In Search of the Perfect Hearth Fire

Whatever our differences of opinion--social, ethical, political and whatever else--nearly everyone likes a good fire every now and then.

When it’s cold, it provides heat. If you’re with a loved one, it offers a romantic setting. If you’re stressed and alone, it serves as a source of relaxation and contemplation.

The key decisions to make when looking for something to pop into the fireplace are whether you prefer real wood or a fake log product, how much time you need the log to burn--most will promise a time of duration--and, of course, how much you want to spend.

Since fireplaces are supposed to provide warmth and relaxation, it can be counterproductive to get all worked up over comparison shopping for logs. We value our shopping skills, but truth be told, it might pay simply to trot down to the nearest market and pick up something flammable.

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But if you have some time to spare, wood and logs can be found at a variety of places, including grocery stores, variety stores, mom-and-pop markets, alongside the road and advertised in the newspapers. We took a sampling of a few of those options.

We’ll start with the most impressive selection found--at a Ralphs supermarket at Las Posas Road and Daily Drive in Camarillo.

Along the wall at the front of the store were five brands of logs from which to choose.

A Crackling Hearth brand log with a three-hour duration--and enhanced with crackling sounds for authenticity--was priced at $2.49 (83 cents per hour); Duraflame logs were $1.57 for a two-hour log (79 cents per hour) and $2.77 for a four-hour log (69 cents an hour). A box of six, four-hour Duraflame logs was priced at $14.22 ($2.37 per log or 59 cents an hour).

A three-hour Pine Mountain fire log was priced at $2.47 (82 cents an hour), and a Ralphs brand fire log, with no estimated duration, was $1.29. A Private Selection log, which looked much like the Ralphs log save for the Ralphs logo, was priced at $1.89 for a single, $11.34 for a six-pack (also $1.89 per log).

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Just inside the front door of Oxnard’s Home Depot looms a tall display of Duraflame logs--the wood bundles had already sold out, so there was no question as to the fire-making product of choice.

A single Duraflame with a three-hour duration was $1.59 (53 cents an hour), and a box of nine was priced at $13.99 ($1.55 per log).

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At the Target store in Oxnard, the logs were tucked away in the hardware department. As with Home Depot, the Duraflame logs received the prime end-of-the-aisle display space. A box of six two-hour Duraflame logs was priced at $6.99 ($1.17 per log, 58 cents an hour) and a six-pack of four-hour logs was $12.99 ($2.17 per log, 54 cents per hour).

The chief competition was Forest Technology Corp.’s HearthLogg cq and StarterLogg products. The HearthLogg fire logs, with no estimated duration, were priced at six for $10.99 ($1.83 per log). A 40-count box of starter pieces also was $10.99.

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If you’re leaning more toward real wood than fake, we might suggest the Oak View area, where roadside signs often advertise wood for sale at area homes and where local merchants cater to the firewood needs of campers at nearby Lake Casitas.

Outside the Shell gas station on Ojai Avenue in Oak View, bundles of wood were going for $4.99 each.

Inside the Shell market, a four-hour Duraflame log was priced at $2.99 (or 75 cents an hour).

At the nearby Corner Market cq off Santa Ana Road, firewood was priced at $3.99 a bundle. A four-hour Duraflame log was priced at $2.69 (67 cents an hour), and a three-hour Pine Mountain log was $2.59 (86 cents per hour).