The Best Fire Extinguishers of 2026

Like smoke detectors, fire extinguishers are a vital yet often overlooked aspect of fire safety; they can prevent extensive property damage, and save lives. Fortunately, all fire extinguishers need to comply with strict government regulations and must pass a number of tests before being sold. So there is no single "best," but knowing which one to buy can still be challenging.

So I got my hands on a few of the most commonly recommended fire extinguishers for home use and tried them out. It turns out, one device isn’t really more effective than the others, but some can be more useful than others in specific situations.

For example, the First Alert Tundra Aerosol Spray (available at Walmart) is great for small kitchen fires; the Kidde Pro 210 (available at Home Depot for $54.97) is lightweight and effective at smothering small fires. The Amerex B456 (available at Amazon) is a full-sized, heavy-duty fire extinguisher that could save entire rooms of your home.

How We Tested Fire Extinguishers

The Tester

Hi, my name is Julia MacDougall, one of the scientists here at Reviewed. Recently, I’ve tested products that might be boring to most people—smart thermostats, shredders, and dehumidifiers—so, in that same vein, it’s not surprising that I volunteered to test fire extinguishers. But trying out fire extinguishers is something I already wanted to do: It's a good skill to have while working in a complex lab setting like our building in Cambridge, Mass.

Also, using a fire extinguisher in a non-fire situation was on my bucket list. Check!

The Tests

As we all know, the main purpose of a fire extinguisher is to put out or contain a wide variety of fires that can occur in our homes or workplaces. If I really wanted to put these to the test, I would have set fire to a variety of materials, and gauge how effective these suppression devices actually were. However, between my own desire to stay out of jail and the fact that each of these devices has a UL quality certification, which involves strict testing and regulation by the government, I decided against becoming an arsonist in the name of science.

Instead, I just used the fire extinguishers. Since people have so little contact with these products until they need them, I wanted to get a sense for the type of experience someone would have with each fire suppression device. Under the careful eye of former chief Stewart, I tried out both the fire extinguishers and the other suppression devices in the parking lot outside our building. Passers-by were doubtlessly confused by the clouds of yellow-gray and pinkish dust, but seeing what these devices were like in action was very instructive.

What You Should Know Before You Buy A Fire Extinguisher

What Do The Symbols On A Fire Extinguisher Indicate?

Fire suppression devices are classified using a letter system.

• Class K – cooking oil and grease fires
• Class A – “ordinary combustibles” like wood, paper, cloth, and rubber
• Class B – flammable liquids like oils and gases (does NOT include class K fires like grease and cooking oil fires commonly found in the kitchen)
• Class C – devices with a live electrical current (appliances, computers, etc.)

The average fire extinguisher you see in a home or workplace is an A:B:C fire extinguisher, which means that it’s safe for use on fires of type A, B, and C. Sometimes, there are numbers in front of the “A” and “B” ratings. A number in front of an A type is a powder’s effective equivalency to gallons of water. “2A” translates into 2.5 gallons of water. A number in front of the B rating refers to the estimated square foot of coverage. For example, a 10B:C refers to a fire extinguisher with an amount of agent that could cover 10 square feet. There is no number in front of C ratings; the presence of a C rating merely indicates that it’s safe to use in an environment with live electricity.

What Type Of Fire Extinguisher Should I Buy?

According to former fire chief and certified fire extinguisher instructor Daniel Stewart, it’s best to have a type ABC fire extinguisher at 50-foot intervals to use during a home fire. They should be strategically placed near hazards and along paths of egress so that, if a fire does occur, you have the option to try to combat it, or to exit the building.

In general, fire suppression devices in your home should be listed for type A, B, and C fires, and should have a minimum of five to 10 pounds of powder agent. While these fire extinguishers aren’t the best at fighting common kitchen and grease fires (that’s what a class K fire extinguisher is for), as Stewart says, “A:B:C suppression devices are the easiest to use, and lower the likelihood of someone making a mistake at a crucial moment while fighting a fire.”

When deciding which suppression device is best for you, one of the main factors to consider is if you’re capable of wielding it in a hurry; I tried out each suppression device so that I could make helpful recommendations as to which devices are best for your specific use case.

How Do I Use a Fire Extinguisher

It is recommended that the operator become familiar with the operation of the fire extinguisher through training and the acronym PASS:

• P - pull the pin
• A - aim at the base of the flame
• S - squeeze the trigger
• S - sweep the spray from side to side

In the event of a fire, call 911. If you decide to discharge the fire extinguisher, leave the area after doing so; this will minimize the amount of fire extinguisher dust that you inhale or that gets on your skin. Then wait outside for the fire department, and then give them as much information about the fire as possible.

How Do I Clean Up Fire Extinguisher Powder?

Clean up post-fire extinguisher usage may seem trivial, but if you've ever had to use a fire extinguisher, chances are that you probably have significant property damage, and the task of actually cleaning up all of that dust seems like the rotten cherry on top of the unlucky fire sundae.

The powder and liquid agents in these devices are non-toxic, and can typically be cleaned up with a thorough vacuuming/sweeping/scrubbing. Additionally, any fabrics (like curtains, rugs, bedding, etc.) exposed to the suppression agent should be washed as soon as possible.

One thing to keep in mind: if you look at an ABC fire extinguisher safety data sheet, there are health warnings that pertain to inhaling the powder or getting it in your mucous membranes after you've used the fire extinguisher to subdue the fire. While the chemicals in the fire extinguisher dust are non-toxic, there may be short- and long-term effects of inhaling any type of dust; at least one ABC fire extinguisher safety data sheet refers to "dusty lung" disease (AKA Pneumoconiosis) as a possible result of long-term exposure and inhalation of dust. If you are concerned about dust inhalation after using a fire extinguisher, consider using a professional cleaning/restoration service to thoroughly clean up the areas that were damaged by the fire and/or covered in fire extinguisher dust.

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Other Fire Suppression Devices We Tested

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