Wax Warmers and Burners FAQs!

My electric warmer.

A lot of people are unsure about the different kinds of warmers and burners, and have asked about the pros and cons of each. For some reason it didn't occur to make a post about them until now. So due to a special request, I'm going to try to answer all the questions that I have been asked.


If I miss anything, please let me know!

What kinds of tart melters are there? 
There are two general categories of wax melters. Electric, and Tealight.

Dish can come off to easy cleaning

Electric warmers come in a few different varieties.
The most common (and the type I own) comes in a flat heating pad on a raised base (that can also couple as a candle warmer) with a dish on top that hold the wax.
There are also warmers that have a light bulb as the heat source. I personally don't want to have to replace light bulbs and aren't convinced of their quality so I haven't purchased one myself. I think these are sold and very popular with Scentsy products (I have never purchased Scentsy before, but have looked through their catalog).

I don't own this, just an example of what it looks like.

The last electric warmer (that I'm familiar with) is the kind that plugs into the wall. I've seen them, but I don't buy them because I think they are the least safe. Something about hot wax hanging off the wall seems like a bad idea. Add in a clumsy couple, with a curious, energetic cat, and you have a recipe for an enormous mess.

Burner with glass dish (I do not own this)

Tealight Burners require a tealight candle to be placed in the base, with the wax (or scented oil) in the reservoir directly above the flame. They can come in either a ceramic unit, or one with a glass bowl. I don't buy burners with a glass dish because it can cloud, discolor, or get sooty. (Which is far less noticeable in a ceramic unit.)

owl warmer has the best ambiance

Also, lower quality burners can have the glass too close to the flame which can cause it to crack or break.

I have a bunch of ceramic tealight burners because I love the ambiance, they are much more mobile, and don't have to be attached to the wall.  Although it is worthy to note; these are much more of a fire hazard and can burn quite a bit hotter than their electric counterparts.





Is there a difference between a warmer and a burner?
Technically I don't think so. Personally I consider the electric types a warmer and tealight types a burner. Electric warms the wax with either a heated pad or light bulb. The tealight is an open flame that literally burns to melt the wax. I try to specify which is which, but I think most people use the two terms intermittently.
The term "melter" is also applied to both.

Tealight candle goes in the back

So which is better?
 Well that depends. If safety is your main concern then electric is the way to go. Downside is that you are literally tethered to a wall, and for some reason the cords seem to be very short. (Not that I would want a mile long cord but it doesn't give you a lot of placement options) Burners can be put anywhere, even places where water may be involved (without fear of getting zapped) like a bathroom.  If you are looking for ambiance to go with your scent I prefer tealights.
I love my tealight burner for relaxing bubble bath time.
(I hope thats not TMI!)

Do you get a better scent from one or the other?

I've heard different opinions on this subject, but here's mine....

Side by side comparison of reservoir size.

Electric warmers generally have a larger wax pool (the wider the wax pool the more scent that is available to release into the air) and burn more evenly. The scent tends to last a bit longer, but doesn't burn quite as hot.
Tealight burners are much more variable. I have noticed with a good quality burner, that you get a burst of fragrance very quickly. The scent will be much more intense, but then won't last quite as long.

Tealight burner from Yankee

How do I clean them?
The majority of the electric warmers have a seperate dish on the top that can be removed. (Same with the removable glass dish in a tealight burner.) It's great to toss in the freezer to remove the wax. You can wash the dish without having to worry about the base unit being near water.
The ceramic warmer can be a bit more cumbersome and will require you to have more room in your freezer. But other than that they are also easy to clean.


What should I look for when I'm ready to purchase?

This one tends to get extremely hot

If your in the market for an electric warmer I recommend the candle warmer/wax melter combo. I haven't used mine to warm a candle yet but it's nice to know I have the option.
The one I have has a light on the front so you always know if it's turned on or off. Which can be really handy if I'm getting ready to go to bed and can't remember if I flipped the switch. (many people leave theirs on 24/7 but my cat can't be trusted, so it always goes off at night) Although when I look for my next one, I will try to find one with a longer cord. I would like to keep one in my bedroom, but the only place out of my cat's reach is my dresser, and the cord doesn't reach. (I'm a bit nervous about using an extension cord).

This one also overheats and smokes.

You have to be a little more careful with tealight burners.  If the glass is too close to the flame it can overheat, then crack or break (I have heard of this happening with lower quality burners).
The same issues apply to the ceramic burners.  If the wax resevoir is too close to the flame it can cause the wax to smoke or damage the unit. If the resevoir is too far from the flame the wax doesn't burn well and will tend to solidify at the outer edges of the bowl.
My red one (and favorite) is the one  I bought from Yankee Candle  during their semi annual sale. They had a bunch for 5 bucks, which is a bargain considering their quality.
I have a few I purchased off of amazon and other websites. I have noticed that some of these get way too hot and have almost burned myself more than once. The wax also can smoke quite a bit in these. (not black smoke, but a hot wispy steam type)
Sadly I have had a hard time determining the quality of tealight burners until after I have tried them. Not to mention, it is not always the burner itself, sometimes the tealights you put in the bottom make a huge difference.

 These three tealight burners came as a set!

I hope this helps! I try to be thorough, but if you have any questions I may have missed please let me know. I would be happy to answer and add them here.
  Happy melting!