Weber Rapidfire Starter - Large (32cm Height), compact grill lighter with two handles, ideal for all charcoal grills from Ø 47cm, ignition aid for charcoal, briquettes - (7416)

A great purchase, one of those you never realised you needed until you have one. Using the chimney starter means you can get coals fully lit before they go on the grill and light more batches without disturbing the cooking area.Usage is extremely simple. You light your fire lighters of choice, place a coal filled chimney on top of the fire lighters then wait until the top layer of coal has ashed over.The carry handle is solid and doesn't transfer much heat. The 2nd handle allows you to use 2 hands when tipping out the contents.I've been using this for over 2 years now and have some tips/advice to share:- For lighting I perfer those wood twine balls as they tend to create the biggest flame. Newspaper works but can be inconsistent and leaves a lot of ash. Chemical cubes do the job and light instantly but produce a smaller flame.- On a large Brinkmann BBQ one full chimney of coals is good to grill a few of batches of food for a fairly large party. One full chimney gives around 90mins-2hrs of steady low heat on a water smoker depending on how warm the weather is.- Lumpwood or briquettes work just as well, with briquettes taking a little longer to light but producing a more consistent large batch due to the even sizes.- Avoid coals with "instant light" (or similar) on the bag. They are unnecessary for the chimney and due to the lighting chemical in them will crackle and spark a lot!- Buy yourself some forearm length welding gauntlets and safety glasses. It's not unusual to get sparks flying around and small pieces of hot coals falling out the bottom as you're tipping out the chimney. Welding gauntlets also allow you to quickly pick up hot coals that have fallen out or even spread your pile of hot coals after you've tipped them out.- An old square patio slab makes a great surface to light the chimney on. The BBQ coal pan also works well but it helps to have somewhere away from the grill for top ups.- If you're near the end of a bag of coal don't be tempted to tip the dust in the chimney. It'll choke the chimney out and create a smoke bomb in your garden.- Equally although massive chunks of lumpwood coal are nice you don't want them in the chimney. Large chunks burn down a lot and you'll be left with half a chimney once the coals are ready. I tend to put the biggest chunks on the BBQ and tip the lit coals over the top.- When you first light the chimney it sometimes looks like not much is happening but as long as the bottom layer of coals starts catching (5-10mins), that will cause a chain reaction until the whole chimney is lit.In my opinion an essential purchase for any coal BBQ fan. Yes it can be done without the chimney but even if you buy one only for lighting extra batches it'll make your life much easier.After 2 years mine is still in perfect usable condition. Yes the metal finish is tarnished and heat stained but structurally it is solid and as good as day one.

What a game changer this is. Sturdy, easy to use, makes cooking start time predictable and takes any guessing away. Super happy with this and value for money as it makes bbq’ing a lovely and successful experience 👏👏

Only used it twice thanks to the horrible summer weather but it was perfect for getting the BBQ coals fired up to a white hot level.Good quality build as well. Better than the cheaper no name versions. Good sturdy handle that doesn't get too hot to the touch.

If done right, it can produce very evenly heated coals and as a result, superior cooking results. The only downside I saw was the initial smoke produced, but I haven't found a significantly effective method to prevent that yet, and I don't blame this product for that, as it simply uses physics to heat the coals. It was larger than I thought but in a good way for larger capacity. Highly recommend for anyone who BBQ'S.

Used this for the first time tonight given the shocking summer we've had. I can't believe how quickly this heated the charcoal. It's so much more efficient and controlled than the usual method. The construction seems pretty robust so I expect it to last a good while.

This is amazing - buy it now!Just stuff some newspaper in the bottom, add the coals, light the paper and walk away to get a beer! 15-20 minutes later the coals are glowing red hot.I've been known as the BBQ King for years by friends and family and love nothing more than entertaining whilst cooking on the BBQ. Cooking is the enjoyable bit, making sure everything is cooked perfectly so everyone is happy. The only issue I've had is finding the perfect way to light the coals. This has been a lifelong quest to find the best possible solution. The best way to stack the coals, which firelighters to use, fire gel or liquid, which coals, ways to let enough draft to the flame, but not let it blow out... You think you've found the right combination, but next time it's all different again. Unfortunately, factors such as the quality of the 'flame retardant' coals or firelighters, too much wind that blows the flames out or 'just one of those things' means that what should have been enjoyable ends up being a stressful hour wasted wondering if it'll ever light. But not anymore! Using this Weber Chimney starter was fantastic! So easy and so fast! As a first test run I did a really small BBQ for 3, something I often wouldn't have bothered doing as the hit and miss time it takes to light can seem a waste for such a small BBQ. That'll never put me off again. After 15 minutes I could have emptied it out an cooked on it. In fact, a word of warning: the coals were so hot in such a short time from lighting that the only issue I had was that I wasn't ready to cook on them for about another 30 minutes or more - as I was busy doing other jobs and perhaps drinking a beer! By the time I got to cook on them they were actually starting to lose some heat. But it was only a test, so not to worry - it gave me the excuse to light another small batch and in under 15 minutes they were perfectly hot and ready to cook on.So you can pretend that it's the manly 'fire starter' thing to do to have to spend the best part of the day stressing, lighting, re-lighting, wasting fortunes on fuel and firelighters, stinking of smoke from standing over it for so long and then feeling vaguely satisfied when you've at last managed it. Or you can get one of these and feel incredibly pleased with yourself that you've done your research and actually know how to light a BBQ the right way - with a single strike of a match you know it's all going to work perfectly to plan and in under 20 mins you'll be ready to cook. Leaving you more time to enjoy yourself while the chimney does its job! (Unfortunately, it may mean you're asked to help out in the kitchen, but you can always pretend it's harder than it looks!)I've not compared the Weber against any other slightly cheaper brands, but seeing as it's not that expensive, looks good and well built, will hopefully last forever, be a real talking point when friends come around, I think it's well worth the extra few quid to know you've bought the right one.IF YOU BBQ YOU NEED ONE OF THESE! Enjoy :)

Really useful in lighting the bbq coals, does it well & quickly