For our "Magic Wand" we needed a concise name, one that is easy to remember. As a source of inspiration, we used the 5th trick of Max & Moritz - the story of a rascal that many remember from their childhood days: "Bring him what he must have: Newspaper, pipe, fidibus." But because of its effect, we also see the fidibus as part of a magic spell: "Hocus pocus fidibus and bam - the wood fire is burning". And that's exactly how it should be with a good lighter.
A great name alone is not enough, of course; a powerful and at the same time environment-friendly combustion engine was the requirement. However, our recipe for success had yet to be born, so the first step was to test diligently. In 1987, our graduate engineer and head of furnace technology, Hermann Bichlmaier, set himself this task of testing. Different materials were tried out, from white chemical cubes to wool and natural softwood fibre pieces (soaked in candle wax). Important points, such as the effect of the heating power or time, played a very important role for us.
Which lighter won the race?
In the end, the test winner was the softwood stick soaked in wax of 25 cm length (9.8 inches). This result is easily explained: the softwood stick is able to light the entire log length. This means that, in contrast to a point-shaped lighting cube, it provides a large degassing surface. A pure natural product was created, for the kindling of even large logs evenly and for an atmospheric wood fire.
Since 1989, the Fidibus has been available in a simple folding box, as a refill box or in the stylishly designed tin can from specialist dealers and stove manufacturers.
For those who want to save money, the Fidibus is also available in a larger box containing 350 pieces. In addition, every new wood fire stove from our company comes with a folding box of Fidibus as a starter set. Light up, put the Fidibus in the stove, sit back and enjoy.
BRUNNER Fidibus made of pure wood fibres with natural paraffin do not smell, do not dry out and are absolutely harmless to health. Due to the 25 length (9.8 inches), you can light logs along the entire length in a flash and quite comfortably.
Practised stokers who profit from their experience usually only need half a fidibus to fire the stove.