Originally published at: Lowest price I've seen for a charcoal chimney starter | Boing Boing
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10 dollar, you no hollar.
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It’s been many years since I have grilled outside, but when I used to, I had one of these based on a recommendation of a friend. They really are fairly foolproof and would buy another one in a heartbeat if I started grilling again.
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I usually use a gas grill, but now sometimes have occasion to use charcoal. After doing without, I bought one of these last week at Lowe’s Dépôt for $20. Fortunately, I haven’t used it yet and still have the receipt. So I bought one from the link (you’re welcome, BB!) and will return the other.
Buying everything from Amazon contributes to the retail monoculture. But I don’t feel as bad when it’s one of the big boxes taking it in the shorts.
I wish the parks department would mandate these in the park. The smell of grilling victuals when you’re on a stroll 
the smell of lighter fluid? 
Neither would make summer holidays in the park more run-able or look less like a post-Iraq war oilfield, but it would still be an improvement.
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I’ve used these for at least 40 years, before I ever saw one in a store. Drill matching 1/2" holes in the bottoms of two 3lb coffee cans, screw them together and attach a handle. Nothing’s cheaper than free.
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Im getting a lot of use out of this on Boingboing of late:
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Used something just like this when I was a kid, they worked great. Biggest problem nowadays is finding a newspaper, wait we still get junk mail, problem solved.
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What is “newspaper”?
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Yeah, newspaper is an issue with these starters… Buying a paper (big bucks now, too) just to start a BBQ, and the the paper around here has evolved to a nasty lightweight inky mess that doesn’t really work for lighting What I have found works even better though are the pasteboard drink carriers that you get from Tim Horton’s and similar vendors. Break them into four pieces, each piece is sufficient to start your charcoal ; Just use a little of the brown paper bag your bagels came in to get things going. Works much better than newspaper ever did. I was ready to pull the trigger on a couple of these chimneys because my current one’s are falling apart, but they’re out of stock (for Canada)
A two-pound coffee can, if such things still exist, with the bottom cut out works pretty well, but you need a pair of tongs to lift it away.
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