Weber Charcoal Chimney Fire Starter
Reviewed by: Bill Ames
Where to buy: Sears, Amazon
Cost: about $8-$12

Charcoal Chimney Starter Review:

What an amazing piece of engineering!

I know this really isn't hiking related, but I've used it many times while camping. I originally saw this in action at my Dad's place, and he's an avid BBQ'er, and hates the taste of  lighter fluid. I do too.

The concept is simple . . . fill the chimney with as much charcoal as you'll need. Put two pieces of dry, crumpled newspaper underneath and light it. In about 5 minutes, you'll have an orange inferno of thoroughly lit charcoal that you can dump into your grill, fire pit or hibachi. The best part is that you can start your charcoal with no lighter fluid and no lighter fluid taste.

I've tried other brands of these, but for some reason, they just don't work as well for starting fires. They either blow out, and I have to re-light, or they have cold spots that never catch. I suppose the engineers at Weber have patents on this exact design, because it's so simple, it seems like it would be easy to duplicate. Well, it's not, and at $10 or so, why not get the Weber?

I've used this in high winds at state parks as well as in my backyard, and the results are the same--a raging fire with no lighter fluid in a few minutes. I've even cooked with my wok on this, and it works great. I love wok cooking, but it's almost impossible to get the wok hot enough on a household stove, even if you have gas and a relatively big flame. This does the trick, and the wok balances well on the top of it, too.

The chimney starter is small enough for car camping, cut you certainly wouldn't want to backpack with it.

Nice touches from Weber (as always!) are a heat shield that works, a wire handle to steadily pour out the coals, and an unmeltable plastic handle that keeps your mits cool near the 2500 degree charcoal :-)

I like almost everything I've tried from Weber, and they really do a nice job. I have some of their BBQ accessories as well as a Smokey Mountain cooker and a One Touch kettle grill. They all perform far better than others I've tried.