The Question of Which Fuel is Best For Me: CITRONELLA Fuel vs NO SMOKE

Yes, we get asked about this all the time and yes, its a fairly simple explanation... with some complexities. We've designed our torches around inherent characteristics that these fuels have in order to create the best experience possible. The best flame possible! Knowing their performance traits and how to optimize each will help you decide what you want.

I'll preface with the fact that we've done exhaustive research to source the cleanest burning fuels available anywhere, excluding highly-flammables like ethanol based bio-fuel. The flame is fine and looks good, but for us it's not worth the risk to have something that dangerous in our line up and we warn against using them in our torches - aand the disclaimer - we can't guarantee the performance of our torches using any other brand of fuels, BUT we can guarantee that you'll find Halofire brand fuels to be fair-market priced and always free shipping.

Here's a bullet style rundown:

• Smoke and Soot: This is the main difference. CITRONELLA is made from an essential oil which produces smoke, so there will be soot residue on the glass. It's easy to clean off with a dry cloth or paper towel and, using the Spinner properly, soot will collect at the top of the glass, so it won't block the visual of the flame. NO SMOKE isn't made with oil; thus, no smoke and no soot.

• Size and Brightness: Due to its very low flammability and cleaner burn,  NO SMOKE's flame isn't normally quite as big and bright (caveat: in very breezy conditions it will burn bigger and brighter). This lends itself to creating a more relaxed/romantic vibe. A great setting for NO SMOKE would be as a centerpiece for a dinner party creating a wonderful ambiance without the distracting smokiness that can irritate your guests. Alternatively, CITRONELLA's flame can easily be seen in broad daylight and even with a gentle breeze it'll be every bit as badass as you can imagine.

• Wick-ability: CITRONELLA is a thinner fluid and draws up through the Spinfire Wick easily. NO SMOKE is thicker and doesn't wick as well. So, the deeper cup of Vortek is made for CITRONELLA, while the short draw of the BIG Revo, Lotus and Gator Bowl is made for  NO SMOKE. We have many customers who use NO SMOKE in Vortek even though it's not optimal. The result is a shorter run time of about 1 hour because only half of the Vortek cup will be used. So either you get a shorter session, or need to refill more often.

• Spinner or Halo Ring: Simply put, NO SMOKE uses the Halo Ring and CITRONELLA uses the Spinner. There are variations on this. For instance, Vortek burning CITRONELLA uses both at the same time. For specific instructions on each torch see our other blogs on how to Get the Best Flame.

• Aroma: CITRONELLA smells like citronella.  NO SMOKE doesn't smell at all. For those of you who don't like the citronella smell, ours isn't as pungent so if you're wanting mosquito control and can stand a mild aroma, this can work for you.

If you think of anything else we can address let us know.

Play safe!

Armando