Double wicking -- burning too fast for some.....

[Holly]

Hi,

My friend called me and said that her sister and friend who bought some candles from me said that they love the scents and scent throw and want to buy more but the only thing they do not like is that they think they burn too fast. I did not really expect this complaint -- I was more worried about the residue I get on the glass or the frosting. lol I am sure that they are used to single wicked candles because most candles out in the stores are single wicked. I told my friend that this particular soy burns slower than most soys that I have tested and burns slower than most paraffin blends and there is nothing I can do about it other than go to single wicking which I do not want to do. I told her that single wicking will increase the life of the candle but will decrease the scent throw. It is a trade off. I know that some on here disagree that double wicking increases the scent throw, but I have found that it does.

For those who double wick here, have you ever had new customers who are not familiar with double wicking complain about it burning too fast? To me they are burning slower than other waxes I have used, but not as slow as they would if they were single wicked. If I single wicked, then I would probably get those who are familiar with double wicking complaining that it takes too long for the meltpool and there would be hang up unless they can burn them long enough for it to get all the way to the sides. I can't win. I do know that they are wicked with the proper sized wicks so I know it is not that. It is interesting to find out what people seem to look for in a candle. I did not think as many people would be so concerned about how many hours they burn...l never was. I was always concerned about scent throw, clean burn and no hang-up when I bought candles.

Well, I guess there is not much I can do about it. I assume that you cannot please everyone totally. I do keep getting people back for more. What would you do or say to those that think they are burning too fast? I think my friend thinks they burn faster than she would like too, but she does not want to tell me directly in fear of bumming me out. She did tell me that they they are burning them everyday. Maybe because they are so excited about the good throw that they are burning them more often than the store bought candles they have bought in the past and it is appearing to burn even faster to them. Out of all the candles I have made, these burn the slowest and the JS-123 paraffin blend would be next in line (or about the same and other than some of the other soys) -- double wicking.

Oh well, I guess there will be those that are concerned about how long they last and then there will be those that are more concerned with a fast strong scent throw, no hang up and a clean burn.

Thanks for listening.

EDITED TO ADD: Even if I wanted to single wick, I couldn't single wick with the Calsoy CB-3 in these jars anyway. I would NEVER achieve a full meltpool. I can hardly achieve a full meltpool in a small jar.

[daniedb]

Can you have those people who have given you that feedback keep a running tally of hours burned? What I'm thinking is that if more people complain, you would be able to say, "I've had a few people be concerned that the 2 wicks burn too fast. I conducted a study that involved X number of testers, and they found the average burn time to be Y hours, which is the same (or longer) than a single wicked candle of the same ounces." It would be a good way to answer those concerns in the future.

I don't double wick, so I can't help you with the other questions, as to feedback. I'm sorry!

[Holly]

Can you have those people who have given you that feedback keep a running tally of hours burned? What I'm thinking is that if more people complain, you would be able to say, "I've had a few people be concerned that the 2 wicks burn too fast. I conducted a study that involved X number of testers, and they found the average burn time to be Y hours, which is the same (or longer) than a single wicked candle of the same ounces." It would be a good way to answer those concerns in the future.

I don't double wick, so I can't help you with the other questions, as to feedback. I'm sorry!

Thanks Daniedb for taking the time to read my post and responding with a good idea. I have been meaning to start a test on burn time by using that formula. But, your idea is good because it would not just be me running a test and them trusting my words only. It must be that they are not real familiar with double wicked candles -- can't really compare them to many others. This does not mean that mine may not burn faster than another double wicker, but I do know that it has a great burn rate for double wicking. I know this because I have burned many candles that are double wicked and have tested many that I have made with other waxes that were double wicked. I have to burn at the min. of 3 hours and usually 4 to get a complete meltpool with this soy and that is with two wicks. Also, the meltpool does not get too deep to fast either. Even my favorite brand name candle which are double wicked and burn slow usually gets a deeper melt pool faster than the soy I use. I am sure there may be some double wicked candles out there that may burn slower, but I have not noticed any yet -- at least not noticably without running an actual test.

The problem is, customers do not understand the variables to a candle. Also, some may rather have a slower burning candle rather than a candle that lets off the scent throw faster and may like candles with a single wick better. I actually prefer the look of a single wick candle. It is a very conservative area here, and I guess some want to get the most hours for their money.

I will conduct an actual test with the formula and also have my friends who have tested run a test too. This friend is the only one that has actually approached me on this, saying that it was her friend and sister noticing it but I know that she has hinted around to it too. I have not known her real long but I think she wants something that lasts a long time to make the most of her money.

Thanks again Daniedb. I will see how it goes.

[daniedb]

Oh, you're very welcome!

I understand what you mean about the scent throw/quality of burn not being as important as burn time. I mean, it never would have occured to me before making candles that I should be noticing how long a candle burned. As long as the company was producting a quality candle, it was waaaay down on my list how long it burned, as long as they weren't trying to rip me off, KWIM? LOL!

Another advantage to doing it that way (having those ladies test for you), is that they will (hopefully) see that your double wickers last as long as Yankee's or Gold Canyon (who double wicks all their larger jars), and they will be a lot more likely to be pacified and return to be super loyal customers, and a great army to spread the word if anyone else has this concern.