If your charcoal grill has been sitting there mocking you all summer because your old chimney starter is bent, rusted, or just plain gone, Sam’s Club has a fix that costs less than a fast-food combo meal. Members can currently get the Cuisinart Charcoal Chimney Starter with Heat Resistant Gloves for $5.91 — a deal flagged on Slickdeals (frontpage-worthy at a 0.71 score) thanks to Deal Hunter idk_then.
A chimney starter is one of those tools that quietly makes grilling better. Instead of dousing briquettes in lighter fluid and hoping for the best, you stack the coals in the metal cylinder, light a little newspaper underneath, and 15-20 minutes later you’ve got evenly lit charcoal ready to dump into the grill — no lighter-fluid aftertaste on your ribs. Bundling in a pair of heat-resistant gloves at this price is the kind of practical extra that makes the deal worth grabbing even if you already own a starter, since a spare set of grill gloves never goes to waste.
Who this is for: Southern grill families running charcoal kettles or offset smokers all summer long, anyone tired of lighter-fluid flavor creeping into their brisket or burgers, and Sam’s Club Plus members looking for a cheap add-on to round out a bigger order. It’s also a smart pickup for new homeowners setting up a backyard grilling station from scratch — at under $6, it’s an easy way to upgrade from matches-and-fluid without much financial commitment.
The free shipping catch: This price is for Members, and free shipping specifically requires a Sam’s Club Plus membership on orders of $50 or more. If you’re a Plus member already stocking up on club-size groceries, snacks, or patio supplies this summer, tossing the chimney starter in to help clear that $50 threshold is a no-brainer. If you’re not hitting $50, or you’re on the base Club membership tier, factor standard shipping costs into whether this still beats picking one up in-store or buying a comparable starter elsewhere — chimney starters typically run $15-$25 at other big-box and hardware retailers, so even with some shipping cost added, $5.91 is still a strong price point.
Caveats: Slickdeals doesn’t list a specific expiration date for this offer, and frontpage deals like this one can sell out or get pulled without much notice, so don’t sit on it if you’re planning a Labor Day cookout or want it in hand before your next grilling weekend. Availability and final pricing are set by Sam’s Club, not Slickdeals, so double-check the price at checkout before you buy.
Bottom line: For under $6, this is a low-risk way to grill smarter this summer — better-lit coals, no lighter-fluid taste, and a pair of gloves thrown in. Just make sure you’re a Plus member and hitting that $50 order minimum if free shipping matters to you.
Check out the full deal thread on Slickdeals for the latest availability and member comments before it’s gone.