# Pine Mountain Firelog review (hey, it *IS* incandescent...)



## MacTech (Dec 14, 2008)

We're in the depths of a multi-day, potentially even multi-week long power outage up here in York, Maine, brought on by a massive ice storm that blew through on 12/11/08, the entire New England area has been hammered, but Central Maine Power, in their infinite incompetence, didn't take the storm seriously until yesterday, when the reality of the problem hit them (220,000+ homes in Maine without power, hardest hit area is York county (where I happen to live)

my Outage-Log is in the General Flashlights section, where I document what lights I've been using, and verbally berate the knuckle-dragging morons at CMP for their complete idiocy and incompetence

Anyway, one of the products we're using to get us through the frigid New England winter (outside temps were 14 degrees Farenheit last night!!) has been the Pine Mountain Firelog

this is basically a brick of compressed sawdust bound together with wax, dead easy to use, just put it in the fireplace, light both ends of the bag, and in minutes, you have a roaring, crackling fire that will burn for 3-3.5 hours (for the Large log)

So, in the spirit of CPF, I'll do a flashlight-style review of the firelog....

Beam Profile; a full 360 degree powerful flood of light, capable of lighting a good sized room to a comfortable level, probably around 5 to 10 lumens, nice, even lighting, no intense spots of light (I could say no *hot*spots, but that's not strictly true when dealing with fire now, is it?  ) 

Color Balance; Warm orange glow (*very warm*, in fact...), pleasing to the eye, but biased more to the reddish-orange side of the scale a very comforting, pleasing color balance

Power Source; compressed pine sawdust, a very environmentally freindly source of power, while the log itself isn't "rechargable", it's made using what would normally be considered "waste" products instead of burning cord wood

Efficiency; nearly 100% efficient (I believe estimates are 98% combustion) nothing is left behind but a small amount of ash, no coals, no unburned portions, the entire firelog is consumed in the burning process

Runtime; 3 to 3.5 hours for the Giant sized log (sizes available are Handy size (2 hours), Giant size (3 hours) and Superlog (4 hours), the rated burn time is 3 hours, but we regularly got 3.5, and the fire was pretty consistent throughout the burn time, so it looks like it's "regulated" to boot

The only real downside to the Giant logs is that they're too big to fit in our woodstove, the Handy size would be great there, as it's a small cast-iron woodstove and Cast Iron is a great heat retainer and radiator

The Pine Mountain logs would be a great addition to anyone's emergency kit, more efficient and cleaner than firewood, and can stack a lot more in a smaller area, well worth having on hand for emergencies, highly reccomended


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## socom1970 (Dec 14, 2008)

Excellent review, MacTech!!! Sounds like an outstanding incandescent option for camp-outs, blackouts, or anywhere that fine, natural light is wanted. Good job!:thumbsup:


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## Youfoundnemo (Dec 14, 2008)

I bet this lights newspaper on fire faster than Mac's torch!!


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## foxtrot29 (Dec 14, 2008)

I occasionally use those compressed sawdust logs for outdoor camp fires in my backyard -- there was a crappy amount of uncured wood being sold in the area, and I got frustrated with trying to start fires. 

Those things are great, you can even buy ones that crackle. But as I understand, they put out FAR more heat than any hardwood, and sometimes they warn you not to use them in woodstoves.


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## DaveG (Dec 17, 2008)

Can you more than one at a time,say two or three stacked like wood logs or do you just use one at a time in a fire place.


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## csshih (Dec 17, 2008)

can you EDC it?


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## kramer5150 (Dec 18, 2008)

definitely sounds more pleasant than the 8 Lumen blue-purple hue of a nichia LED.:twothumbs


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## Youfoundnemo (Dec 18, 2008)

does it come with a pocket clip or is that extra?


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## MacTech (Dec 18, 2008)

DaveG said:


> Can you more than one at a time,say two or three stacked like wood logs or do you just use one at a time in a fire place.


Nope, one at a time, the flames are pretty tall 



csshih said:


> can you EDC it?



well, you *could*, I suppose, but it'd be heavy, bulky and inconvenient...



Youfoundnemo said:


> does it come with a pocket clip or is that extra?



You'd have to DIY one, but you'd better have a bloody strong belt, as it's guaranteed to pull your pants down, not the best thing to have happen in a cold, snowy environment...


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## FlashInThePan (Dec 18, 2008)

Great review! I've noticed a few potential problems with this light source, though...

*Venting:* People are usually worried about the venting problems that plague LiIon-based light sources...but I hear this puppy has some serious venting issues, and emits dangerous fumes even when used as directed. ;-)

*Availability:* Often available only seasonally. And when I _do_ find it, the store clerks have always placed it in the wrong section; it's _never_ next to the other flashlights. 

*Portability:* Far heavier than an HID, and with less light. Carrying it in my pocket always ends up giving me flashbacks to junior high (i.e. I get "pantsed.")

*Machining:* Clearly the machining needs some work; this light contains many rough edges that scratch my pockets when I EDC it.

*Consistency and Quality Control: *I've bought a number of these, and no two have ever been exactly the same.

Seriously, this was a great review and a phenomenal post. Well done!

- FITP


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