Best Smoke Detectors for 2025, Approved by an Engineer

When it comes to detecting smoke, time is of the essence. That is why we designed a test that simulates a real-life emergency. The first thing to know is that there are two main types of fires that these products are designed for: smoldering fires and flaming fires. A smoldering (or slow-burning) fire refers to the combustion that occurs at the surface of a solid material. Smoldering fires produce large amounts of thick smoke but can't sustain a flame. Think of a cigarette slowly burning but never actually bursting into flames. Smoke detection testing in progress. Gianmarco Chumbe/CNET A smoldering fire can and will become a flaming fire if proper action is not taken immediately. Flaming fires are the ones we're more familiar with, and they usually arise from the ignition of any flammable material, such as a flammable substance, wood, paper, etc. These generally produce less smoke than a smoldering fire but are more destructive. In my backyard, I built a chamber that houses the s ... Read full article.