The Lumos Candle is a candle that lights with the push of a button. It’s not one of those lame LED candles either. It’s a REAL soy wax candle with a REAL flame.
I purchased this candle for $50 on Amazon mostly out of curiosity. It isn’t a smart home product (yet), so it’s not something I would normally review. But it does have some electronics, and it is for the home so I figured it’s close enough.
Besides, it’s pretty cool and definitely different than anything else I’ve seen.
How does it work?
The first thing I noticed is that the candle has two wicks. There is a thin metal filament embedded within each wick.
The bottom of the candle glass has two metal contacts which form a male plug. The wick filaments are connected to these contacts. The candle’s base has a female plug.
Electricity is applied to the filaments via a battery in the base and a spark jumps across the filaments. After a few seconds, voila!! The spark ignites the candle.
Using the candle
With a cold candle, press the ignition button for 3-5 seconds to ignite the candle. It will light faster if it was recently lit.
You’ll see blue sparks between the wicks if the battery is charged properly. I’ve found that the battery can ignite the candle 20-30 times before it needs to be recharged. If you press the button and the sparks stop before the candle lights, your battery is likely dead.
The candle has a nice lavender scent (mine is lavender, but there are other scents) even when it’s not lit. When lit, the candle will fill a small room with a pleasant but not overwhelming scent.
The candle wax is a high-quality soy wax which burns relatively clean. Therefore, you won’t get the build-up of soot on windows and walls like you do with regular paraffin wax.
What to watch out for
Normal candle maintenance requires trimming the wicks to your desired length. This one is the same, but you also have to take special care so that the candle’s ignition system stays in working order.
Be aware of the wicks falling together.
If they touch, they may cause a short circuit and not ignite the candle. To avoid this, you will want to trim the wicks as the candle burns down.
Don’t let the wicks drift too far apart.
The applied voltage may not be high enough to create a spark.
Be careful when trimming the wick not to break it off below the wax.
The wax is an electrical insulator and will prevent the ignition spark from happening. I know because it happened to me. To fix it, I had to light the one remaining wick with a lighter, then wait for the candle to burn down until the second wick was exposed again. For that reason, it’s best to wait for the wax to harden before trimming the wicks.
Is it worth it?
I don’t know that I really need a push-button candle, especially one that cost me $50. I still have to physically go to the candle and press the button which isn’t really all that different from using a lighter.
It would be quite a bit different if I could ignite the candle with a voice command from Alexa. Then (as long as we’re dreaming) add a way to extinguish the candle as well.
A fully automated candle. NOW we’re talking.
Where to buy
I bought mine on Amazon. However, as of right now, it’s unavailable.
So where do you buy it?
It’s made by a Korean company and they’re currently for sale on a Korean site called KMall24. I’ve never ordered anything from them, but they seem legit and they take orders worldwide.
Final Thoughts
It’s definitely a good clean burning candle with a pleasant scent. But, the candle is fairly small for the cost. Add the additional cost of the battery base and it’s a pretty tough sell.
That said, if you have a few extra dollars and you want to impress your friends with something they’ve probably never seen before, this self-lighting candle could do the trick. It could also be a neat gift for that one person that has everything.
The bottom line is that it’s a self-lighting candle and it works like it’s supposed to. If you’re comfortable paying the price, you’ll be happy with the performance.
