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Companion set for a log burner

Updated: 22 October 2026

The last poker left a glove inside the stove door, or the new stand is so tall it catches the sofa in a small front room. A companion set for a log burner is a length decision first. Measure from your hand to the back of the firebox, then keep a set only if a printed height you trust is at least that reach, and follow the stove manual for how much ash to leave. Open-fire sets bought mainly as furniture stay on the [fireplace tool set comparison](/hub/fireplaces-and-stoves/fireplace-tool-set). Imaginfires' 66 cm line is a shop suggestion, not a standard we are applying as a pass mark. If you buy through a link to amazon.co.uk from the comparison, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

The last poker left a glove inside the stove door, or the new stand is so tall it catches the sofa in a small front room. A companion set for a log burner is a length decision first.

Our top picks

Fire Vida Fire Vida Buxton black and brass

Best overall

Fire Vida Fire Vida Buxton black and brass
9.2/10about £21.99
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JVL JVL Lambeth arch set

Best value

JVL JVL Lambeth arch set
8.8/10about £11.19
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Kingson Kingson K409B 5-piece

Rank 3

Kingson Kingson K409B 5-piece
8.8/10about £34.99
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On this page
  1. 1.Measure the reach, then read every height
  2. 2.What this batch actually prints
  3. 3.Ash in the stove is not the same as ash on the hearth
  4. 4.A shop's 66 cm line is not a standard

Measure the reach, then read every height

Put a glove on and hold a long spoon, a rule or the old poker in the stance you actually use. Mark the distance from your hand to the back of the firebox. That distance is the minimum shaft you can accept. Gloves do not add centimetres to the steel. Read every height on the page. Fire Vida's black set prints about 52.5 cm and about 62 cm. VOUNOT prints 53 cm and 60 cm. JVL Belvoir prints about 41.5 cm in the bullet and 4.15 cm in the dimension field. The 4.15 cm figure is left as printed. Belvoir's reviews call it too small, and the bullet length is about 41.5 cm at £23.97, which is more than the longer Lambeth.

What this batch actually prints

Valiant FIR276 is about 45 cm, and at least one review says the poker is short. Forty-five centimetres is enough only if your measured reach is shorter than that and the glove still stays outside the opening. JVL Lambeth's bullets print about 66 cm. Kingson K409B prints 66 cm on the title and on the dimensions, at £34.99, and the bullets name log burners, open fires and traditional fireplaces. That sentence is a use list, not a measured fit for your firebox. A K409B review says the loaded stand can tip. Kingson F521 is about 47 cm at £31.99, with no tongs named, and one review preferred that shorter set on a small burner. If the glove was the problem, look at Lambeth or K409B and then check the stand.
Fire Vida Fire Vida Buxton black and brass

Testsieger

Fire Vida Fire Vida Buxton black and brass
9.2/10about £21.99
View offer

Ash in the stove is not the same as ash on the hearth

Charnwood's Island manual says to leave about 1 cm of ash when you burn wood. That bed sits inside the firebox. Ash on the hearth is a different pile. You shovel only what you are taking out, once it has cooled with the door shut. If your manual gives another depth, or you burn a fuel that needs a clear grate, follow the manual. A 66 cm set does not tell you to empty the firebox. When ash does leave the stove, HETAS wants a sealable metal can, taken outside and not stored indoors. The steps are on how to use fireplace tools.

A shop's 66 cm line is not a standard

Imaginfires says a fireplace tool should be at least 66 cm, about 26 inches, and it gives about 116 cm for outdoor use. That is the retailer's rule of thumb. It is not BS 8423, which is a fireguard specification, and it is not a HETAS sizing rule. Use 66 cm as a prompt to measure your own reach, not as a pass mark. F E Maughan's range runs from a 36 cm duo to loop sets around 64 cm. Manor's trade guide shows hearth tidies around 30 to 36 cm, and companion sets from the mid-40s of centimetres into the 60s. A 36 cm tidy is the wrong object if your measurement says the firebox needs 60 cm and a poker. Matching K409B to the Imaginfires sentence does not make that set safer than Lambeth's 66 cm bullet. Belvoir costs more than Lambeth and reviews call it small.

Common questions

How long should the poker be for my stove?
Long enough that a gloved hand stays outside the firebox while the working end reaches the back, or the point where you move logs. Measure that distance in the stance you use, then compare it with every height the listing prints. HETAS still expects you to wear gloves, crack the door, and open it slowly. Those steps do not lengthen a short shaft. If two fields disagree, keep both until you know which one is the tool.
Is 45 cm enough?
It is enough only when your measured reach is under about 45 cm and the glove still clears the opening. Valiant FIR276 is about 45 cm, and at least one review says the poker is short. JVL Belvoir's bullet is about 41.5 cm, and reviews call that set too short for a stove. A photograph of a compact stand next to a small stove does not replace the measurement. If the hand was in the fire last winter, 45 cm is the length to treat with suspicion.
Is a 66 cm set always better beside a small stove?
No. JVL Lambeth's bullets and Kingson K409B both print about 66 cm, which helps when the firebox is deep. Kingson F521 is about 47 cm, and one review preferred that shorter set on a small burner because a tall stand gets in the way. K409B can also tip when it is loaded, so the extra centimetres are not a solved stand. Measure the reach and the floor space. The longer figure wins only if you need the reach and the hearth can hold the stand.
Do I leave ash in the firebox?
On wood, Charnwood's Island manual says to leave about 1 cm. That is a bed for the next fire, not dust you have failed to clean. Your manual wins if it specifies something else, including a clearer grate for coal or another mineral fuel. Ash you do remove waits until it is cool, then goes into a sealable metal can. The length of the poker does not choose the depth.
Which sets in this batch name a log burner?
Kingson K409B's bullets name log burners, open fires and traditional fireplaces. That is a list of places the seller has in mind, and the agreed size is 66 cm. It is not a statement that the set has been tried on your stove. The other height examples here are ordinary companion sets. Fit them by the centimetres and by whether tongs are named, not by a phrase in the title.

Related pages

Fireplace companion set buying guide

4 piece or 5 piece fireplace set

Fireplace tool set

Best fireplace tool set UK: picks, and who should skip

How to use fireplace tools: poker, ash and the can

Sources

Public UK sources used for this comparison. amazon.co.uk prices, stars and review counts were taken from the listings on 19 October 2026.

  1. GOV.UK, Smoke control areas (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  2. GOV.UK, Domestic solid fuels rules (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  3. Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarm (England) Regulations 2015, regulation 4 (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  4. GOV.UK, Smoke and carbon monoxide alarms booklet (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  5. HETAS, Safe disposal of stove ash (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  6. HETAS, Top tips for your stove (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  7. Charnwood Island instructions (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  8. RoSPA, Burns and scalds (retrieved 19 October 2026)