Okay let me walk you through my candle hunting adventure. I started this whole thing because honestly? I got sick of paying crazy money for fancy candles that burn out in two nights. Wanted something cheap but not garbage.
The Beginning: Setting My Rules
First, I hit my computer. Searched online like crazy. Needed stuff under 10 bucks, not those 50-dollar fancy jars. Read tons of “best budget” lists from different places, especially that August 2025 top sellers list everyone’s talking about. Saved some promising names and hopped over to the online stores.
The Hunt & Test Phase
Grabbed a whole bunch based on popularity and price. We’re talking:
- That #1 ranked ‘Puti Su’ lotus oil lamp thing: Little tin cups with lotus tops. 100 for under 10 bucks? Had to try.
- The super cheap “Tiantian Temai” emergency candles: Pack of like 40 small ones for barely over 2 bucks. Seriously cheap.
- Jiangxin’s long white sticks: Basic white church candle style. Around 6 bucks for a pack.
- Yufeng’s red “Lazhu” sticks: Super common red ones for holidays or temples. Found ’em cheap too.
- Shilihe’s colorful ones: Needed some color, figured why not.
- Even a bottle style liquid oil lamp from Yuanyifang: Looked different, claimed 24-hour burn. Sceptical but curious.
Waited a few days, boxes started piling up. Felt like Christmas, but cheaper.
Firing Them Up (Literally)
Over a couple weeks, I burned these things everywhere – living room table, bathroom counter (carefully!), patio when bugs weren’t bad. Paid attention to:
- Stink: Cheap wax can smell like a tire fire. Some actually surprised me.
- Smoke: Hated the black smoke trails some gave off.
- Pooling: Did the wax melt evenly or tunnel down a hole wasting half of it?
- Burn time: Tracked roughly how long each one actually lasted. Spoiler: sellers lie.
- Sturdiness: Did the wick stand up? Did the whole thing collapse halfway?
Made notes like a mad scientist. Or just a picky candle guy.
The Wins, The Flops, The Surprises
Here’s the real deal I found:
- Emergency Pack (2.61): Yep, they’re basic plastic tubes. Burned okay, smelled weirdly chemical outdoors. Not my living room pick, but kept a box for actual emergencies. Price was nuts.
- #1 Lotus Oil Cups (9.5): Okay, get it. Clean burn, lasted a solid 4 hours each like they said. Almost no smell (just light oil), zero smoke. Perfect if you just want quiet light or a specific vibe. Worth the ranking, boring but reliable.
- Yuanyifang Bottle Lamp (10.98): Hated the liquid thing. Messy to fill. Could smell it across the room. Claimed 24 hours – maybe if you never blow it out? Wasn’t for me.
- Surprise Winner #1: Yufeng’s Short Red Candles (11). Thick little guys. Burned super even and clean! Barely any smell, just faint wax. Burned longer than I expected. Great for sticking in holders without drama.
- Surprise Winner #2: Jiangxin’s Long Whites (5.9). Classic, burned clean and straight. Again, no real scent, just dependable light. Perfect for candle holders.
- Shilihe Colors (6.5): Meh. Looked fun, burned unevenly. Lots of leftover wax stuck to the sides. Wasteful.
The Final Budget Picks
After all that burning? Here’s what I’d actually buy again with my own money:
- Simple Light (No Frills): Get Jiangxin’s long white candles or Yufeng’s short reds. Both around 6-11 bucks. Zero smell, clean burn, just solid light that lasts reasonably long.
- Quiet Ambiance / Specific Use: Those Puti Su Lotus Oil cups. Almost no smell/smoke, lasts as promised. Good for calm moments or traditions.
- Prepping for Outages: Bag of Tiantian Temai emergency candles. They’re ugly plastic, smell rough. But for 2 bucks? They burn and last. Hidden in a drawer for when the power dies.
Found the sweet spot. Reliable cheap candles exist, you just gotta find the basic workhorses hiding in plain sight. Forget the cheap fancy colors or weird liquid ones. Stick to simple, solid wax.
