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Skip it — not a substitute for a listed extinguisher

Throwable Fire-Extinguishing Balls

Elide (now E FIRE USA) · unbranded marketplace sellers Canada & United States $$ · USD $95–$120 per ball for Elide, per the CPSC

Balls of dry chemical powder that burst when thrown into a fire or engulfed by one. On March 28, 2024 the US Consumer Product Safety Commission warned consumers to immediately stop using Elide-brand balls because they can fail to extinguish fires, with a risk of serious injury or death.

Why we like it

  • Requires no training to deploy
  • Can in principle activate unattended if a fire reaches it
  • No pressure to maintain

Watch out for

  • CPSC warning (March 28, 2024, updated July 17, 2026): Elide balls can fail to extinguish fires; the company did not agree to a recall
  • No aiming, nozzle or controlled discharge; performance depends on where it lands
  • Costs several times as much as a listed multipurpose extinguisher
Best for

Nobody. Spend the money on a listed multipurpose extinguisher and interconnected alarms.

Read the full market guide — costs, install effort and alternatives ↓
Market guide

The whole commitment, end to end

What this actually is, what the market looks like, what it really costs, and how much of your time it wants — before you spend anything.

Buying it Trivial
Installing it Trivial
Living with it Trivial
Up front

USD $95–$120 per ball for Elide, per the CPSC (≈ CAD $130–$165 converted).

Lead time

Online only

Time to install

None

How it works

A shell holds dry chemical powder around a heat-sensitive fuse. When the ball is thrown into flames, or a fire reaches where it sits, the shell ruptures and scatters the powder. There is no nozzle, no aiming and no control over how long or where the agent is discharged, so the outcome depends on the ball landing in the right spot and the fire being small enough for one burst of powder.

Who needs it

No one. They have no code recognition.

Codes, standards and listings

Canada
No Canadian listing, and no Health Canada action that we could find.
United States
No listing. CPSC tested Elide balls against UL 299 and found them lacking a pressure gauge/indicator, locking device, self-closing valve and nozzle; warning issued March 28, 2024, updated July 17, 2026.

What the market looks like

Sold online, notably by Elide through elidefireus.com (now E FIRE USA), and through marketplaces. The CPSC put Elide's price at USD $95–$120 per ball, roughly CAD $130–$165 at ~1.38. The CPSC tested Elide balls against UL 299, the standard for dry-chemical extinguishers, and found they lack a pressure gauge or indicator, a locking device, a self-closing valve and a nozzle. It issued its warning on March 28, 2024 and updated it on July 17, 2026; the company did not agree to a recall. We found no Health Canada notice either way.

Features that actually matter

Heat-activated burst
The ball ruptures when heated. There is no way to direct it once it goes.
Dry chemical powder
The same family of agent as many portable extinguishers, but without any of the hardware that controls discharge.
What is missing
The CPSC found no pressure gauge or indicator, no locking device, no self-closing valve and no nozzle — the features UL 299 expects of a dry-chemical extinguisher.

What it really costs

Up front
USD $95–$120 per ball for Elide, per the CPSC (≈ CAD $130–$165 converted).
Consumables
Single-use.
What else you'll need
None.
Over five years
The purchase price, which would cover a listed multipurpose extinguisher several times over.

Retail prices from public listings, October 2026; CAD where Canadian listings exist, otherwise converted at ~1.38.

How it differs from the alternatives

Versus a listed extinguisher
A UL-listed dry-chemical extinguisher has a gauge, a nozzle and a controlled discharge you can aim and stop. The CPSC found the Elide ball has none of these, and that it can fail to put out fires.
Versus aerosol fire sprays
Neither is a listed extinguisher, but a spray can at least be aimed. The ball cannot.
01

Buying it

Effort Trivial

Where: Online direct (Elide, now E FIRE USA, via elidefireus.com) and online marketplaces. We are not linking to sellers.

Lead time: Online only

We recommend against buying these. If you already own Elide balls, the CPSC told consumers to stop using them immediately.

02

Installing it

Effort Trivial

Time: None

You'll need: None

No installation. Do not rely on one mounted near a stove or panel as fire protection.

03

Living with it

Effort Trivial

Nothing to maintain, and nothing to check: with no gauge you cannot tell whether it is still serviceable.

If not this, then what

  • Listed 2-A:10-B:C (or larger) multipurpose extinguisherCheaper, aimable and tested. The right tool for a home.
  • Interconnected smoke alarmsEarly warning matters more than any extinguisher; most people should get out, not fight the fire.

Caveats

  • CPSC warning (March 28, 2024): stop using Elide balls immediately — they can fail to extinguish fires, with risk of serious injury or death.
  • Elide did not agree to a recall, so units remain in circulation.
  • Other brands sold on marketplaces work the same way; we found no listed product in the category.
Our verdict

Skip it. The CPSC's March 2024 warning says Elide balls can fail to extinguish fires and lack basic extinguisher features, and the company did not agree to a recall. Buy a listed multipurpose extinguisher instead.

We don't take payment for placement and we don't sell these products. If you think we've got something wrong here, tell us — we'll correct it.

Sources

  1. US CPSC — warning on Elide fire-extinguishing balls (March 28, 2024; updated July 17, 2026)

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