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To the earlier point about finding reliable suppliers — I’ve heard Skysong is pretty solid if you’re doing a full container. Shells are good quality for the price but they’re FCL only, so if you just want a few cases it’s not worth the freight hassle.
For small orders you’re honestly better off going through a US distributor, the per-piece markup is cheaper than eating a container’s worth of freight.
Lift charge and wall thickness really do separate the good stuff from the duds. I moved to buying a couple brands in bulk last year and the consistency is night and day – Skysong is solid if you’re doing a full container, their shells punch way above what you’d expect for the price point. Problem is they only do FCL so it’s pointless unless you’re splitting with a few buddies or running a small stand. Just something to keep in mind if you go the direct route.
I save the labels for the cakes I actually liked so I remember what to buy next year lol. otherwise its straight to recycling. the little instruction slips are useless tbh.
Tina, the way most 500g cakes work internally is actually pretty clever but simple once you see it. They use a main fuse (usually visco or quickmatch) that runs through the cake and branches off to each individual tube with little delay elements between them. The delay is what spaces out the shots – some manufacturers use different delay compositions to control the tempo.
The actual tube layout inside varies a lot between brands. Some use a linear chain, others use a folded/zigzag pattern to fit more tubes in. That’s why you see different firing patterns even at the same shot count. Faster cakes usually mean shorter delay fuse sections between shots, or they’re using quickmatch throughout.
Honestly if you ever get a chance to cut open a spent cake, do it. It’s a good learning experience seeing how they’re built.
Yeah the 500g situation is rough this summer. My local guy is basically out of anything good 鈥?all the World Class and Brothers stuff got snapped up during the America 250 run and the restock hasn’t caught up yet. I did manage to grab some 200g multi-shots that are decent filler for a Labor Day show. Not ideal but beats nothing. Heard some people are checking out Chinese brands directly but that’s a whole thing with minimum orders and shipping.
The mail-order thing honestly depends on the state more than people realize. There’s a handful of states where it’s illegal to have them shipped in, full stop, even if possessing is fine. I remember reading about it when I moved. Your best bet is to check your state AG or the actual statute. Some states only let licensed dealers import, so consumers have to buy in person. It’s not as simple as ‘legal = can ship.’
Already got my finale rack half built lol. Going with a 36-cake setup this year since I got a bunch of 200g cakes left over from July 4th that I wanna use up as filler before the good stuff.
My plan is using like 8-10 of the higher end cakes as the backbone and then the cheaper stuff just for noise and color fill. Got a good deal on some Brothers cans thatll work great for the finale burst.
Anyone else doing a multi-tier setup or just sticking with a single row?
I’m with you on keeping it chill for Labor Day. After the 250th I’m kinda burned out on the big productions lol. I still got maybe $150 worth of cakes left from the 4th so I’ll probably just supplement with a few new things and call it good.
What I’m actually trying to figure out is if any of the big retailers are gonna run Labor Day sales. TNT usually does something and Phantom always has some kind of promo. I got a coupon for Winda that I might use if they’re running a deal.
Honestly I think treating Labor Day as the ‘second chance’ show is the move. Less pressure, more just hanging out with friends and grilling. The 4th was so intense this year with the 250th that I need the chill version lol.
I use a Firefly system and yeah I’m guilty of just tossing everything in a plastic bin after July 4th lol. But I did learn real quick that moisture is the enemy. This year I actually took all the modules apart and hit the contacts with some contact cleaner. Also been storing my ignition wires in a ziplock with a silica pack. Probably overkill but my setup kept failing at the worst moments last year so I’d rather be safe.
Steve, I’ll be honest – I’m one of those guys who just throws everything in a tote and forgets about it til the next show lol. But I did learn the hard way last year when some of my clips were corroded and I had to jerry-rig connections mid-show. Not fun.
This year I picked up some contact cleaner and went through all my clips. Took maybe 20 minutes. I don’t have a Cobra though – just a basic firing system. My routine is basically: wipe em down, check for corrosion, test each channel with a cue light, and pack em up in a dry box with some silica gel packs.
The silica packs make a huge difference if you store stuff in a garage or shed.
I actually noticed this too. Some of the America 250 branded stuff had way better packaging than usual. The Jakes Platinum series boxes have been looking real clean lately too. Kinda reminds me of how craft beer labels got all fancy a few years back ??feels like fireworks are going through the same thing.
The one thing I hate tho is when the box looks amazing but the actual cake performs average lol. Had that happen with a canister shell set last year ??coolest box on the shelf but the breaks were meh.
Yeah I’ve been looking at a freight forwarder in Shenzhen. They quoted $5.50/kg for air vs like $1.20/kg by sea. The math pretty much does itself unless you’re real impatient lol.
Been through this twice man. First time they held it for 5 weeks and opened maybe 20% of the cases. Second time was only 2 weeks and they just checked the manifest and let it go. Storage fees are on you usually – the freight forwarder should’ve warned you about demurrage. Check your bill of lading terms. What’s the customs broker saying?
I’m with you man. Already looking at suppliers for my NYE show. Anyone here ever ordered direct from a Chinese manufacturer? I’ve been buying from the usual US wholesalers but thinking about cutting out the middleman for a container order. I know Skysong and a couple others do FCL only which is a lot for one guy lol. Winda’s got some good stuff too but their minimums are killer. Might just stick with Phantom for now and save the container idea for when I go in with buddies.
I usually save mine for New Year’s or just random weekend bonfires with friends. But honestly half the time I end up giving them away to neighbors with kids lol. Sparklers and fountains are perfect for that — the kids love em and I don’t feel like I’m wasting my good cakes on a random Saturday.
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