AMOS Kindling Review: Two Different Woods, One Brand Name
The problem with writing an AMOS kindling review is that AMOS is not selling one product. Search the brand on Amazon UK and you get two distinct lines with near-identical titles: a pine and spruce net, and an alder net. They light differently, they burn for different lengths of time, and nothing on the listing pages tells you which one you are about to receive unless you read the bullet points properly. That is the single most useful thing to know before you buy.
Here is what each one actually is, the figures that AMOS publishes for them, and how they compare with the kindling you can get from a firewood merchant.
The two lines, side by side
| Pine/spruce net | Alder net | |
|---|---|---|
| Example listings | 1-pack and 4-pack carry bags | 1 bag, 4 bags, 5 bags |
| Net volume | 7 litres | Not published |
| Weight per net | About 2 to 3kg | 2.5 to 3.0kg |
| Split length | 13.5cm, plus or minus 1cm | Not published |
| Split thickness | 1 to 3cm | Not published |
| Moisture content | Under 20%, averaging around 8% | Not published on the listing |
| Ready to Burn | Stated as certified | Not stated on the listing |
The pine and spruce line is the better documented of the two by a distance. AMOS’s own shop publishes the split dimensions and the moisture figure; the Amazon listings for the alder line publish neither. If you want to know what you are getting, that asymmetry is your answer.
The pine and spruce net
This is the one most people end up with, and it is a decent piece of kindling.
What it is. Pine and spruce, kiln dried, no additives, in a 7-litre red net. Splits come out at roughly 13.5cm long and 1 to 3cm across, which is the right size range for a domestic stove: long enough to stack into a teepee or a top-down lay, thin enough that two or three sticks catch from a single firelighter without help.
The number that matters. AMOS publishes a moisture content of under 20%, with a stated certified average of around 8%. Eight per cent is genuinely dry, and it is what you want from softwood kindling. Softwood at 8% catches almost instantly; the same wood at 18% catches but sulks, and at 25% you get steam and a smoky ten minutes.
How it burns. Softwood, so it lights fast and burns fast. Resinous pine and spruce take flame from a firelighter quickly and are hot within a minute, then they are gone. That is exactly what kindling is for. Do not expect it to bridge the gap to a log on its own; you need enough of it, and you need the logs small enough to catch before it burns out.
Net weight versus net volume. Two to three kilograms per 7-litre net is the range, and light softwood at the low end of that is normal. Softwood weighs less per litre than hardwood, so a net of pine kindling will always feel lighter than the same net of alder or birch. That is physics, not short measure.
If you burn most evenings through the winter, a single net will not last. The four-pack is the sensible unit, and per net it works out meaningfully better than buying singles.
The alder net
Alder is the more interesting choice and the less transparent listing.
Alder is a light hardwood, which puts it in an unusual place: it is easier to light than dense hardwoods like oak or ash, but it holds a flame longer than pine or spruce. For a stove that is slow to draw, or for lighting a fire in a cold flue, that extra 30 to 60 seconds of sustained flame can be the difference between the logs catching and you starting again.
The problem is what AMOS does not publish. There is no moisture figure on the listing, no split dimensions, and no Ready to Burn statement. It may well be identical in quality to the pine line. You simply cannot tell from the page, and with kindling the moisture figure is the whole specification. Check the net when it arrives: in England, wood sold in units of under two cubic metres for domestic burning has to be certified and carry the Ready to Burn logo on the packaging, so the logo should be on the bag. If it is not, that is worth a message to the seller.
Note also that the listings for the alder line are internally inconsistent: one product title quotes “approx. 3 to 4kg” for a single bag while the bullet points on the same listing say 2.5 to 3.0kg. Neither is outrageous for a net of kindling, but it tells you the listing has not been checked.
How it compares with merchant kindling
Against a local firewood merchant’s kindling, netted AMOS kindling is competing on convenience rather than on quality. What you get from the supermarket-style route is a sealed, dry, consistent net delivered to the door. What you give up is the volume economics: kindling bought loose by the builder’s bag from a firewood yard costs a fraction per kilogram, and if you have anywhere dry to keep it, that is the cheaper route by a wide margin.
There is also the free route, which is better than either. Offcuts of untreated softwood from a joiner, pallet slats, or logs split down with a kindling splitter give you unlimited kindling at no cost. Our guide to making your own kindling covers the safe ways to do it, and the kindling splitter round-up covers the tools that make it quick.
For a straight comparison against the other netted brands, see the best kindling for wood burners.
Who should buy it
Buy the pine and spruce net if you want dry, correctly sized kindling delivered without having to think about it, you burn occasionally rather than nightly, and you have nowhere to store a bulk bag. The published 8% average moisture and the 13.5cm split length are both exactly right for a domestic stove.
Consider the alder net if your stove is slow to get going and you want a longer flame, but be prepared for a listing that tells you very little, and check the bag for a Ready to Burn logo when it arrives.
Do not buy either if you burn most nights and have a dry shed. At that usage a bulk bag from a firewood merchant, or a splitter and some offcuts, costs a fraction as much for the same result.
Kindling only ever gets you as far as the logs. If the logs are wet, no kindling saves the fire; the firelighters round-up and the notes on lighting a stove properly deal with the rest of the sequence.
Frequently asked questions
Is AMOS kindling any good? The pine and spruce net is good kindling: kiln dried to a published average of around 8% moisture, split to roughly 13.5cm by 1 to 3cm, which is the right size for a domestic stove. The alder net may be equally good but publishes none of those figures, so it is a less informed purchase. Both are convenience buys rather than value buys.
How much kindling is in an AMOS net? Around 2 to 3kg in a 7-litre net for the pine and spruce version, and 2.5 to 3.0kg for the alder. Softwood is light for its volume, so a net that feels underweight next to a hardwood net of the same size is usually normal rather than short.
Is AMOS kindling Ready to Burn certified? AMOS states Ready to Burn certification and a moisture content under 20% for the pine and spruce kindling. The alder listings do not mention it. In England, wood sold in units under two cubic metres for domestic burning must be certified and carry the Ready to Burn logo on the packaging, so check the net itself when it arrives rather than relying on the listing.
Pine and spruce or alder: which should I choose? Pine and spruce lights faster and burns hotter for a shorter time, which suits a stove that draws well. Alder is a light hardwood that catches nearly as easily but holds a flame longer, which helps in a cold flue or a stove that is slow to get going. If you routinely have to relight, try the alder.
How long does a net of kindling last? For a typical stove lit once a day, a net of 2 to 3kg is roughly one to two weeks of lighting, assuming you use six to ten splits per fire. If you are getting through a net a week, you are probably using kindling to compensate for logs that are too wet or too large to catch, which is worth fixing at the log end.
Can I store kindling outside? Not in the open. Kiln-dried kindling at 8% moisture will climb back towards 15 to 20% within weeks if it is left where rain or ground damp can reach it, and then it behaves like ordinary firewood. Keep the nets off the floor in a dry shed, garage or covered store, and bring one net inside a day before you need it.
Sources
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