Can you recommend oil-based tea lights?

December 12, 2019 8:03 AM

I have a bunch of tea light candles, which I like well enough. Would oil-based refillable glass candles be better - for the environment, for my wallet, in general? If so, what should I buy?

I've started looking at this sort of thing: refillable tea candles.

Some of the reviews I've read say that they go through parrafin oil extremely fast, and don't actually burn all that long. What can I expect?

If you have and enjoy refillable tea candles, what brands of candle and oil and accessories do you recommend? What tips would you give for maximum enjoyment and minimum frustration?

Note 1: I am NOT interested in disposables.

Note 2: I am very new to this and not at all hung up on specifics; I'm just looking for something that gives me some nice candle flame for nice cozy evenings. I'm open to all kinds of alternatives and suggestions (aside from disposables).

Thank you!

posted by kristi to Home & Garden (5 answers total)

I'm actually not sure that refilling those is less impact than buying wax tealights in recyclable metal tins. You would have to repeatedly buy lamp oil to refill them, and that seems to come only in large plastic jugs. Maybe if it's easier or less energy to recycle the jugs than to recycle the minimal plastic tealights come in (especially if you buy them 100 at a time from IKEA or the like) and the tiny scrap of metal left after they burn.
posted by fiercecupcake at 8:20 AM on December 12, 2019 [1 favorite]

check out this comment
posted by exogenous at 8:40 AM on December 12, 2019 [2 favorites]

Flameless tea light LED votives (linking to assorted varieties at Target, but they're also sold at Costco, Amazon, craft stores, dollar stores, esp. this time of year); some styles have a flickering effect, offer timer scheduling, have remotes, etc.
posted by Iris Gambol at 12:56 PM on December 12, 2019

Related to the above post and your "open to all kinds of alternatives" note, examples of rechargeable tea lights and votives.
posted by Iris Gambol at 9:32 PM on December 12, 2019

Would you be open to beeswax? I love the tealights from Big Dipper Waxworks and they will sell the "refills" in packs of 48 without the clear plastic cups so you can keep reusing them. (I assume that's what you mean by "disposable" but apologies if I misunderstood.)
posted by saramour at 12:07 PM on December 13, 2019