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Hopefully I can shed more information on the product and answer any questions about expectations as well. Many of these reviews seem to focus on what the customer was expecting and do not fairly give the product as it works the review.
The Log maker itself is a pretty durable construction of all metal. It comes in 3 parts. The outside container with the handles, a removable bottom to pull the brick out, and the press part that compresses the brick. My setup came with instructions though it is actually pretty easy to figure out as well. Basically the thing works by taking shredded paper and compressing it to the point that it no longer burns rapidly but putting it into brick form. In that regard this thing works beautifully.
Now to answer other questions you may have.
You need to shred the paper! This is for a few reasons. It compresses better and also when the shredded paper is placed in water to soak (part of the instructions) it allows the water to attack the fibers of the paper and makes it easier to compress. Shredding the paper is probably the most annoying part to me. Sitting at a shredder sort of sucks waiting for it to shred paper. A Shredder bin about a foot and half tall makes about 3 bricks Ive found. It would be much better if I was in an office setting and could volunteer to take shredder waste home with me. Either way I recommend letting the paper shreds soak for about 3 days. It seems long yes, but planning ahead is always helpful. I have done as little as a day but those ones always seem to burn faster. Two days is fine if your in an absolute rush.
Make the bricks, this is as simple as placing the water soaked paper in the press and following the directions. Water will come to the top and out the sides and it has the potential to smell depending on the ink in the paper and other factors that went into making the paper. I typically compress the log maker then place it on the side so the water that came to the top can run out. Pull the brick out and let them dry.
As far as drying goes, I set them on a piece of wood so I can move them if necessary. Ill put them out in the sun and then move them because of shade that's created at certain times of the day. It also allows me to move them to the garage if rain is coming. I typically turn them completely once a day to make sure all the sides are drying at the same rate. If your in a rush, the over works perfectly fine too to accelerate the drying process.
After they are dry its a simple matter of placing them into the fire. You can use these completely void of wood. I actually use them in conjunction with wood, Ill use maybe a log of wood to every 3-4 bricks of paper. They are smokeless as long as you use just regular paper, but adding stuff will cause smoke.
When thinking about the stars to give this product, I think of the time it saves me of cutting up and chopping up wood. Of course I could just go buy firewood but that completely defeats the purpose of buying this paper brick maker in the first place.
**I would like to add that when making your bricks make sure your filling the log maker, the less space inside the more compressed and the more brick like they become. The bricks absolutely have to be dry as well. If there is any doubt to if they are dry, place them in the over for a bit. 400 on a non convection oven and maybe 350 on a convection oven, keep rotating them and you'll get really light paper bricks.
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If you have the typical junk mail stuffing your mailbox, with it going right into the trash, you have a ready source for making paper logs with this gadget. Shred the paper, throw in some chipped twigs, leaves and yard clippings if you wish, soak thoroughly. Scoop the glop into the press, packing it firmly into the corners and right up to the top of the forming section. Put on the press part, squash the water out as much as possible. It seems to take a couple weeks in the sun to dry the logs out properly. Once fully dry (they will be very light and fairly solid)you get a couple hours burn time. Works best as a supplement to regular fire wood.
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The product is great, the logs are nice and neat, and once they dry, they burn well.
They are not as long lasting (long burning?) as wood logs, but they are free and GREEN, a good save the planet tool
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i purchased this product to use in conjunction with firewood in our fireplace and outdoor fire pit. i wanted this to save money on buying wood and also to use up some of the paper that seems to accumulate around here instead of just throwing it in the recycling. My husband doesn't think it's worth "all the work" but honestly it isn't much work, just mostly requires patience, which he definitely lacks.
the product itself is good and pretty sturdy. it's not difficult to use or to press out much of the water, even if you don't have loads of upper body strength. the reason i knocked it down a star is because i didn't find that the instructions provided from the manufacturer really gave you a proper indication of how to make the logs. most of what i learned about making the logs i read about on other websites or watched on some you tube videos.
You really want to let the paper to soak in water for a while. i usually let the paper soak 3 to 5 days, stirring it daily. then i go out into the driveway to make them. it's a messy process, requiring the use of gloves. first i made them in our utility sink, but bits of paper got all over the sink and in the drain so I decided to go outside after that. the thing the instructions really don't tell you about is how long to dry them. it just says "let them dry" and leaves it at that. it takes WEEKS and weeks for these things to properly dry, and the colder it gets the longer this may take. the outside of the brick might look and feel dry but inside it's probably still damp. when you pick up the bricks they should be very light when they are totally dry.
Also, these do not burn like, say, a duraflame log or something. you can't just set it on fire and expect it to blaze up. they really do burn like a piece of wood about the same size and shape. you have to have a nice blaze going for them to catch or else it just sits there sadly smouldering and not looking very impressive. I believe they do work well as a supplement to firewood. I guess you could use them without firewood if you had other kindling to use with them. right now i don't have enough bricks on hand to use them alone. I look forward to making them all spring and summer next year and having a convenient stash set aside for next winter and fall.
newsprint bricks burn slower and longer than ones made from copy or printer paper. mine are usually a mix of both kinds. i have not tried adding leaves or twigs and stuff yet, but have some soaking now and will edit this review at a later date if i find they add anything worthwhile to the result.
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The Kotulas paper log maker works best with newspaper torn into thin strips and then soaked for a few days. Other types of paper and cardboard did not seem to work well for me. It's a fairly messy process: inky hands, icky water squeezed and poured from unit, but all in all after about a dozen logs I've gotten pretty good at it. It takes a long time for the logs to dry, which is my biggest complaint.
If you have a lot of newspaper and are willing to take the time and put up with a bit of a mess it's a good product. I'm not regretting my investment.
