When is Excel really Excel?

February 2018 - Complaints by some that the smokeless fuel Excel was not as good as it once was, and seemed to burn cooler as well as producing much more ash, have resulted in the brand owners suggesting that boaters may be being mis-sold another product under the Excel name, as Charles Alberts reports.

When a London boater calling himself Peregrine Hamer Byrne on Facebook became so frustrated with the way Excel was burning on his boat he wrote to the manufacturer, Oxbow, asking if they had changed the product.

The reply from Mark Robinson, Commercial Manager at Oxbow Coal, painted an interesting picture. He said: “I have to say we haven’t made any changes at all to Excel in the last 12 months.

“I’d be interested to know where it’s been purchased from as one of our competitors have attempted (unsuccessfully in my view) to create their own version of Excel, right down to copying the shape. The issues you’re experiencing seem to fit this inferior (in my view) product known as Dual.

“I can absolutely promise you we have had no quality issues in the way you have described and we sell well over 10,000 metric tonnes per year of that product alone.

“I would have to conclude you are likely being mis-sold Excel and would be happy to assist to ensure you get the product you know and have enjoyed in the past.

“It’s a great frustration and very difficult to stop, just today in a different part of the country on the canal boat infrastructure, we learned the product being sold in Excel bags wasn’t our product...it’s very difficult to manage when people do this though in that case we know the packer and will contact them accordingly.”

Photos: (1st to 4th) Excel comes in many different bags, (5th) Burning well...?