I was very excited to use this candle maker for it's timed phases and automatic mixing capabilities.
Yet reading the reviews (some responded to by customer service and others not), I was also very concerned about how hot the temperature would get.
The soy wax I purchase, (and apparently 464 soy wax) has an optimal mix temperature of 180-190 F. For this candle maker, the temperature for each phase is not advertised. Only that "The unit works best with low melt point waxes that have a melt point of 125ºF or less."
Additionally multiple customer reviews explain that the temperatures does not get high enough:
"I use Coconut/soy wax, Is it possible to heat wax to 185 - 200 degrees? My unit heats to about 150 or so when i am asked to pour in the FO.
-mb
2020-05-09"
"I've made a few batches in the small pitcher, and the scent throw was not strong as I had expected. It barely reached 175 degrees. So after reading more reviews and testing for myself with a thermometer, I saw that the machine wasn't reaching 185 degrees when it told me to add the scent. I reset it for a second round and it finally reached 185 degrees and then I was able to add the scent. I have not tested the temperature on the larger pitcher yet.
-Ashley
2020-04-29"
"Neat idea but not a good machine for 464 wax. The machine does not get wax hot enough. I was wondering why my candles did not have a hot throw, I did some homework and seen 464 has to get to 185 degrees when pouring in fragrance oil, well this machine only gets to 125 degrees so my candles had no throw to them what so ever. I went back to the old way of melting the wax and my candles have that nice hot throw back. Unless you have a wax with a melting point of 125 degrees when adding fragrance oil, I do not recommend.\
-Nikki
2020-02-21"
As soon as mine arrived in the mail today, I pour some water in and tested the temperatures. I ran a full cycle 3 times in case it needed to "warm up" to getting used. I measured consistently 167 F when it got the hottest it's designed to get/the middle light (ie phase 1), 18 degrees cooler than I desired.
In a review when a customer asked about adding dye to the wax, a customer service rep responded:
"CandleScience Reply
Hi! We usually recommend adding dye when your wax reached 185 degrees, but you can also add your dye in the beginning as the wax is melting to give it time to bind to your wax!
2020-01-22"
Customer service then believes that the mixture should reach 185 F, but the science just does not match.
Not adding oils at the correct mix temperature will make the oils not attach to the wax, making the candle not have as good of a hot throw. This also is explained by some customers in their reviews:
"Hi there I bought this machine and I am confused as I don’t know why my candles or wax melts are not smelling strong. I add 1 oz of fragrance and it does not smell strong. Someone please help me. Thanks
Barrie Kleinert
2019-07-12"
Now all that being said, some reviews explain that it does in fact reach up to 185 F, and that customers are happy with it:
"I've made a few batches in the small pitcher, and the scent throw was not strong as I had expected. It barely reached 175 degrees. So after reading more reviews and testing for myself with a thermometer, I saw that the machine wasn't reaching 185 degrees when it told me to add the scent. I reset it for a second round and it finally reached 185 degrees and then I was able to add the scent. I have not tested the temperature on the larger pitcher yet.
-Ashley
2020-04-29"
Clearly it does reach a desired temperature for some customers, and customer service does believe that it can get up to 185 F. Yet in another customers review, they quoted a customer service rep's email to them saying it heats to 167 F (75 C):
"GREAT little gadget!!! It seems as though some are having trouble with this machine, or just dont know how to use it. The fact that the machine heats to 165F (in the middle stage) and cools down to 145F at the last stage makes it PERFECT for soy 464!!
I wanted to know what the Temp were on this and I reached out to the company. The following is the E-mail response that I received from one of the main customer reps.
Hi there,
Thanks for getting in touch. Phase one heats the wax to 75 Celsius and holds it at that temp until you add fragrance and press the button.
Phase two (after stirring in the fragrance) cools the wax to 62 Celsius for pouring to your jar.
You'll find that these temps work well for most of the soy container waxes on the market.
Thanks for your purchase.
Kind Regards,
Brian Simpson
Chandler& Me
I WILL be buying 2 more in the next few weeks
Joseph
2020-05-01"
With all that being said, the size and timing of the phases worked well. Also I really liked the automatic mixing function. But with customer service giving conflicting responses about heating temperature, in addition to multiple negative reviews about desired temperature, I sadly cannot not recommend this product. I plan on returning mine and asking for a refund. Hopefully they can list more clear data about their temperatures and phase timing in the future. I would like to use this product if it was improved upon.