Charcoal Companion Stainless Steel Chimney Charcoal Starter

A great way to start charcoal, get rid of newspaper and reduce petroleum dependency. Simply use two full newspaper pages to bottom of chimney then fill with charcoal or wood. Light newspaper, go prepare your food for the grill and when you return (about 15 minutes) a nice flame reaching the top of your chimney signals the coals are ready. Especially nice in winter when lighter fluid fails to evaporate and permeates the taste of the food. You'll get instant satisfaction from this charcoal starter and will never return to lighter fluids again!

I wish I'd read the review about this not being "real" stainless before buying. The idea of making a starter in stainless is so that it doesn't rust. Why did they bother?

Look closely at the handle design and you will see that it is simply bent tabs pressed into a wood dowel rather than screws into wood. The recess that accepts the tabs will also fill with water and cause those tabs to loosen and the wood to split. The heat shield has about 1/2 inch play up-and-down and rattles, doesn't really fit the handle. The unit I have has one poorly bent tab, didn't quite go in all the way and is bent over at a strange angle. An $8 black steel unit I bought at Home Depot has a better handle and heat shield design.

There is some assembly required, attaching the handle and heat shield to the body. The screws provided are of two different types, one a flat-head, another round head. The screws are 300 series (non-magnetic) stainless and shouldn't have a problem with rust.

On the positive side, the box is pretty. The copyright on the box is 2005.

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The stainless is magnetic, so probably it is 18/0 stainless. It shows rust sitting outside after one rain:(

After two months use, I upgrade it to 4 stars. I now keep it indoor in the garage. Functionally it works well and the handle never gets hot even when the steel tube glows red.

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If you are going to barbecue you must have a charcoal chimney. It eliminates the need for starter (which is both unsafe and leaves a nasty aftertaste on quick-cooked foods). Starts your charcoal quickly and brings it to cooking temperature. It's easy, too. And this particular one is a great one.

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I was looking for a small chimney starter but this is as small as I could get. Construction is good but I have some doubts about he aluminum rivets.

Works very well though.

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