Emergency Candles/UCO Candles

[riverbee]

does anyone make and sell emergency candles? if so, how well do they sell for you?

i have had customers express interest in the emergency candles (mann lake has a mold) and UCO candles. the beeswax version of these sell well in retail outlets.

UCO candles~ there is no mold that exists for these, however i do have a candle chandler who has offered to make molds for me for these. these can also be used as emergency candles.  UCO candles fit all the UCO candle lanterns or lantern types.  we use these quite frequently in power outages, on the deck, etc....

i thought if i was going to invest in molds for these, i would just have the chandler make me the UCO type molds and sell/advertise the candles as both emergency candles and also UCO candles.

any thoughts? 

[Lburou]

Riverbee, you have found another gap in my education...What on earth is "UCO"?

[riverbee]

oops, sorry lee......UCO Gear is a company, these lanterns are great for many uses; one can use either candles or tealights in them depending on the design.  many other companies make them, including coleman, but UCO is the standard and really the best made:

UCO GEAR

their beeswax candles to fit the taller lanterns:
UCO Beeswax Candles

i have used these candles many times without the lantern, er.....i could find my extra candles in the dark but couldn't remember where i put the lanterns 

[neillsayers]

That is cool, RB. I learn something new almost every time I log in here.

[Perry]

I have the emergency pillar mold from Mann Lake and I sell those candles for $12. (I circled them in red.)
They are decent and burn well.

[Lburou]

Thanks riverbee...I bought an early light similar to that, from Herter's. 

[riverbee]

lol, i have a collection of lanterns.......

i have been using the uco's since way back when; quick, convenient, camping, backpacking, fishing, power outages, on the deck, whatever........they fold up into themselves (most) to protect the glass and really work flawlessly. when they first came out, all the candles were smelly paraffin, (and still sell in paraffin) now everyone wants beeswax in these.  yeah! no brainer! they burn about 12 hours or so and no wax cleanup in the unit itself like paraffin.

the size difference:

the emergency candle mold from mann lake is 1¾" in diameter x 6½" tall. (4.44 cm x 16.51 cm) 

the uco candle required to fit the uco and uco copy lanterns is 1 1/8th in diameter x 3 1/2 " tall

i thought i would invest in having a chandler make me molds to fit the uco's rather than purchasing the emergency molds and sort of save myself some dollars on molds and work both worlds.  the uco size candles work just as well as emergency candles without the lantern. sorta 'capatilize' on both with one mold.........molds are expensive.

sort of thought of a 'niche' in the market..........the uco candles in the usa are made for uco gear by a beekeeping company in texas.  there are uco candles made by a chandler in canada to fit the uco lanterns.  that's it.  no one else makes and sells them. (molds not available)

perry, very nice display and very nice looking candles! you sell the emergency candles for $12.00 (american dollars) just for one? do they sell well for you?

[Perry]

$12 Canadian. I sell them but they are hit and miss at the market. The last 2 weeks have been candle sale crazy. I sell my 3 X 6 pillars for $28 each, and the first sale I made this past Saturday was 3 of them. Sold 56 t-lights at $1.25 each, etc. etc.

[riverbee]

thanks perry.  candles i sell i do find are hit and miss from year to year.  funny, tealights went like crazy last year for me, this year not as well, i sell two different types of tealights, the regular and little beehive skep, (mold not from mann lake or usa) pretty fun.  everyone wanted the larger candles. even votive's didn't get the sales this year like last year.  the tealights i sell are not individual, i sell them in a kraft box with a clear lid.  looks pretty nice.

i haven't done the larger pillars like you perry, (shown in your pic) the smaller one, 3 x 3 or 4 "....? do these sell well?  i have customers that ask. perhaps i will. all my molds are silicone, well except for the dixie cup votive....it's waxed paper. no pillar molds are made in silicone, love silicone molds.  interesting that some chandler hasn't figured out they could make a pile of money making pillar silicone molds? not a fan of aluminum molds.

perhaps i need to learn how to make my own molds.........okay i really need another addition to my house...............

[Perry]

Normally the big pillars are not big sellers simply because of the price, but this year has been the exception.

[riverbee]

what candles sell best for everyone?

i was given a gift for candle mold purchase at christmas, i am looking at the molds my canadian supplier makes.
and he's the guy i want to have the uco molds made by.

btw, i stumbled across someone on etsy and ebay who recently started selling a homemade silicone uco candle mold worldwide (makes 3 candles at once). she could improve the mold, it's a bit on the rough side, but gets the job done and cheaper to make your own uco candles instead of buying them.  i get a lot of requests for uco candles, but i want the mold to a 'perfection' standard and not something i want to mess with.  i think i might send her a message through ebay. just offer some suggestions.