If you are like me and love fireworks, then you are probably eagerly looking forward to the 4th of July. Each year, I spend a lot of time watching videos of the different firework pieces on phantom fireworks website (www.fireworks.com) and getting my list together. Like many backyard fireworks “professionals” (not really), I’m always looking to improve my show. Before I go any further, let me first say that fireworks can be very dangerous. Please consult your state’s laws to determine if they are legal in your state. Many states require a permit; please obtain one if your state requires it! Now back to my story. This year, I decided to invest in a remote electronic firing system. They allow you to stand back away from the firework and set it off with the press of a button instead of having to put your hands and face close to the firework to light it. The benefit of this is recognized even more if you are attempting to light multiple pieces at the same time, perhaps as part of the finale. After doing a lot of research on different makes and models of these remote systems, I decided to go simple and cheap to start with.

I was very intrigued by the various systems on www.firingsystems.us. More specifically, I was interested in the Quantumfire QF-2X6LR system (currently listed for $89.00). This is a 12 cue remote control firing system that operates on standard batteries. The remote takes a 9-volt battery, and the field unit (the part that sits by your fireworks) utilizes 6 AA batteries. The system consists of 2 separate 6-cue field units (each unit requires 6 AA batteries). They also sell the Quantumfire QF-6LR system, which is the same as the aforementioned system, except that it only contains 1 field unit (6 cues) and currently costs $59.00. As such, this product review is applicable to either system. For this review, however, I am using the single 6 cue system.

The QF-6LR box comes with the remote, the field unit, and the instruction manual. The actual pieces of equipment that comprise this system are made of plastic and, quite honestly, do not seem too sturdy or durable. However, I do not assign any kind of a negative score because of this, as I do not believe it to be a problem unless you plan on throwing the field unit or remote up against the wall really hard. For normal use, they should be fine. Both the remote and the field unit(s) have an external antenna which pulls out to extend approximately one foot. For an un-boxing and general discussion video, please watch my youtube video here.

According to the manual, the remote has a range of up to 425 feet, depending on the surroundings and local RF interference. According to my testing (with a clear line of sight) this unit shot reliably at 300 feet (100 yards). I did not try it from a distance greater than 300 feet only because I can’t imagine needing to be further away than this. What I did discover, however, is that the further away you are, the longer you need to hold the button down for it to ignite. At 300 feet, you need to hold the button down for a good full second to be safe. For a video of me testing the Qf-6LR system from 300 feet, please see my youtube video here. Again, the closer you are, the shorter the button press that is required. I tested this out from about 5 feet and it fired with very quick button presses. You can see that youtube video here.

In addition to the actually system, you will need igniters to actually light the fuses. While there are multiple brands of these igniters from various companies, I went with the Falcon II igniters from the same website (www.firingsystems.us). The igniters are essentially lengths of wires that plug into the field unit via spring, push type speaker terminal connections, with the other end of the wire containing a clip that clips onto your fuse. In that clip is a thin filament type material that ignites when the button is pressed and the battery current reaches it. This in turn ignites your fuse. The Falcon II igniters come in multiple lengths, 1 meter (50 for $19.00), 3 meter (40 for $23.00), and 5 meter (20 for $16.00). When hooking up these igniters, make sure the field unit is on and insert the wires into the spring loaded clips. If the connection is solid, the light for that cue will turn off. One thing I must caution that I learned from my testing is that after you insert the igniter wires and you see the light turn off, make sure the light is still off after connecting the other end to the firework fuse. I say this because it is possible that there can be a break in the igniter wire that cuts in and out when you shake the wire. This happened once during my testing. I discovered that when I shook the wire around, the light flickered on and off (indicating a bad wire). If you notice a bad wire, don’t use that one unless you don’t mind risking that particular cue failing to light. For a more detailed review of the Falcon II igniters, please see my youtube video here.

So far, I have set off 11 Falcon II igniters off of the same set of AA batteries, which were cheap dollar store type batteries. I will update this blog later when I find out how many ignitions a set of batteries will handle before needing replaced. And obviously, the better the batteries, the more ignitions you will get. But I figured if I tested with cheap batteries then we will know the minimum number of shots from a set of batteries.

In summary, I am really impressed with this system for the price. It’s not fancy looking, but it gets the job done. If you only need 12 cues or less, then one of these systems could be perfect for you. I was so impressed with the Quantumfire QF-6LR (single 6 cue system), that I just ordered the double system as well. Thanks for taking the time to read my review, and if you have any questions or comments please feel free to share them. I am in no way affiliated with Quantumfire products or the folks over at firingsystems.us, so if you have any experience with any other brands of remote ignition systems, I would love to read about them as well!

SHARE THIS BLOG TOPIC: