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I'm definitely going to do this. Thanks @Candybee

Good to know. Thanks @Crafty1_AJ

Hi there. So what I mentioned about the CD18 the other day was way off. I took @TallTayl @ErronB and @birdcharm advice regarding testing and melt pools. That link is here I retested with CD10, 12,14 and 16. So far it looks like CD10 / CD12 is in the lead. Bright flame, not too big / hot, not too small / dim. The 14 and 16 look too hot / big flame bouncing around. Also, this test is with unscented 464. Once FO is added, I'm assuming that's a game changer too. Then I restarted testing again with all my wicks - ECO, Premier, HTP and Cotton Core. The Premier 780 and 765 look decent but not really close to the CD's. The Premier's from what I see are burning more fuel than the others. ECO looked strong in the beginning. But by the 3 1/2 hour mark the ECO 8, 10, 12, 14 all went small and dim. The 8 and 10 I was sure they were going to drown out. It didn't yet. However, the HTP 104 and 105 on the first run look pretty good. But not sure how they'll look on the next runs. But by going what I read on this forum, CD works best with 464. So I am hopeful for them. I'm starting again tonight. I ended at the 4 hour mark last night. Going to go for another 4 hours tonight. I'll keep you in the loop. TLDR; CD18 and Premier 795 too big. Try CD10 or 12 or maybe HTP 104, 105. The Premiers ash up in the pool and makes it look dirty.

Yup.. I've been doing that so far... no wick and skewering. Going to test in a few hours. Thank you for your advice @TallTayl!

Gotcha. If you were testing multiple wicks, would you pick the "top three" or so? Then test again once FO is added?

Hi all, At what point do you determine that a wick will not work for you? Can you tell in the first burn, second burn, third burn? What do you look for right away and or at what point does a wick look hopeful to you? Is there a rule of thumb on how to determine a wick will not work on first burn? And do you test using the 1 hour per 1" inch diameter test burn? Currently I'm testing 464 in 12 oz, 3" diameter, 4" tall Libbey tumblers, shown in the middle in the attached pic. What would you look for with these dimensions? I have sample packs of ECO, CD, HTP, Premier 700's, and Cotton Core. I am learning that certain wicks react differently in certain waxes and that a 1/4" melt pool on the first burn isn't necessarily the best way to test. I am aware that testing is the way to go, but curious as to what the masters out here determine which ones make the cut. Thanks

Makes perfect sense!

Ha! I can only imagine. Never thought of that.

Thanks ErronB, I definitely think I found the right place and the right group of people right here. I hope to learn as much as I can.

That is interesting. And what is misleading I guess, is just about every youtube video and candle article that I've read, from candle sites like CandleScience and some others all mention the almighty 1/4" to 1/2" melt pool test. Granted that I'm new to this and have only been researching for the past month or so. I wonder if it's a play from the suppliers so that consumers like me buy more and more supplies to get it where they think they need to be. 😄

Thank you so much! Almost driving ourselves crazy over an eighth of an inch here and there to reach that 1/4" goal on point. Back to the test kitchen it is to retest a few more wicks!

Thank you TallTayl, I see what you're saying. So in your opinion, what's with the 1/4" melt pool hype on first burn? Is that more or less a starting point for beginners? I kind of questioned it myself but just went with it.

Thank you TallTayl, I see what you're saying. So in your opinion, what's with the 1/4" melt pool hype on first burn? Is that more or less a starting point for beginners? I kind of questioned it myself but just went with it.

Gotcha. Ok. So I reckon there's no harm then. Thanks.

Good to know. Let me ask you if you don't mind. Newbie here... I performed a 3 hour wick test. Of the 15 different wicks tested, I found 2 that worked the best. CD 18 and Premier 795. Full 1/4" melt pool. So the remainder soy wax in the other 13 jars, at least a good 6 ounces a piece, I melted at a low heat to reuse. Do you see any harm in that? Thanks, Steve

Anytime. It was a full 1/4" melt pool with both of those wicks. I want to say that the CD 18 may be a tad better. And by a tad... I mean a tad. 🙂 But the only one that came the closest to the CD 18 was the Premier 795. Keep in mind, these were unscented. I'm going to test scented tomorrow. Of the Premiers, the 785, 795 and 799 all achieved a melt pool. The 785 about 3/16" and the 799 a good 1/4". However, the 799 wasted a bit more wax / fuel than the 795. So the best to me was the 795 which was almost, if not, equal to the CD 18.

Hi all, What do you do with all your unscented wax after you're done with wick testing? For me, I have been tipping them over in the oven, on a rack, and let them drip into a roasting pan, let it harden, remove, then melt again when needed. Originally I turned the oven on to about 200 - 225 degrees Fahrenheit. But since I was told anything over 200 degrees changes the molecular structure of the soy wax, I have now lowered it to 170 degrees. Do you have a different method? Do you see any harm in doing this? Thanks in advance.

Hi there, Same boat here. Same jar, with the same 464 wax. We did a 3 hour burn test (one hour per diameter inch) with 3 wicks from each company - ECO, CD, HTP, Premier and Cotton Core. The best out of the 15 we tested was the CD 18 and the Premier 795. We tested unscented. We then made a new batch and added FO. We're going to wait 72 hours (9/23/20) to burn test. I'll let you know how that turns out. Try the Premier 700's if you get a chance.