). If you have other business in Eureka some time, it may be worth doing it that way and even getting 200 at a time. They really are worth it, IMO.

 

[Seanm]

If you order 100 at a time (the best bargain), they'll last for at least 400 starts (more the way I use them). If you have other business in Eureka some time, it may be worth doing it that way and even getting 200 at a time. They really are worth it, IMO.

Well with how people rave about them on hearth the curiosity is killing me. We go down there to pick up Christmas packages to save on the shipping to Canada so maybe that would be my chance.

 

[firefighterjake]

I've used newspaper, cardboard, dryer lint, tp rolls, cedar shingles, splitter scraps, scrap lumber, wood slabs and just about anything else you can think of ... always wondered why anyone would pay for fire starters until I tried the free Super Cedar samples ... now I buy a pack of them every fall.

Yup ... they're really worth it.

 

[Hobie]

We used Fatwood at first, but we got a batch that had a hard time lighting.

Super Cedars since then.

 

[Nickolai]

Former user of Fatwood and Super Cedars, Fatwood is now unavailable at my local Canadian Tire store and I was told that it's due to shipping across the border.
I used to buy Super Cedars from their site using the Hearth discount and really liked them but shipping here is also expensive.
I just started using lightning nuggets this year and I love them, they're cheaper, not crummy like the supers and I think they work better than the others.

 

[AnalogKid]

I bought 8 boxes of Fatwood at a dollar store last year at a buck a box. The only reason I bought 8 is because that's all they had. Have about 6 left.

I only need a starter when not burning 24/7, so I've been using 1-2/day for the past 3wks or so. Those remaining boxes should get me into 2018.

I have used a Super Cedar once, it made fire so I suppose it worked.

 

[JayD]

I just use a trigger start propane blow torch, works great!

 

[RAVinMetrowest]

These are what I use for all my firestarter needs:

http://store.weber.com/accessories/category/cook/tools/1324

Hunting, survival packs, general fires, ice fishing, etc.

Available at HD and Lowes.

Stable after being in water.

Ok for food................

 

[Hogwildz]

Anything you find at the local supermarket, hardware store etc will work fine and end in the same result....fire.
Cheaper, the better.

 

[kborndale]

I use the rutland squares, most time only need 1 and the square will burn for around 10 min. $15.00 for a box of 144 at home depot, not sure what the super cedars cost but its hard to beat 10 cents to light a fire.

 

[izzyq]

We tried Super Cedars last year with the free sample. We liked them so much we each bought a case for the other for Christmas. Needless to say we are set for awhile. I couldn't imagine what all the fuss was about UNTIL I tried them.

 

[2PistolPacker]

Thanks for all the suggestions. Super Cedars is sending a trial sample and I'll try others too before I order in bulk. I'm definitely done with paper and lighter fluid to start my firepit/chimnea fires.

 

[spirilis]

I think the trick to the supercedars is in the cedar - it burns hot, VERY hot, probably hotter than most other firestarters. Hard to tell since it's all a yellow flame, but I feel like the supercedars have a "whiter" flame to them. Otherwise it's just sawdust and wax like most other firestarters. I use them too.

 

[bsruther]

I received a sample of Rockford's cedar starter with my liner kit. It looks exactly like the super cedars, but may be different. I tried it this morning when I started a fire with a cold stove. It lit very easily and got the fire going pretty quickly. No faster than my standard method, but easier.
The one issue I did have with it was the crumbs. I broke it into quarters over my kindling crock and crumbs went everywhere. While I was carrying it to the stove, a trail of crumbs followed. I'm not saying this is an issue with super cedars. All I know is, I have a hard enough time keeping the hearth area clean and don't need cedar crumbs added to the mix.

 

[spirilis]

Mine are in plastic wrap, so I crack them inside the wrapper and just try to break the wrapper enough to get a 1/4 piece out, leaving the crumbs inside ... Usually works well.

 

[Sprinter]

I received a sample of Rockford's cedar starter with my liner kit. It looks exactly like the super cedars, but may be different.

Those are Supercedars. They provide large quantities with custom labels to resellers. I buy them without the wrapper and keep them in a large metal tin. If you break them over a container, the crumbs aren't much of a problem. When you accumulate enough, take a handful and toss them into a fire. Somebody here called it "pixie dust". But yes, the crumbs are part of the deal, but I just find it pretty trivial compared to the mess from the firewood.