Why Fatwood is Better than other Firestarters

Our fatwood is a 100% natural and sustainably-sourced firestarter harvested from the stumps of Central American longleaf pine trees. That means no live trees are ever cut to produce it. In fact, by removing stumps left by others, we simultaneously clean up the forest, reduce the risk of fire and get a great product.

Best of all, it is filled with rich pine resin, naturally water-resistant, pine resin-saturated, and lights fast.

Drying bundles of fatwood

Fatwood vs. Newspaper and Lighter Fluid

Let’s start with newspaper. It’s just a no go. Magazines, newspapers and other flyers can contain a variety of toxic chemicals, especially those with glossy covers and color ink.

Moreover, it tends to burn up quickly and does a poor job maintaining a flame long enough to light charcoal or logs. Luckily in the digital age, there are fewer newspapers sitting around. To recap, newspaper:

Burns too quickly
produces excessive flying ash
contains ink and other chemicals

Lighter Fluid + Cubes

Chemicals like lighter fluid and the white fuel cubes now common and tempting to reach for in the store. They’re small, simple and cheap. We can’t argue with that. Unfortunately, they are extremely toxic. That makes them a danger around small children as well as something you dont want getting into your food.

Fatwood on the other hand, is made of pure pine wood and has no toxic chemicals or additives of any kind. It gives off a pleasant pine smell which especially adds to the ambiance around the fireplace.

fatwood-in-sunlight
freshly cut fatwood sticks

Although gaining popularity particulary in the prepper and survival areas, magnesium isn’t meant for grilling or fireplaces. It can be handy in an emergency is pays to keep in your backpack while hiking, but for home use, leave it in the back.

Magnesium & Survival Firestarters

Fatwood does not produce any dangerous sparks and is completely natural. Being full of resin, no additional chemicals or fluids are required which makes it a great solution both at home and outdoors.

Sustainability

By only using wood taken from responsibly managed forests and tree farms in Honduras, Better Wood Products fatwood provides a great natural alternatives to chemicals and man-made options.

No live trees are ever cut and a by product of our harvesting pine stumps is the clean up of the area, faster regeneration and regular jobs for thousands of people who can support their families.

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