Especially at this time of the year, I need to use fire lighters for lighting the stoves we have in the house as secondary heating. There is nothing nicer than a real fire in the background, and you can damp them right down so that you have the heat benefit all day and night.
For years I've been using the white, foam type ones that are impregnated with liquid fuel. The drawback with these however, is that they stink. You can smell the petro-chemical smell as soon as you get them out. When you pick one up, because it is impregnated with a liquid, that transfers to your fingers also. If, you dont keep them in a sealed container after you have opened the pack, then they begin to dry out straight away.
Hence my move to these Eco Fire Mates. They are dry to the touch, have no odour whatsoever and won't dry out because they haven't got liquid in them. Shredded wood that seems to have been oaked in paraffin wax and then compressed into a small cylinder shape that is dry.
These particular ones come in a box of 36 (with free matches!!!) and are a dream to use, take them out of the box (no messing about with a plastic bag or anything), put them into the stove and stack the wood around them. Once lit, they will burn for around 10 minutes, which is plenty of time for the fire to catch, and again you dont get that chemical smell as they burn.
A little more expensive than the firelighters you can pick up at the corner shop, but then again, these are a lot more Eco friendly, easier to use and store and all