Matter of Time Fireplace Bellows TFS

First we bought a traditional bellows, but when it arrived, it just did not look like the photo, and was a bit big. It also took two hands to use, and had a rather short nozzle.This electric blower, however, is simply fantastic! It has two blower speeds, a nice long metal nozzle, and a comfortable plastic handle. For a home fireplace or wood stove, it is just the ticket to help start the fire or to get the fire going again after adding a new log. It is not an heirloom or a decorative feature like an expensive traditional bellows would be, but it is unobtrusive and really practical.In our wood stove, it typically takes a new log a few minutes to catch even if we open up the vents. But if we use this blower on the gentle setting, put it close to the coals below the new log, then in a few seconds, hey presto!, the new log has joined the fire. We can then close the door and leave the vent settings unchanged.It is quiet, will probably run a long time on the six penlights - since we only need it for a few moments at a time, and it is much smaller, lighter, and easily held in one hand - much more convenient to use than an old fashioned bellows.

The bellows worked for a week. It did the job well but ..after a week of light use the 6 aa batteries were dead. I replaced the batteries and it still wouldn't work. I tested the batteries and they are good so i had to return the bellows. My first impression was that they were high priced at $30 but the paper that came with it said TWO YEAR warranty. I figured they priced high because of the warranty so ok.Well...NOT OK NOT WORKING PERIOD! the sad ending to my purchase.

The product is AWESOME but they do not last at all....a couple months at most with regular use. I have gone through several in the last few years. I keep going towards this product because it functions well. When trying to contact the company about it NUMEROUS times, I have never once received a response. I wish they put out more quality ....but the convenience of it makes me want to come back to it every time. As soon as I find a replacement, I would NEVER buy this again!!

As mentioned I am on my third bellows. The first one worked but the 2-speed switch didn't function as it should and I had to dismantle and cut away a little plastic to fix it. That switch was too easy to not get completely turned off and we went through a dozen lithium batteries in no time because of it. Then after it was fixed it worked another 2-3 weeks and then just quit all together. The second bellows seemed perfect. The first time I used it to start a fire it ran full speed for maybe 10 seconds and then slowed right down. The batteries were new. I sent it back and was sent a replacement. On day 2 it works just fine. If that changes I will modify this review.When it works it does an awesome job of getting a fire going. You can start a fire from just a few embers and have it roaring in no time. It appears to be a case of excellent idea, poor execution (lack of quality).

Product works great! Its batteries ran down and I replaced them with normal, everyday AA Rayovac batteries and it works great again. It's a bit expensive, but if you regularly start fires (I do daily during the winter), I recommend this product, highly.

Very effective starting or restarting our woodstove.The fan is faster and the length make it much easier to use than the standard bellows we've used for years.The low speed is almost silent, high is quiet but moves a lot of air.At 24 1/4" it's too long to hang from our 22" fire tools rack. Despite that I like the length.The six AA batteries are a good choice. Yes, a bit fiddly inserting. The zinc-chloride batteries that came with mine lasted only a few weeks. I expect far more from replacement alkalines.It's robust enough for adult use but would not last long if the kids use it for swordplay.Requests/Suggestions: Provide alkaline batteries so buyers don't worry it eats batteries.Offer an upscale model that looks nice and might last for decades like the bellows it's replacing.

The good: Works well when it works. The bad: The thing eats batteries. Six batteries every week is way excessive. At first I thought maybe we were not getting it turned off. Then I considered that maybe the replacement batteries were old. Ran through two sets of new batteries in the same time frame - less than a week of using less than 5 minutes a day. This producer is a good idea that does not perform well.

I have received two of these now. The first one came missing half of its battery compartment so I sent it back. The second one seemed to be working fine and we used it daily for about three weeks before the batteries ran out. When the batteries run out, you've also run out of luck. The batteries I own do not fit correctly in it. I tried to add aluminum foil to make all the connections work but it didn't help. I wanted to love this. Actually I did love this when it was working correctly. If this was made to take regular American batteries, it'd be a great product.