Weber Firestarters/Fire Cubes vs WetFire Tinder

[emman714]

So for those of your that aren't aware, or that don't know of a guy named Hiram on YouTube- Hiram does different stove and tinder reviews.

He recently brought Weber Firestarters as an alternative to Wetfire Cubes, to YouTube- via a suggestion from one of his subscribers.

They can be found at ACE hardware, anywhere from $4.50-$6 for a pack of 24. They may also be found at home depot.

I personally bought these Weber FS for $6. I have compared these to my friends WetFire cubes. They are the same thing for less and you get more! I just thought I would share this with you guys. I hope it helps some of you.

Here are two videos, pretty much say it all. Let me know what you think.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dCcN0T0guoI
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EsZTHIlJdOE

[lunchboxTBC]

guess I'll go pick some of these up for my next camp out. Thanks man!

[Blackdog]

I can't watch the youtube stuff from here, so hang with me. Will these catch a spark from a fero rod? I have a few of the local version of these type things stuffed in my wood stove and they will not catch a spark but work pretty well other wise.

[The Omega Man]

I actually use the WetFire tinder's in some of my survival kits so this is REALLY good info, thanks for the heads up!

[emman714]

You guys are welcome, spread the info.

They actually do catch a spark...just scrape the outer layer off a little as he shows. I'm sure it will catch a spark better from a Strikeforce blast match even more. I think a Misch metal firestriker would work best with these.

They are a really good deal.

-Emmanuel

[maldon007]

Thanks dude, gonna get some today.

[xxxDarksidexxx]

great info thanks OP! i may need to pick some up.

[stimpy321972]

went to Ace hardware today to check it out. Bought all they had, 6 packs of 24 @ $4.25 each. Ace had sent me 2 $5 coupons for the Ace rewards thing, so double win. Ace outlet online has them for 3.89/24 but charge $11 for shipping and the ebay feedback for their shipping is not so great. Seems to take several weeks for them to process and then finally ship.

I am very happy and going to check back often at ACE, because these are absolutely a better deal than the fuel tabs that they sell at rei, dicks etc.

THANKS emman for the look-0ut and the video is pretty cool too. maybe you should put this in the "bug out deals section" also. !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[emman714]

You're welcome.

Have you guys/gals ever experienced these Wetfire type tinders drying out over time at all?

I know the Wetfire tinder is individually wrapped so that may be it's biggest advantage. I think if you keep these Weber ones in a waterproof/airtight container such as a pill bottle they would last fine.

What do you think?

-Emmanuel

[emman714]

went to Ace hardware today to check it out. Bought all they had, 6 packs of 24 @ $4.25 each. Ace had sent me 2 $5 coupons for the Ace rewards thing, so double win. Ace outlet online has them for 3.89/24 but charge $11 for shipping and the ebay feedback for their shipping is not so great. Seems to take several weeks for them to process and then finally ship.

I am very happy and going to check back often at ACE, because these are absolutely a better deal than the fuel tabs that they sell at rei, dicks etc.

THANKS emman for the look-0ut and the video is pretty cool too. maybe you should put this in the "bug out deals section" also. !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Good idea, thanks for the tip.

Will be copy and pasting.

-Emmanuel

[stimpy321972]

went to Ace hardware today to check it out. Bought all they had, 6 packs of 24 @ $4.25 each. Ace had sent me 2 $5 coupons for the Ace rewards thing, so double win. Ace outlet online has them for 3.89/24 but charge $11 for shipping and the ebay feedback for their shipping is not so great. Seems to take several weeks for them to process and then finally ship.

I am very happy and going to check back often at ACE, because these are absolutely a better deal than the fuel tabs that they sell at rei, dicks etc.

THANKS emman for the look-0ut and the video is pretty cool too. maybe you should put this in the "bug out deals section" also. !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Good idea, thanks for the tip.

Will be copy and pasting.

-Emmanuel

No problem, thanks for the review. I had seen the box before at different places but hadn't really looked at them closely.
Thats what I like about this forum. I consider myself pretty observant at stores. This is definately one thing that I overlooked and am kicking myself over. I have been buying the fuel tabs at REI and paying double what these cost, for half as much product.

[aa1pr]

A worthy investment regardless of the black soot that is a by product. Thanks for sharing.

[lunchboxTBC]

Meh, I don't think I'd notice new soot, all my camp cookware seems to have permenant black marks on the bottoms and sides at this point from being in, over or near woodfires. It seems I can never let the fire burn down to just coals before cooking food or river water.

[quazi]

I was thinking about buying some of wetfire, so thanks for the tip.

[111t]

The best thing i've found is the idea to take cotton balls and dip them in gulf wax or candle wax. Then compact them into balls. I got the idea somewhere on ZS. THEY ARE GREAT!!!! You take your knife and cut them 1/2 way through and then pull them apart revealing lots of very fine cotton fibers. I can usually light them with a firesteel in less than 5 strikes. Of course a lighter or match lights them easily as well. They are completely waterproof, cheap, small, (About the size of a large gumball) and full of WIN!!!

That's it. I'm making some more tomorrow night!

[111t]

Are the wetfire/weber tabs hexamine? (Do they smell like fish?)

[joekaveh]

Thanks for the info, always wanted to get some wetfire to try it out but it just seemed way overpriced. Will go out tomorrow and try out some of this if my local Ace has any.

[maldon007]

I just tested the webber cubes for wet starting, they did pretty good I guess. First I tried a dry one with flint/striker, did not catch easy... took a lot of spark, but eventually strted. But when I broke it in half & tried the fresh surface, it caught on the 3rd spark & that seemed pretty average.

Then I held a cube under water (they normally float a bit), and no bubbles came out... but after 5 min. I took them out & they seemd like they took in a bit of water... It wasnt just beading up & running off, ya know?

And that was the case, cause I couldnt get the wet surface to start by spark, at all (even after patting it dry with a towel)... But with a lighter, it was 2 seconds & go. The water did not soak in very deep though, so I broke it in half & it caught by spark, just like the dry piece did, after it was broken.

So a 5 min. soak just means you have to break it to start with a spark... Though if they were held under water for say, a half hour... the wetness might get all the way through & need to be dried for a time before it would start... Didnt do that test... yet.



Btw, this was found at home depot, in the grill section, only like $3.99 or something.

[d.riley]

Also found here for $3.29 each with free shipping:

http://www.csgrills.com/Common/Product/CatProduct.aspx?ID=186202

Offer valid until Monday, Feb 1

edit - ************************

Nevermind.. Apparently by 'free shipping' they mean $5.95

[cssims]

I've only found the Weber starters once in a nearby Home Depot. Every time I go into a HD I look for them and never ever find them. The one thing I'm not keen on with the Webers is that they are bulkier than Wetfire

[joekaveh]

Bought some at Home Depot for like 3.49 or so, going to go test how long they burn for. After which I will compare them to my petro dabbed cotton balls (making sure they are of similar size of course) and post my results.


*edit*

So I tested a half chunk size of one of the cubes and burn time was about 9:30 secs or so. The thing would not catch fire with my firesteel after about 10-12 strikes which makes me very unlikely to carry it in my BOB, however I do plan on using it for my charcoal grill
The cotton ball/vaseline burned for about 3:20 seconds. I don't put very much of the jelly on my cotton balls, but I imagine the burn time would be greater if one were to douse them in the stuff. Also, these things are stinky like fish.

[Zombies And SlimJims]

So I just read about this on a different forum (I know, I know..but it was a stumble upon, I swear I wasn't giving them my time!) and I figured I'd just do a search on here and post it if no one else had. Beat me to the punch, be let me say, these things are a blessing. I found out about them because I was trying to figure out(read: googling) how to make my own WetFire Tinder cubes. I had these in my pack for a while but just got around to trying them yesterday, and immediately knew I needed more than the stock I had. I didn't want to dish out 9 bucks for 8 more so I figured I'd see what the internet could serve me up. Anyway, came across a post describing these little buggers, yadda yadda yadda...

Bought some at Home Depot for like 3.49

and I brought it home to test. Didn't try boiling any water or anything, but it seemed to burn exactly like the WetFire Tinder.

The thing would not catch fire with my firesteel after about 10-12 strikes which makes me very unlikely to carry it in my BOB

Did you shave a little section of it? I just made a tiny pile of shavings right next to the cube itself, and I used a cheapy flint striker, Coghlan's I think, and it instantly went up on the first strike! Highly recommend these pending shelf life. Someone on the other forum suggested wrapping the individual cubes tightly in aluminum foil, and then sealing them with one of those air tight food storage deals.

[xxxDarksidexxx]

these things work pretty good. i know keep a few in my packs/kits

viewtopic.php?f=14&t=65591&p=1412102&hilit=hiked+a+new+pack+today#p1412102

[Apollo-11]

Good pics. Picked up a package at a local Ace Hardware. Then I was going up and down the aisles at Home Depot and found them there. These things are a good deal. Have not tried them out yet.