Extra Long Blow Poke
It seems like XL Blow Poke is a key phrase in the selling description of almost every blow poke out there. “Extra long Blowpoke” is in the headlines, taglines, advertising copy, and Google ads. It’s clear to me that most sellers think “Extra Long Blow Poke” is a very important to you. “Extra Long” is a critical – and a major motivator! They must think XL is what every customer wants, and what everyone is looking for.
But that’s not the reason we build our XL and XXL Blowpokers.
We did it to help you choose your best length for your fires. After all, making different sizes is not the same as focusing on helping you choose the best size for your fires. For example if you are also looking at price, or shipping, or finish colors, you may be subtly steered by the higher costs for longer tools, the extra shipping charge for an XXL, or even a color preference. So in an effort to chase this thing to ground as honestly as we can. We flattened the cost, assuming that the majority will skew to the size they need. And get the blow poke size that fits their fires best.
(We also know that some of you are looking for a great tool for stoking and tending your bigger fire pits.)
What’s the Fuss over “Extra Long Blowpoke”
We want to know what is it about “Extra Long” that’s so important about your blowpoke? What is the meaning behind the emphasis on “extra long”? All of the “extra longs” ship in 4 foot boxes (except the 36″ extra longs). So they’re all shorter than 4 feet long.
Is short bad? Is Long enough? What is too short? Why would you want “extra long”? Do they think everyone shopping for blowpokes has an extra big fireplace? It could be that they are honestly admitting that the 4′-foot long blowpoke they are trying to sell is too long for most fireplaces.
Maybe that claim “extra long” because they only offer a One-Size-Fits-All blowpoke. And they throw in that “extra long” phrase – sort of like every pizza seller claims “extra cheese“.
It’s clear to me that you’d do much better with the best length for your fires. So choosing the right size for your fire and your fireplace is more important to you than the getting stuck with an XL when you’d do better with an L or an XXL.
Maybe “Extra Long” is a WARNING – “Be Advised, this extra long blowpoke is too big for regular fireplaces.” Maybe not.
Maybe “Extra Long” is a way of saying you’re getting more for your money. But I can’t think of any other serious tool that sells that way. Certainly not silverware, not hammers and hand tools. And you don’t want to use an extra large skillet to fry an egg – every time you fry and egg. It’s too heavy and cumbersome.
Let’s be honest. Most fireplaces are Average size. That is the meaning of Average. You can look it up. So either they are misleading us with their “extra long” claim, or they’re selling us something that is probably not the best size for our particular fireplaces.
Our repeated tests continue to show people prefer blow pokes that are less than 4 feet and longer than 3 feet. People prefer 40″ to 41″ for average sized fireplaces.
Choosing the Best Length for your Blow Poke
We started with the thought that you should get the best length for you and your fires.” That’s what what led us to find that perfect length for our Original Vineyard Firetools Blowpokes. Today we call that perfect length “Long” – because they are long enough. And it’s because the majority of Extra Long Blowpokes that measure 46″ to 48″ to fit the 4-foot Cardboard Shipping Box – and our Original Vineyard Firetools’ research into best length for most fireplaces – is shorter than 4′.
Here is how we did it.
You can do it too. Picture yourself in front of your fireplace or fire pit. Picture the fire burning in front of you. Picture the wood stacked in and under the flames. Take a knee in front of the hearth. Keep your eyes on the fire. See the fire clearly. You are safely back from the fire. Your goal is to aim and blow right at the base of the fire from just an inch or two away. You are blowing at the wood. You’re blowing at the patches of the wood’s surface that are glowing red. You are blowing extra oxygen to feed the fire burning the wood there.
You want your Air Blowing to feed the fire. You want to add Air Flow to the fire’s natural draw. The fire is drawing in air from below. And as the Air’s Oxygen combusts the wood, it gets heated up and rises. You see it as a flame. As the combusted hot air rises it draws in more fresh air from below, and from the sides. And from your Air Blowing coming in from the side.
Start Fires Faster
So your goal is to use your blowpoke to increase the natural Air Flow. That’s how you can Start Fires Faster. The key skill is to do it in a way that increases the natural Air Flow. So you want to blow your Air Flow in from the side of the fire. This is very easy to do if you get down on one knee, and aim your blowpoke right at at the fire on the wood.
However if you stand and blow DOWN at the fire, your Air Flow tends to disrupt the natural updraft, and you will see that after each Air Blow, the fire subsides as it reestablishes a natural draw.
Blowing Air at the base of the fire – from the front or either side – works consistently faster and better.
SEE for Yourself
Now picture the firewood in front of you. You take a knee. And you aim your blowpoke at the firewood. How close are you to the firewood? Your line of sight is practically identical to your ideal Length of Blowpoke. For most everyone, the best length reported is about 40″ or 41″.
And some prefer Shorter and some want XL (and our new XXL) But it seems strange to say that we see/feel the 40″ or 41″ range as an optimal field of sight tending our fires. Something that we, as humans have evolved over the many centuries as we have tended fires. It is a safe distance. Yet it is close enough to see very clearly. And that helps you see the wood burning clearly so you can feed it your best Air Flow. And you get Better Fires Faster.
We have found that this length works optimally for both Raised Hearth Fireplaces and Floor Level Fireplaces. To me, that reinforces the possibility that there is something to our shared optimal field-of-sight when it comes to starting fires and tending fires and keeping a safe distance.
Before you try to measure it. Take a look around, look at the fireplace sides, look down at the edge of the hearth. Get your bearings. How far out are you from the fire, How far up are your eyes from the fire. This right angle information will help you choose the best length for your fires.
Extra Large Fireplaces and Big Fire Pits
We know that some fireplaces are considerably bigger than most. Our Long size is an optimal fit for the majority of fireplaces that we have in our homes all across America. But some Fireplaces are bigger and some are much bigger. However Fireplace Height doesn’t actually matter. In this case, Bigger can also means Deeper. Deeper means you need a longer blowpoke to reach the firewood. Maybe your raised hearth is extra deep. Maybe you don’t want to take a knee and prefer to stand back farther. There are solid reasons to rely on an XL or XXL Blow Poke when they fit your fires. Our goal is to help you get a Better Blowpoke that fits your fires.
Sometimes, you might want and enjoy having 2 sizes on hand. Or you can get another for a gift. Either way you’ll save with free freight on the second. Shipping is only $9 per order.