This works very well.
I am a novice at bbqing, but I got this b/c of the reviews.
It works well, however, make sure you put enough newspaper or whatever other items you using to start the fire. My first attempt did not go well b/c I did not have enough paper, but once I put more the charcoals were ready in 20 mins.

If you own a charcoal grill, this item is a “must have.” No more lighter fluid, no more starter sticks, no more uneven coals. Just pile your charcoal into the hopper, wad up a piece of newspapaer (or whatever) under it, light it, and in about 10 minutes, your coals are ready! It’s that simple! Just pour them out onto the grate, arrange them if you desire, and start cooking.

It’s so simple and foolproof, I give a solid “10″.

Not only does it eliminate the smell of lighter fluid, it starts charcoal faster and more evenly. Well worth the low price.

Having tried various ways of lighting charcoal, I always return to chimney starters. They are efficient, economical and reliable. The Weber is by far the best of the chimney starter bunch with several key design elements that separate it from the pack.

It has a larger capacity than most chimneys, making it especially useful for lump charcoal.

The conical charcoal basket exposes more charcoal to the burning paper, speeding up the starting process.

The bail handle makes it easy to put the charcoal exactly where you want it.

One tip for starting, try putting some vegetable oil on the paper before you wad it up. That will lengthen the time the paper burns, improving the start time even more.

You should consider using gloves when you dump the charcoal, especially if you are starting it in an enclosed area, like the bottom of a Weber kettle grill. The same aspects of the kettle design that make it such a great grill tend to heat up the handle more than when you start it up.

I like these so much, I bought two. You never know when you’ll need to light a whole lot of charcoal in a hurry.

For some reason (probably the few distributors in Mexico) Weber products sell for 2 or 3 times the price they do on the States. Anyways, I first came in contact with this product in Miami and fell in love. I recentrly purchased a Weber grill and had to do the full update including the Rapidfire. If you want to have time to finish the prep of your food purchase this product, just pour the charcoal on the chimney, light a paper with vegetable oil on you grill and place the rapidfire over it. As simple as that.
Love the product even with the $34 price tag in Mexico