Briquetts killing log sales

[Tagger]

I bought 10 sackfuls of the small pellets from a local joinery a year or so ago. The small low-density ones are nothing like the usual high-density heat logs. They burn quite rapidly and don't last very long.

 

I wouldn't use them in place of firewood - I would have to open the stove and chuck in another handful every 15 minutes or so.

 

They are very useful, though. They can be mixed with softwood kindling to get a good fire going, and they are great for perking up a fire when a big log has decided to just sit and smoulder.

[gensetsteve]

I bought 8 pallets in 2009 and have half a pallet left. I have moved it 8 times it must have cost more in diesel in the forklift than I made on selling it.

[Chippy]

I have used a few bags of these in the past, mainly because I was running low on logs, found them to be very good at getting the stove up to working temp. but that was about all.They are very soft and break when you look at them, burn for about 20 mins., and cover the floor with dust.

 

Only paid £2 for 10k bag and thats about all they were worth

[delabodge]

I'm not here to get in a pissing match with anyone mate, and I'm glad we both have plenty of happy customers.

 

There's no glue in briquettes though...

 

sorry mate wasnt meant to be nasty, good point on the glue!

[HertsWood]

We sell 2 types: Verdo Briquettes & Blazers. Don't sell as a replacement but as a compliment to firewood. Sales are average. Typically 10 - 15 tonnes a year. For some customers they are easier to handle, store & burn.

 

 

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[doobin]

I bought 8 pallets in 2009 and have half a pallet left. I have moved it 8 times it must have cost more in diesel in the forklift than I made on selling it.

 

God, don't I know that feeling. I seem to spend forever on the loader, every time I have to move something I have similar thoughts

[woodrascal]

As County 4 x 4 has said GOOD Briquettes are a very good fuel that suit a lot of stove users with limited storage space.

 

The problem is that there are lots of people making and selling badly made briquettes - they're using the wrong kit and the wrong feedstock. You need to find a team making a good product and stick with them.

 

I suppose the analogy of GOOD v BAD briquettes is like comparing 18 months dry Beech with freshly cut Sitka...

[County4x4]

The problem is that there are lots of people making and selling badly made briquettes - they're using the wrong kit and the wrong feedstock. You need to find a team making a good product and stick with them.

 

I suppose the analogy of GOOD v BAD briquettes is like comparing 18 months dry Beech with freshly cut Sitka...

 

That's pretty much bang on mate. It's no different to the firewood game really - a lot of you guys have seen chancers coming along, selling rubbish at cheap prices, and then hopefully disappearing. There's been a huge increase in the whole market - I read there were 175000 new stoves fitted last year alone - and there are plenty of people around who will see something like that and just think there's a killing to be made.

 

It's happened with logs and it's happened with briquettes. Lots of small producers of sawdust have decided it's time to jump on the bandwagon and get their piece of the action - but hey - we don't need to go and spend £160k+ on buying a decent machine designed for the job - there's a machine shop down the road with an old swarf press for £3k - that'll do!

 

The result is your "garden centre special" Loads of my customers have tried them, and they all say the same thing about them - "rubbish - they didn't last five minutes" The size is one problem - they have a lot of surface area for the volume, so more air can get to them. The other problem is the density - they're like a sponge cake compared to a housebrick. The manufacturers put them in sacks "to keep them dry" while half the reason is that retailers won't put up with piles of sawdust all over their shop! Most of them are pressed - and pressed briquettes expand when burning - so they have an even greater surface area. They also fall to bits if disturbed leaving you with a pile of hot sawdust. Extruded briquettes don't do either - you'll get proper embers that will last for hours. But the machine will cost a packet.

 

I've come at the whole thing from a slightly different angle really. It's more important that my customers get a good deal than I make a killing - and so for some enquiries I'll forget the sale and tell them they'll be better off with something else instead. I also won't sell them a product I don't think is good - we've burned nothing but briquettes in our stoves for years, and so we want the best we can find too. As I said, when I offered a cheaper alternative in the past, our customers said they worked out MORE expensive in use - which pretty much confirmed our thoughts on them. Ever since we've stuck with just one type - and if I found one I thought was better then I'd be using and selling that instead.

[I-buy-logs]

As more stoves are put in more briquette machines get fitted to joinery workshops and the more i see signs saying logs for sale every man and dog is on the logs for sale band wagon.

 

I buy briquettes from 2 different suppliers the dust in the bag is not normally a sign of a good or bad briquette in my opinion i sell 1000s of m2 a year of logs so im biased towards logs and i would say there is allot more consistency with briquettes I pay £1.50 for 15kg leaves a nice profit margin but it also affects the log sales as some people are going for a couple of nets and a bag of briquetts.

 

as for trading standards setting a standard for logs are you koking 1 wet night with a damp log or raining when delivering then and we would all be issuing full refunds and end up in court .

[Mortimer Firewood]

As more stoves are put in more briquette machines get fitted to joinery workshops and the more i see signs saying logs for sale every man and dog is on the logs for sale band wagon.

 

I buy briquettes from 2 different suppliers the dust in the bag is not normally a sign of a good or bad briquette in my opinion i sell 1000s of m2 a year of logs so im biased towards logs and i would say there is allot more consistency with briquettes I pay £1.50 for 15kg leaves a nice profit margin but it also affects the log sales as some people are going for a couple of nets and a bag of briquetts.

 

as for trading standards setting a standard for logs are you koking 1 wet night with a damp log or raining when delivering then and we would all be issuing full refunds and end up in court .

 

I would welcome a standard for firewood not hard to keep them dry in the yard or during delivery. Once they get to the customer if they want to let them get wet that's there look out. If you had a set standard people new they could trust it would nock the cowboys out of the game