Homemade fire starter

[hh3f]

Don't waste your money on fire starters. Go to your local restaurant, school cafe, etc. and get the wax boxes that produce comes in. Cut it up in strips. One or two boxes will be enough for one season. That fire starter crap is a scam.

 

[webfish]

Super cedars are not a scam. Easiest thing ever.

 

[Sawset]

And are relatively cheap too. That way there is a choice, mail order, play handy andy and make some, or scrounge around for stuff. Just think of all the pennies we're saving.

 

[Jazzberry]

$12.00 to $15.00 a year to not mess with a single piece of kindling is not a scam. And firewood is my only heat source. Its a super deal. Cant say enough of how happy I am with Rutgers fire squares.

 

[SpaceBus]

I bought these on Amazon after trying some from a local store.

Amazon product ASIN B0002GD180
Seems like the same deal as the Super Cedars, but less expensive.

 

[Woody5506]

Super cedars are not a scam. Easiest thing ever.

I used them last year, bought a box of 36 or so and quartered them up and they lasted most of the season. I wouldn't say they are the easiest thing ever, definitely messy and they don't just light right up. Once they do get going though they burn forever. Overall I like them but for the price I paid I'd rather just make my own with egg cartons/wax/saw chips which burn a long time too and start easier than the super cedars.

 

[webfish]

You can also get 40% off super cedars if you use code "hearth19"
supercedar.com

 

[Gearhead660]

I use junk mail or old bank statements and such that you wouldn't just throw into the recycling. Also, I am surrounded by pine trees so I collect a couple trash bins full of twigs for the season. Doing a bottom up fire with those items and a couple smaller splits, my blower is kicking on in less that 10 minutes.

 

[Jazzberry]

I don't make anything, gather anything or store anything. I get a square out of my kitchen cabinet, light it on the stove, walk over to my stove and 10 minutes later I have a nice fire. Well worth $15 a year.

 

[Grateful11]

Our son farms for a living and gets stuff in the mail like The Farmer Connection(classifieds) and other various farming periodicals and papers that have good burning paper. There's always some scrap pine around a farm. I just put in 3 or 4 small pieces of pine kindling and last year I found out that Hickory bark burns nearly as wild as Fatwood. I just break up some Hickory bark lately and stack that on top of the paper and pine and away she goes. The Hickory bark will run out at some point unless wind takes down another big Hickory.

 

[BigFir]

I just lay a round on its side and make noodles! Takes about a minute to fill a box.

 

[Stelcom66]

Pine cones burn like they are soaked in gas.

I've never thought of using those. They're common in my yard, will try some.

 

[Stelcom66]

I get a newspaper 6 days a week, but burn it more than I read it. The subscription isn't cheap and my eyes aren't getting any better so I tend to read a lot of news online. At some point I may need to consider using something other than newspaper to start the fire. Both Super Cedar and Rutland have good reviews on Amazon, for what they're worth.

I'd prefer to buy them locally if possible. Maybe TSC has them.

 

[fire_man]

The Super Cedars have the highest star ratings on Amazon of all the fire starters and I can agree based on my experience.

For those saying they are messy, just ask for the HARD version in the comment field of the order and Thomas the Magical Super Cedar Elf will gladly oblige.

What makes them so great is they burn much hotter from the start and last a long time.

 

[RandyBoBandy]

I keep about three weeks of firewood in my garage. I split kindling as needed out of it. This produces a lot of chips and small shavings and such which I gather and use as my fire starter. Obviously it is a little more work than fat wood or super cedars but I don’t mind. It’s free and I enjoy taking time out of my hectic day to build a fire. Noodling a log also creates a ton of fire starter like mentioned by Bigfir

 

[jsab9191]

Been using the Rutland Safelites for the last five years, they work great and are very economical . Tractor supply sells them for 15.99 and runs them on special for 12.99 a few times a year . 1 box gives you 144 fire starters.