cheap, effective firelighters

[kram245]

Came across these when looking for non-toxic firelighters for my Cobb bbq. They are sold in Tescos, cost 48p for 24 blocks. basically it looks like some sort of fibre board, impregnated with inflammable substances.Like a big bar of chocolate, it beaks down into 24 individual pieces. You can prize each piece in two, scrape the surface with your knife to fluff it up, and it will take a spark very easily, usually with one strike of the ferro rod.Being non-toxic, you can cook food over it, i use it as a starter for the Cobb bbq and my zip stove.
I was clearing out the shed the other day and came across a packet that i had opened about 5 months ago. They felt a bit drier that new ones, but took a spark just the same.
mark

 

[addyb]

I know the ones you mean Mark, and I think even Coghlan's makes a version of them. Just to play devil's advocate, are they really worth spending money on? Are they vastly superior to vaseline soaked cotton balls, dryer lint, or ceder shavings? I'm curious!

Adam

 

[kram245]

i use them for the couple of cookers i mentioned, as they give out a lot more heat for longer, as is needed when lighting charcoal. I was thinking more along the lines as a back-up, as they are virtualy odourless, store well as well as being far cheaper than hexi. or other commercial firelighters (as i've exhausted my supply i 'borrowed' from HM forces!). I always used to use cotton wool and vaseline to get my zip stove on the go, although unless you steal it from the wife, i doubt its cheaper once you've bought the vaseline and cotton wool. They do work very well though, dont they.Only thing about buying this stuff from supermarkets, come september, all this stuff disapears from the shelves, as if people only light fires or cook outdoors in summer!
Mark

 

[Ogri the trog]

I'll have to give those a go. I tried storing some of the white firelighters (similar to hexy but much lighter weight) and they dried out so much that they wouldn't light at all - not even with a turbo-torch flame!
I'm just after something to keep in the bottom of my brew pouch for those damp times when a firelighter woulf be quicker than sourcing a thick dry log, quatering it, then making feather sticks.

ATB

Ogri the trog