In general I agree with you but some here have multiple hobbies and sometimes one of those other hobbies is pyrotechnics (fireworks) If one of your hobbies is fireworks, you make 10's of pounds of BP every year if not more. You know very well how it compares with commercial BP.
Those kits are a rip off. Save half that cost buying the comps individually elsewhere. Their KNO3 and S8 are fine though overpriced, but the charcoal is the worst ever--you would probably get better results using a bag of Cowboy brand lump charcoal from the grill. Even Skylighter says you need to mill the straight BP kits for adequate results, but with that crummy generic hardwood charcoal you'll get mediocre speed BP even with milling. And don't even consider their "red gum BP" kits. They're even more horrible. Those kit-made BPs are entirely inadequate for rocketry, though you can make some pretty fountains with them. It all comes down to the charcoal--free and easy to make your own, though you can purchase hot charcoal for a premium (eastern red cedar, paulownia, alder, willow...). Makes all the world of difference in burn rates.
Dont mess with making it, easy yes....consistently performing the same every time...only with lots of practice.
most companies have a we don't ask you what it's going to be used for and most smart consumers don't volunteer what the use is going to be.....plausible deniability.... aka wink wink nod nod. Just in case you didn't know 4Fg BP is used in the flash pan of a muzzleloader rifle as a primer.
Ehh.... don't. A firecracker is not what you want; those are quite 'brisant' meaning it's more likely to blow a hole in the side of your rocket than to eject the parachute. You want blackpowder, which burns (relatively) slowly and generates lots of gas rather than lots of shock. There are things besides blackpowder which might work, also - crimson powder has been used, for example - but you don't want flash powder - which is what is in firecrackers.
Firecrackers are limited to 50 milligrams of powder, which might be flash powder instead of black powder. Lots of noise, not enough gas. Ground test before flying.
