Is a briquette maker worth buying

[murvic]

I've seen an advert for a device which lets you make your own briquettes out of old newspapers.

Does anybody have experience of one of these and if so was it worthwhile?

[barnet boy]

I bought one from one of those magazines you always seem to get with the Sunday papers.

It is very messy and time consuming to make the briquettes and they take about a week to dry out properly. The quality of the actual device is also questionable, I suspect it was made late on a Friday afternoon, possibly somewhere in China.
Those problems aside, the briquettes burn very well and it's alot cheaper than buying coal or wood.
If you don't mind the hassle of making the briquettes then go for it, or better still try and get the kids to make them.

[Quizmonster]

I bought one a few years ago and the finished products work well, as Barnet Boy suggests. However, we have a white Belfast-type kitchen sink and you wouldn't believe the mess the ink from the soaking newspapers makes!
After the first attempt, I now open a bin-bag and spread it out over the sink, draining-board etc. Re the quality, it's just a basic compression device, after all. So, if you're prepared to put up with the mess and tedium of actually doing it, it's worthwhile.

[Solarjunkie]

I found the biggest problem was finding space to lay them out to dry. I soaked the papers in an old tin tub so didn't risk staining the sink! You can make some cheerful yellow ones from Yellow Pages.