Kingsford Vented base, zinc-coated steel

The listing does not say, which is the gap in it. "Large capacity" appears in the title and the bullets, and no figure follows. Only three starters on this shelf publish one: Amazon Basics at 6.6 pounds of charcoal, Oklahoma Joe’s at up to 100 briquettes, and Eau at 4 pounds. Those are worth converting, because a standard briquette weighs about an ounce — so 100 briquettes is roughly 6.25 pounds, which puts the Oklahoma Joe’s and the Amazon Basics in the same class and the Eau well below them. Without a figure or a dimension here, the only guide is the word "heavy duty" and the comparison with Kingsford’s own Compact, which is 8.1 × 5.7 × 10 inches and states that it is not full size.

Nothing in either listing explains it, and on the published information this is the better buy. The two Kingsfords on this shelf are the Heavy Duty at $13.80, described as large capacity, and the Compact at $15.99, which measures 8.1 × 5.7 × 10 inches and publishes a weight of 603 g (21.3 oz). Both are rust-resistant zinc steel, both have a heat shield and a stay-cool handle, both arrive assembled. This one additionally describes its vented base and circular air vents, which the Compact does not. The Compact’s advantages are that it publishes its dimensions and its weight, and that it is honest about being small — "Not a full-sized chimney - check dimensions", which is the most candid sentence on this shelf.

It is the one real durability question here, and The Bincho Grill is the only listing on this shelf to raise it: its stainless is "uncoated and unplated with no paint or zinc finish to peel, flake, or burn off over time." A chimney starter is the only barbecue tool that routinely runs at the temperature of burning charcoal, and a galvanized interior does degrade — the inside of a zinc-coated chimney goes dull and flaky over a season or two. Seven of the thirteen starters here are galvanized or zinc-coated, including both Kingsfords; three are stainless (The Bincho Grill, Oklahoma Joe’s, KU-koruo) and cost $29.99 to $43.73. At $13.80 the zinc is what you are accepting, and the body will outlast the finish.