Duraflame Charcoal nakedwhiz.com       Home       Lump Review Index       Quick Stats Date Of Review: June, 2004 Purchased From: Donated by Jim Payne, purchased at Long's Drugs Date Purchased: June, 2004 Price: $3.99 for 8.8 pounds Weight: 8.8 pounds Burn Time: Ash Production: Type of Wood: Oak, hickory, maple and other hardwoods. Strange Material?: 1 finger joint, 3 pieces of uncarbonized wood. Scrap Lumber Pieces?: Probably 95%. Smell: Moderate, pleasant hardwood smoke. Country of Origin: USA Quick Links Other Information: Click Here Unusual Or Unique Statements: Click Here Statements From The Bag: Click Here Lighting Instructions: Click Here Photos of Contents: Click Here Other Photos: Click Here Photo of UPC Code: Click Here Contact Information: Click Here Rate And Comment On This Charcoal: Click Here Commentary This is almost certainly Cowboy lump charcoal bagged for Duraflame. We have contacted Duraflame, but they have not responded to our inquiries. If we do hear from them, we will update this review. This charcoal was composed mostly of milling scraps, molding, flooring, etc. (See photos below.) The charcoal is very light, not very dense at all. The distribution of sizes was towards the small side as you can see from our photo of the sorted contents. The unusable contents (chips, dust and anything that doesn't belong) was 12.4% by weight, which is a little bit less than average. The bag contained one large piece of wood which was not carbonized and two smaller pieces which had not carbonized. The bag also contained a piece of molding containing a finger glue joint. We did a little research on aliphatic resin glues and it doesn't appear that they contain any real nasties, but of course, this only raises again the continuing concerns about the contents of charcoals like Cowboy. The charcoal is exceptionally easy to light, requiring two sheets of newspaper in our chimney starter test. It burns with a moderate smokey smell. It easily reached 750 degrees in our small ceramic cooker, which is about as hot any charcoals burn in our tests. In a test burn, this charcoal produced the identical amount of ash as Cowboy, the lowest amount of any charcoal that we have tested. The burntime was low compared to other brands. UPDATE 07/01/04: We finally heard back from Duraflame about their charcoal. Basically, they say "Our lump charcoal is made from 100% charred hardwood (oak, maple and hickory) and contains no chemical additives or fillers. No trees are harvested to make this product as Duraflame uses 100% recycled premium quality hardwood from U.S. milling operations. Unfortunately, due to competition considerations, I'm unable to to give you manufacturing information." Personally, we're betting it is Cowboy. We suggest you read the review of Cowboy Charcoal for the details. We'll give Duraflame charcoal our above average rating: To the left is the rating that our readers have given this charcoal. If you have used this charcoal and would like to rate it and leave your comments, Click Here To view reader ratings of all brands, Click Here. Other Information None. Unusual or Unique Statements None. Statements From The Bag "Fire It Up With Team Duraflame", "Hardwood Charcoal", "100% Natural Lump Charcoal", "Made from Oak, Maple and Hickory Woods for authentic wood-grilled flavor" "100% Natural -- No Chemicals Or Additives Duraflame lump charcoal is made from 100% charred hardwood and contains no chemical additives or fillers." "100% Recycled Resource No trees are harvested to makes this charcoal product. Duraflame uses 100% recycled premium quality hardwood from U.S. milling operations." "Better Tasting Duraflame Hardwood Charcoal burns hotter than regular briquets so meat is seared and reatins all of its natural juices and flavors. You'll get a hearty wood-grilled flavor and inviting aroma with no unpleasant fumes." "Economical Duraflame Hardwood Charcoal is almost entirely used up in the cooking process leaving only small amounts of ash to be cleaned away. Partially burned charcoal can be re-used so nothing is wasted." "Look for Duraflame's full line of barbecue and fireplace fuel products, including duraflame® FRESH LIGHT® liquid charcoal lighter at your local retailer." "Safety Never barbecue indoors as odorless, carbon monoxide can accumulate and become fatal. After cooking, make sure ashes are completely cool before discarding. Never use gasoline to light charcoal. Make sure grill is on a flat, level sruface and safely away from any flammable items. Store in a dry area." "Made in U.S.A." Lighting Instructions "Lighting Tips Duraflame Hardwood Charcoal lights easily and quickly. Make adjustments on the grill vents and grill lid to control the rate of burning. Also, try building your fire on one side of the grill for better cooking control. For extended cooking time add charcoal as needed." "Using A Starter Fluid Or Solid Close air vents at bottom of the grill and pour charcoal into a pile. Follow the packaging instructions on the fluid or solid lighter for amount and method to use. Allow 10-15 minutes for the lighter to burn off and the charcoal to glow orange." Photos Of Contents This is the contents of the bag. Those are 1 inch squares on the measuring bar. Here is a closer view. Here are the larger pieces we found in the bag. We found one piece which was a finger glue joint in a piece of molding. We found 3 pieces of uncarbonized wood in the bag. This was the largest. The bag was full of tongue and groove and other types of molding. Here are the contents of the bag sorted into large, medium, small, and too small/chips/dust. Other Photos This is how the bags arrived. We had a little help on this review. Photo of UPC Code Here is a photo of the UPC code on the bag: Contact Information See the contact page on their website as they have numerous addresses, phone numbers and email addresses. www.duraflame.com