Weber Rapidfire Chimney Starter for Use With Charcoal Grills, Aluminized Steel

Easy to use and effective. Smokes a lot because the paper smolders until there is enough heat to create a good chimney effect. It even works if you stuff the paper in the top and pile the charcoal on top of it, but do it the right way and wad up the paper in the bottom and put the charcoal in the upper chamber.I use brown Kraft paper that's used as packaging and it works very well. Free fire starter!Don't expect an immediate flaming miracle. Plan on 20 minutes to start the charcoal and get it all going before you dump it in the grill. The process starts slowly and builds exponentially. At first, it looks like not much is happening, but the chimney starter is a much better way to start charcoal than building a pyramid and stacking briquettes. Be patient. Start the fire and then go do some food prep or something. A watched fire starter never starts a fire. It only requires a few seconds of your time, but the chimney starter needs 15-20 minutes to do its magic.I have a smaller hibachi style grill and the grate isn't adjustable, so it's critically dependent on the correct amount of charcoal. It really needs a single layer of charcoal on the bottom of the grill. Any more than that and the coals are way too hot and the outside of the food is incinerated in about a minute. For smaller grills, I recommend putting the cold charcoal into the grill first to measure how much you need, then dump it into the chimney starter and mark that as the amount to use each time.

Never used another brand but it works well and does what I need

I bought this in April, 2012 and I still use it at least twice/week (every time I fire up my charcoal grill). It's January 2012 now and this thing is still irreplaceable for me.Very easy to use, fill up the main section with charcoal, crumble up newspaper and stuff it into the bottom and light. Give it a few minutes and you've got hot coals to pour out into your grill and start going.A few tips/info:1) It smokes a lot at first, just be prepared. It is paper lit on fire, after all.2) Don't over stuff with paper - too much paper doesn't allow enough air to circulate around the bottom and it won't work as well.3) Don't use glossy paper like with some junk mail you receive. Be careful only to use plain paper, throw away the glossy stuff because it has chemicals and burns differently - you don't want to use that.4) The whole point of this thing is to not have to use charcoal fluid, at least in my case. Don't add fluid to your charcoal or use the type of charcoal that has fluid included in it - those chemicals are added to the flavor of your food, trust me don't do it.5) After the coals are hot there can still be some paper or ash underneath. Lift up the unit with 2 hands (one on the main handle, one on the hinged top handle) and shake it (while still upright) into the grill a little to get that stuff out of it. Otherwise, you may drop some paper or ash on yourself or nearby where you don't want it. Not a big deal, but it can happen.6) Keep the coals going in the unit until you see red near the top. That's when they're ready to go - not every coal has to be red, just make sure that MOST of them in there are glowing.7) ONLY light this while it's in the grill, don't do it on the ground or on a shelf (especially a wood one) attached to your grill. Just do it on the grates inside.8) Flip it quickly, then slowly lift up so you have a nice pile of coals. Lifting it too quickly spreads them out more and usually means they'll burn up faster, same with "pouring" them out slowly.9) If you are smoking wood with your coals, don't add wood chips or chunks to the coals until after they are in the grill.10) Once you have emptied the coals out, the unit will still be hot! Make sure you have a safe place to put it - again not on your wood shelf or on the ground usually. I put mine on top of the grate under the grill itself, where it can cool quickly.Like I said I use this constantly. It's still bright silver, barely looks used. Very high quality product and a must have for real charcoal enthusiasts.UPDATE 3/21/13: Still a great unit, still used every time I grill. The metal has very slightly warped in shape, you can only tell if you're looking straight down from the top and it doesn't affect the unit in any way. Of all my grilling tools and gadgets this is one of the few that I absolutely cannot do without.-D

I bought this Weber RapidFire for my brand new Weber Gold Kettle grill. I watch food network religiously and my favorite chef, Bobby Flay, said never to use lighter fluid in grills, use a chimney starter. I listened to him as he is one of the best there is on the grill. Although it may be a little more work, you can save money on lighter fluid and use this safer method. Also, the fumes from the lighter fluid may get in the food and make it taste unnatural.The grip on this starter is the exact same as on my grill. That being said, it has excellent grip in your hand, even when wet. I also prefer the synthetic handle because it is more hygenic and easy to clean when dealing with raw meats and other foods. Wood handles will absorb the bacteria and may cross contaminate your food, a dangerous and unpleasant result.To use this item, you simply stuff some scrap paper or newspaper in the bottom and fill the top with the desired amount of charcoal. I usually cook for only two people, so filling the coals about halfway is ideal. Then, you place the starter on the rack of your grill (I use the bottom rack), and light the paper on fire in a few places. Make sure you use enough paper to light the coals. When I first started using it, I did not put enough in and it did not light, stuff some paper in there man! Wait about 15 to 20 minutes and your coals will be piping hot and ready to cook.After use, give it time to cool off and clean it out with a cloth. The charcoal residue will eventually corrode the steel if cleaning and proper storage inside your house is not practiced; fairly straighforward stuff. Also, you will notice discolorations in the steel after use, no big deal, this is just from the heat of the coals. I have used this starter at least 30 times and it is resiliant and able to withstand high temperature.Sure, there are cheaper ones out there at walmart, but I cannot guarantee the longevity on those, this one will last you. Weber is synonomous will quality grilling products and this item is no different. i highly recomend this product.