Lekto Wood Fuels have recently released a new product called a Nestro Softwood Log. Lekto is marketing these heat logs as a fast output fuel for those who like to keep things simple. We’ve been testing them in our log burner to see what they’re all about and if they can indeed make things simple. Read on to find out if these are worth the money and how they can simplify your heating needs.
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I had a few questions lined up before our delivery arrived. What I really wanted to know is, how can the Nestro Log simplify our home heating process and why I would buy these over any other product on the market? I also wanted to understand why these softwood heat logs cost the same as the hardwood heat logs? Surely the hardwood heat logs last longer and should therefore be the superior product.
Finally, I was intrigued to know where the name came from. Why is it called the ‘Nestro Softwood Log’? The Softwood part is simple but where does the name Nestro come from?
What are the benefits of the Nestro Softwood Briquette?
Softwood is known for its ability to burn quickly, especially in smaller pieces. That’s why kindling is exactly this, small pieces of softwood. The Nestro logs as a whole make a great start or midpoint in the life of your fire.
It can help you get your fire going quickly. By breaking up the log into two or three pieces you can place them directly onto a handful of kindling and you should see a quick burst in heat output. This in turn helps provide a good solid bed of embers to help keep things going. As it’s made from highly compacted softwood sawdust it can take very quickly, more so when broken into smaller chunks.
Once you have established a decent flame on your fire, larger pieces of the Fire Log, or even whole logs can be burnt for a bit of longevity. It is at this point I would tend to switch to another wood fuel depending on how long I require the heat.
Testing the Nestro Softwood Logs
Upon testing the logs I can tell you the heat output was phenomenal. Within just 20 minutes we had a high volume of heat from our log burner. After just 50 minutes the room temperature had risen from 17 degrees to a massive 24 degrees. It was actually getting a bit too hot!
After opening the doors to the rest of the house the temperature lowered to about 21 degrees and the heat nicely dispersed around the house. Within just one hour we had a lovely warm home, all from one heat log! I think that’s really quite impressive.
Overall the log lasted just under 3 hours. The heat output dropped a fair bit towards the end but for the first 2 hours, the heat was intense.
Why do the softwood logs cost the same as the hardwood logs?
This is a good question which I don’t really have the answer to. I’m guessing it’s because they are produced in exactly the same way. The same amount of time and resources go into making them, with the only difference being the (recycled) materials used to manufacture them.
So why not just buy the Lekto Hardwood Heat Logs? Yes, you will get a longer heat output from a hardwood log but this isn’t the purpose of the softwood log. It’s to boost the starting process of a fire. When we were just using ash logs and kindling it used to take 45 minutes to heat up our living room. Now we can do this in less than half the time with a Nestro log. It’s actually quicker than turning the central heating on!
Where does the name Nestro come from?
It turns out Nestro is a German company that specialises in suction, dust extraction, filter systems, briquette pressing, heating systems and shredders. Whilst many of these processes aren’t important to this article, there are a couple that stands out. Nestro is one of the industry leaders in the manufacture of machinery capable of making wood fuel briquettes.
Nestro design and manufacture machines that make use of waste wood (and other materials) from a wood processing facility, like a sawmill for example, and turn it into a usable product. The whole idea is brilliant really. What would otherwise be waste can now be turned into an eco-friendly source of heat. The machines take wood sawdust, chippings and shavings and force them into solid briquettes or logs using enormous amounts of pressure. And best of all, there’s no chemicals or additives used in the process.
You can see one of their briquette presses in action here. (see video on the right of the page)
Are the Nestro Softwood Logs worth buying?
The real answer is YES. But you should buy them in conjunction with another wood fuel. The Nestro Softwood Logs are perfect for producing fast and high levels of heat, but you should use another to keep a good steady flame going throughout the day or evening.
As we have decided to turn our central heating off this winter and heat our home primarily from the stove we have changed our approach slightly to wood fuels. Here is what our new winter wood fuel stock looks like now:
- Natural Firelighters – Perfect for lighting a fire
- Kindling – Helps the flames catch and spread quickly
- Nestro Softwood Logs – Broken in two to help the fire produce heat quickly
- Hardwood Heat Logs or Oak Firewood for a prolonged heat output
- Night Briquettes so we can start the fire again the next morning without any effort
The wood fuel market is growing and more science is going into the production and development of products. A log-burning stove is becoming a much easier appliance to use compared to where we were 10 years ago. Gone are the days of waiting to heat our homes. We can now use products like the Nestro Softwood Log to boost our heat output and warm up fast. This is a game changer for those who live busy lives and need to get things going fast.
Click here and enter code WOODCREATE at checkout for 5% off your first order
If you are someone with more time and patience, then this might not be the right product for you.
Thanks for reading. Why not check out some of our other wood fuel reviews: