Customers Moaning

[County4x4]

They look expensive mate. However, if you look at the energy they contain, they often work out cheaper than logs. They're also a lot more reliable - you know exactly what you're going to get because they're always exactly the same from load to load and year to year. Obviously wood prices vary a lot around the country and it's a given that many people on this forum will be burning their own logs - but if you're buying in at normal retail price, briquettes are often a lot cheaper. Most of our average customers, and we ourselves will go through the whole winter on a single pallet - and we'd need a fair few cubes of logs to do the same. Kiln dried logs locally are selling at about £135/m3 at the moment, and that's a special offer! We'd spend a lot more using them, and take up a hell of a lot more room storing them too.

 

As far as "ingredients" go - the thing you mentioned is one of the reasons, and there are a few, why I don't deal in imported briquettes. Buying British means I can turn up at the factory and have a walk round. I've heard of a couple of imported briquettes that "had a chemical smell" and left some very odd colured ash! If they're coming from Estonia or Latvia, I'd agree completely that there could be anything in them!

[Bowlander]

I agree with County4X4's comments about briquettes, yes they do vary with different manufacturers. Last year i used some excellent ones which i managed to get for £3.50 - £4.00 per 10KG pack. They were very dense and burned for ages. Six logs in a pack and on my 5kw effecient stove they expanded when burned. I burned them in halves and only got through 2 logs a night! I'd happily have bought a pallet load but have nowhere to store it

 

This year prices have risen so i thought i'd trial another make. 15kg of briquettes in a sack but disappointed with them as they seem to be made from compressed cardboard! Lightweight and good flame but very little heat! False economy entirely.