Firefox is horrible and this is well-known in the fireworking community; for example:
https://www.amateurpyro.com/forums/topic/13441-firefox/?hl=firefox . Or:
https://www.amateurpyro.com/forums/...thru-to-firefoxs-customer-support/?hl=firefox . It's been well over a decade since they got in trouble and received an injunction against them by the CPSC and ATF for selling all-in-one DIY M80 kits (details at:
https://www.justice.gov/sites/default/files/civil/legacy/2014/01/09/Firefox_injunction_opinion.pdf ), which is the reason they can only sell ridiculously low quantities of common unregulated chems like KNO3 -- 1 pound per year without a BATFE Manufacturer (not User) license! You cannot purchase more than 25 feet of safety fuse/year without an ATF license. Or any paper tube shorter than 10", believe that? Paper tubes are restricted items!!! AP is not restricted, but good luck ever receiving it. Guess they brought it on themselves for restarting bad habits after a previous temporary injunction expired. Now they are under permanent injunction. A message from the CPSC...
Their online "catalog" looks extensive but they seem to keep essentially no stock on hand. They require you to email a copy of your DL or other government ID to do business. Silly additional charges ($3.85 UPS non-hazardous "box charge"/$6-12 UPS hazardous "box charge" whatever that is, in addition to $29 hazmat fee, if appropriate; 3% order processing fee, all before shipping costs are added). And the 3% processing fee is charged on your shipping costs, too! Ordered once from them and learned my lesson quickly. Yup, clearly asked to confirm shipping charge total before completing my order. But no. They billed my credit card immediately. And then after an email and phone call with Diane about an out-of-stock item---complete silence. No confirmation that order was shipped. No tracking number, ever. Diane Purrington, co-owner, stopped answering her phone and stopped responding to emails. Sent several messages to cancel my order but never got a reply. I put a stop on my Visa payment and 2 days later my order shipped (nearly a month since purchase date). Tough luck.
Diane and Gary had a good reputation years ago, I'm told, and I know nothing about them as people--good or bad. But all reports indicate that their business dealings have been nothing but shady since they got busted for selling DIY explosive kits. I have not heard a single positive experience about them in many years, although the complaints and disappointments are numerous. If you need AP or other basic chems, without limits or needing to provide identification, check out Chris at fireworkscookbook.com or Tim at pyrochemsource. Both excellent vendors that I've dealt with many times. You'll have your order within a week maximum. AP's rather pricey right now, but I recall reading that it might begin being produced stateside again in the future, which might drop prices.
Though Firefox supposedly sells igniter kits, they can easily be reproduced at a fraction of the cost from supplies easily obtained from more reputable vendors. Can't discuss formulation specifics on this forum, but my 99% reliable igniters (for either BP or composite motors) cost literally pennies each. The only item they had/have that is difficult to find elsewhere is pure nitrocellulose (only 12% nitration so no ATF license needed--no shipping restrictions) but you can substitute this with Behlens/Mohawk guitar lacquer (Amazon) or any single- or double-base smokeless powder without a problem (latter option cheapest and already contains stabilizers; you want thin flat wafers for shotshells, not hard granular rifle powders--they take forever to dissolve in acetone or MEK).
In the interest of fairness, if anybody has had a positive experience with Firefox within the past year or two, that information deserves to be shared, too.
