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Session 14/2,110 burn hours logged/35 units/Ravenswood, Chicago

Chicago Candle Factory

The index

Every brand
we have burned

Ten brands, 35 units, 2,110 logged hours. Each review carries the raw burn log: time to a full melt pool, throw distance in feet, tunneling, soot and what was left in the vessel at the end.

Images are vessel studies of the units we burned, shot to one setup. They are illustrations, not product photography.

Looking forBest overallBest throwBest cold throwBest burn qualityBest luxury valueBest designBest budget buyBest cost per hour
A lit candle in a tapered oatmeal stoneware planter with a sage green glaze band at the foot, on a limestone slab beside a folded sheet of seed paper. Vessel study, not a product photograph.
01

Lab score

96.0

Lumond

Ceramic candles that outlive the wax

Glazed stoneware planter, 440 g

4.8 / 5
24 ft
Origin
DE
Wax
Soy
Hours
50
$ / hr
$0.86

Best overall, and the only vessel we kept

A lit candle in a straight-sided clear glass tumbler with a thick base, casting a faint violet shadow across the limestone. Vessel study, not a product photograph.
02

Lab score

90.2

Diptyque

The reference standard for scent throw

Mouth-blown glass tumbler, 190 g

4.5 / 5
26 ft
Origin
FR
Wax
Blend
Hours
60
$ / hr
$0.80

Best throw, and the safest gift in the category

An unlit candle in an opaque cream glass jar with a black lacquered lid lying flat on the slab beside it. Vessel study, not a product photograph.
03

Lab score

86.6

Jo Malone London

Unbeatable on the shelf, merely good once lit

Lidded cream glass jar, 200 g

4.3 / 5
19 ft
Origin
GB
Wax
Blend
Hours
45
$ / hr
$0.93

Best cold throw and the best packaging in the category

A lit candle in a matte black apothecary vessel wrapped in a plain unprinted paper label, shot low key. Vessel study, not a product photograph.
04

Lab score

85.9

Le Labo

The best behaved candle in the test

Matte black apothecary glass, 245 g

4.3 / 5
20 ft
Origin
US
Wax
Soy
Hours
60
$ / hr
$1.47

Best burn quality, worst cost per hour

A lit candle in a matte dusty pink frosted glass tumbler with its flat pink lid resting on the slab beside it. Vessel study, not a product photograph.
05

Lab score

85.5

Boy Smells

Most of the throw for half the money

Frosted pink glass tumbler, 8.5 oz

4.3 / 5
22 ft
Origin
US
Wax
Coconut
Hours
50
$ / hr
$0.84

Best value in the luxury tier

An unlit candle in a heavy sage-olive coloured glass vessel with thick walls and a flat pristine wax surface. Vessel study, not a product photograph.
06

Lab score

82.9

Byredo

The most beautiful object, the hardest arithmetic

Thick-walled coloured glass, 240 g

4.1 / 5
18 ft
Origin
SE
Wax
Blend
Hours
60
$ / hr
$1.58

Best design, worst cost per hour

A lit candle in a clear glass jar with a fine repeating geometric pattern etched into the glass. Vessel study, not a product photograph.
07

Lab score

81.1

Nest New York

The candle you buy for every room in the house

Etched pattern glass jar, 8.1 oz

4.1 / 5
21 ft
Origin
US
Wax
Blend
Hours
55
$ / hr
$0.87

Best range for scenting a whole house

An unlit candle in an ornate embossed glass jar with a raised botanical relief, its brushed gold lid on the slab beside it. Vessel study, not a product photograph.
08

Lab score

79.7

Voluspa

The cheap candle that does not look cheap

Embossed glass with metal lid, 9.5 oz

4.0 / 5
17 ft
Origin
US
Wax
Coconut
Hours
60
$ / hr
$0.53

Best budget buy under $35

A lit candle in a clear glass tumbler wrapped in a plain pale pink paper sleeve, with a matchbox and two loose matches beside it. Vessel study, not a product photograph.
09

Lab score

78.5

Otherland

Decor that happens to smell good

Sleeved glass tumbler, 8 oz

3.9 / 5
15 ft
Origin
US
Wax
Coconut
Hours
55
$ / hr
$0.80

Best art direction, softest throw

A large clear glass jar candle with three lit wicks across a wide wax surface, its glass screw lid resting on the slab beside it. Vessel study, not a product photograph.
10

Lab score

74.1

Yankee Candle

Unbeatable per hour, and it shows

Three-wick large jar, 22 oz

3.7 / 5
23 ft
Origin
US
Wax
Paraffin
Hours
130
$ / hr
$0.24

Best cost per hour by a wide margin

Compare all ten side by sideHow we test