Tea light test — if you're looking for bang for your bucks, check this out

06 December 2023 - 12:04
By Wendy Knowler
Consumer journalist Wendy Knowler did the tea light test this week, lighting the five samples on a draught-free mantlepiece.
Image: Wendy Knowler Consumer journalist Wendy Knowler did the tea light test this week, lighting the five samples on a draught-free mantlepiece.

'Tis the season to buy tea light candles — so much so that my local branch of Mr Price Home, and a large one at that, is sold out of the standard white ones. They come in many different brands and sizes — some very shallow and others jumbo deep — and prices vary widely.

Most manufacturers claim their little foil encased candles burn for a minimum of four or six hours, but do they live up to that claim? I decided to test a small selection:

  • Woolworths: R149 for 50 (cost per candle: R2.98). Claimed burn hours: six;
  • No Place like Home, bought from Takealot: R299 for 50 (cost per candle: R5.98). Claimed burn hours: six;
  • No Place like Home, bought from The Crazy Store: R89.99 for 50 (cost per candle: R1.80). Claimed burn hours: four;
  • Clover Leaf, Pick n Pay: R89.99 (cost per candle: R4.50). Claimed burn hours: six; and
  • Mr Price Home (eucalyptus): R49.99 for 18 (cost per candle: R2.78). Claimed burn hours: four (The pack of 50 plain ones, when in stock, sell for R99.99 or R2 per candle).

Some of the brands advise not to burn the candles for longer than two hours at a time, but I decided to light them all at the same time in a draught-free spot and note when they went out.

Only one went out before its claimed burn time: the “6-hour” Clover Leaf tea light did so after five hours and 45 minutes.

As for the rest:

Mr Price Home's 4-hour candle died at four hours and five minutes.

No Place Like Home’s (4-hour) burnt for six hours and 15 minutes.

Woolworths’ candle lasted seven hours and 25 minutes.

No Place like Home’s (6-hour) went out after seven hours and 40 minutes.

Best value for money in this small sample are 4-hour No Place Like Home candles, bought from The Crazy Store, which cost the least but lasted the third-longest. If it’s the longest burn you’re after, that brand’s 6-hour candles would be a good bet, provided you buy them from a cheaper source than Takealot. (Makro Online is advertising a 100-pack for R336, or R3.36 per candle.)

The best balance between price and burn-time in this sample is provided by Woolworths’ 50 pack of 6-hour candles, which burnt for almost seven-and-a-half hours.

* Why are they called tea light candles? The Japanese initially used them to keep tea warm during tea ceremonies, a Zen ritual dating to the 12th century and lasting up to four hours.

DATA

Brand | Bought from | Price | Number of candles | Cost/candle | Claim | Time burnt | Time in mins  | Start time | End time | Notes

  1. Woolworths | Woolworths | R149.00 | 50 | R2.98 | 6 hrs | 7 hrs, 25 mins | 445 | 18:01 | 01:26 | No mention of time limit.
  2. No Place Like Home (6 hrs) | Takealot | R299.00 | 50 | R5.98 | 6 hrs | 7 hrs, 40 mins | 460 | 18:01 | 01:41 | Package says not to burn for more than 2 hrs at a time. Takealot labels them as extra large. They are physically taller than the others.
  3. No Place Like Home (4 hrs) | Crazy Store | R89.99 | 50 | R1.80 | 4 hrs | 6 hrs, 15 mins | 375 | 18:01 | 00:16 | Package says not to burn for more than 2 hrs at a time.
  4. Clover Leaf | Pick n Pay | R89.99 | 20 | R4.50 | 6 hrs | 5 hrs, 45 mins | 345 | 18:01 | 23:46 | No mention of time limit.
  5. Mr Price Home (Eucalyptus) | Mr Price Home | R49.99 | 18 | R2.8 | 4 hrs | 4 hrs, 5 mins | 245 | 18:01 | 22:06 | Package says not to burn for more than 2 hrs at a time.  

Rankings

Cheapest

  • No Place Like Home (4 hrs) — R1.80
  • Mr Price Home (4 hrs) — R2.78
  • Woolworths (6 hrs) — R2.98
  • Clover Leaf (6 hrs) — R4.50
  • No Place Like Home (6 hrs) — R5.98

Longest burn time

  • No Place Like Home (6 hrs) — 7 hrs, 40
  • Woolworths (6 hrs) — 7 hrs, 25
  • No Place Like Home (4 hrs) — 6 hrs, 15
  • Clover Leaf (6 hrs) — 5 hrs, 45
  • Mr Price Home (4 hrs) — 4 hrs, 5

Do you need help with a consumer issue? Contact Wendy Knowler for advice via email consumer@knowler.co.za or on X (Twitter) @wendyknowler

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