Easy Release Charcoal Grill Lighter

The Modern Leisure EASY Release Charcoal Starter performs as expected. It gives a more uniform start across the charcoal brickettes than the usual pyramid configuration that I have usually used. Having said that, I have had no concern with my previous system. The unit is well designed with a good-sized chamber at the base of the unit for kindling. The heat shield at the base of the handle works well. The grate catch holds well at this time, but the unit needs to be stabilized to facilitate the release.

I have used this chimney-style charcoal lighter for years, to prevent using chemical charcoal lighter fluid, so I am a convert. This MODERN LEISURE Easy Release Charcoal Starter is trying to improve on the chimney style by adding a quick-release feature, so that you don't have to try to dump hot coals upside down. The problem is that it's not easy to use the "easy" release - it is hard to set, and then spontaneously dumps before the coals are ready. The heat shield works well and otherwise it performs as it should.

I've had this for a couple of weeks and I'm not really enthusiastic. I've used other chimney starters and the difference with this one was the fact that it had a bottom grate release. That would be a fantastic improvement over all of the other competitors as you would never have to turn your wrist and arm over to dump out the hot coals and possibly severely burn yourself as I have done on occasion. However, the bottom grate release is very hard to manipulate as it is poorly made and to put it into the upright position to hold charcoal is very difficult. The capacity of the Chimney is less than most and the handle and heat shield are not as robust as I would like for safety purposes. It did fire up the charcoal nicely. You're supposed to use 3 pieces of newspaper wrapped in loose balls but I used paper bags which worked perfectly. The air holes for vents are very large and keep the paper going enough to get the charcoal burning. Just remember that initially, there is a lot of smoke because of the paper. When the charcoal catches, not smoke. Bottom line, I would by a different brand.

This MODERN LEISURE charcoal starter offered an interesting design improvement over other existing starters. But it just doesn’t seem as sturdy or functional as others I have. I compared it to my favorite charcoal lighter that costs twice as much. * The MODERN LEISURE unit has half the capacity. Which would be non-starter for me when I use any of my three, larger BBQs. It just won’t light a large enough batch of charcoal. * The MODERN LEISURE unit is made of much lighter gauge materials than my favorite charcoal starter. The sheet metal is thinner AND the grate material is of a lighter gauge as well. It doesn’t seem like it would go the distance. I could see burn through and warpage coming inside of a year. * The MODERN LEISURE unit has wooden handles that frankly don’t seem like they’ll last long. Whereas, the heavy duty, heat resistant, hard plastic handle of my favorite is more functional, protects better from heat and isn’t showing any signs of deterioration after a year. Other reviewers said the MODERN LEISURE unit handles projected further from the base than most. But, that's not the case for me. I tested the MODERN LEISURE unit tonight when I wanted to make a small batch of chicken wings on my little kettle BBQ. Because of the large gaps in the charcoal grate, I lined the top of that grate with a couple thicknesses of newspaper to delay any drop of embers and small pieces before they were lit. As to the reviewers who complained about it using newspaper in the days of electronic communications and, newspaper being scarce in most households, I just retain the Tuesday ad paks we get in the mail and drop them in my charcoal container. They provide plenty of newspaper for my charcoal lighting needs. The coals lit like any other chimney charcoal lighter I’ve used. And, as soon as I saw red flames at the top, I moved the lever to have them drop out the bottom. It was my first time using this starter and a bit awkward. But, it worked. Although I’m really not impressed with the function. It isn’t that hard to just put on some BBQ gloves, grab the handle on my favorite charcoal lighter and turn the whole thing over and dump it on the coal grate. Overall, I can’t recommend the MODERN LEISURE starter. It’s unique drop out the bottom design doesn’t add enough function to justify the lower quality of its build.

Very easy to use! Just put a few pieces of crumpled up paper underneath it, then put as many coals as you think you will need inside . Add a bit of charcoal lighter to the coals, then take a long match and start the paper on fire. The size is good for an abundance of coals or a smaller amount . I had an easy time getting my grill ready to cook on !

This charcoal chimney has two distinct features that set it apart from my other chimneys. One, is the greater distance between the handle and the chimney. Those extra few inches seem to make for a cooler handle. And since the handle is made of wood, I can wet it to reduce some of the "burn" from touching it. The second feature is a lever to allow dumping from the bottom. After using the easy-release feature, I can't say I like it. I find myself just dumping from the top as the older models. Dumping from the top gives me more control over the placement of the coals. I'm not letting anyone borrow it, this chimney is a keeper. But I can't say the easy-release lever is a justification for buying. Otherwise, It's a great charcoal starter.

This very well built and designed fire-starter is a welcome addition to my BBQ equipment. The fire starter chimney with wooden handled quick release will hold enough charcoal to get any grill started fast. The large holes designed and incorporated into the area at the bottom to put newspaper or other kindling make it easier accommodate your match or lighter from any position. The "carbon steel" construction will stand up to many charcoal starts and has a reflective coating to attain hotter quicker start ups. There is a metal heat shield between the wooden handle and the chimney to keep the handle part of the starter cooler for removal after releasing the hot coals onto the grill, I recommend using a heat glove to remove it.

This is a new idea that works well. Instead of flipping the starter over when coals are ready, You basically unlock the lever while holding the handle then raising lever upward. drops the charcoal right where it is sitting as you pull it off. I've had a few different ones and this one has been the smallest so a little apprehensive about how many I can get in it on a large BBQ party. I also don't use the newspaper trick/instructions. I use a small amount of lighter fluid on top and let it sit for a couple of minutes, then light with extended lighter. If it was a little larger I'd give 5 stars.

If you’re a charcoal griller and haven’t experienced the wonder of a “charcoal chimney” to start your fires, you are missing out! This might be the greatest invention since dry rub – just wad a newspaper page into the bottom, put charcoal in the top, set the paper alight, and in 10-15 minutes you’ll have coals ready for grilling. Now that I have extolled the virtues of the chimney, what’s special about Modern Leisure’s version? It is slightly taller than those I’ve owned previously, with more space on the bottom for paper. That means that the newsprint can be placed a bit more loosely and catches and spreads the fire more readily. This starter seemed to reach the “blowtorch” stage a bit faster, but that may also be a function of much lower humidity during my testing. The big difference with Modern Leisure’s Charcoal Starter is the “Easy Release” feature. The bottom of the charcoal compartment has a trap door that can release the burning charcoal without having to invert the starter. I was initially concerned that the bottom opening was only about 2/3 of the bottom surface area, but briquettes dropped through easily. I did have a slight issue with natural “lump” charcoal that had more sticks, but these too eventually cleared. One of the other improvements I noted was that, unlike with inverted starters, the hottest coals remained on the bottom of the dumped pile, and the lesser-involved briquettes remained on top, assuring that they were more likely to continue to be set alight even after the coals are dumped in the grill. In use, the wooden handles remained cool, but the adjacent metal that connects them gets hot enough to be a burn hazard, so use of an oven mitt or BBQ glove is recommended for the coal dumping procedure.

MODERN LEISURE Easy Release Charcoal Starter. This charcoal starter is great. I have used several different ones of these over the years. I don't have a problem dumping the charcoal but my wife gets nervous so having the lever to dump the charcoal is great. I have always thought about modifying one but never did and now I don't have too. This is a great product