4/5/6" consumer shell size gimmicks

[tustinfarm]

Given the 60g content limit in consumer shells, am I missing anything for concluding that all the hype about the "extra large" 5 & 6 inch shells is just that, pure marketing hype? Last time I bought a box of the 5 inch shells, when I checked there was just an extra inch of empty tube present, compare to the standard "maximum load" shells. Makes me think of the "M-1000" crackers (with the legal limit of 50mg flash)...just a mostly empty tube with heavy clay plugs on both ends.

[MontanaMike]

You've pretty much got it.

It is kind of impressive, however, to see what they are getting out of that 60g limit. I saw a video of some four-break shells that looked pretty good.

[BMoore]

It’s a gimmick, but the first 5” were being marketed as true 60g shells. I believe they were the Black Widow shells and they were weighing in at exactly 60g per shell. So the 5” was a marketing ploy to advertise the biggest shell, but in terms of average weight it was accurate. It didn’t take long for everyone to jump on the 5” bandwagon. It’s not really fraud though as some of the best consumer shells do come in that 5” - 6” can category. As with any firework there isn’t much correlation between size and performance. Besides, real pyros know shells are measured by diameter, not length!