Pro Talk: Story of the Black Widow

We’re going to stray a little from learning today to tell you a story. What makes us different than your average firework store, is that we have our very own brand of products. The RGS Brand stands for The Really Good Stuff, because it has always been our goal to sell high quality products at unbeatable prices. The reason we can do so, is because we work directly with the firework factories, buy directly from them, and import the product ourselves. With no middle-men to pay, we can be much more aggressive on our pricing. This also allows us to focus on providing superior quality items for the same price you would pay for sub-par product at other firework stores.

On one of our many trips to China, artillery shells were a priority item for us to develop. We knew of other popular shells selling on the market, and we wanted to create our own superior quality version. When we go on these trips, we demo a lot of product. We have one particular factory we work closely with, and we shoot our demos with them. On one demo night we see a canister shell that literally “blew our socks off”. Upon investigation, we determined the shell was made of a large amount of aluminum powder that made the break loud and bright. Surprisingly though, the total powder weight in the shell was only 45 grams. The maximum weight allowed for a shell in the USA is 60 grams, so why not make the shell with the full 60 grams of powder? All the current shells on the market were advertised as 60 gram shells, but in fact were all less than 50 grams.

That my friends, was the moment the Black Widow™ shell was born. After much discussion (Chinese to English – very fun!) it was determined in order to get 60 grams of powder in the shell, the shell had to be made larger. In making a larger shell, the tubes that lift the shells also had to be made stronger and heavier. The combination of the larger shell, stronger tube and solid wood base, made for a better sounding launch, a higher lift of the shell and the largest, most colorful break of any shell currently on the market. We estimate the Black Widow™ shell rises on average 20 feet higher and is 20% brighter than most other imitation shells. It stands an inch taller and has 20% more composition, allowing for more stars to create fuller breaks. Every 24-pack of Black Widow™ shells contains four fiberglass tubes that will withstand the demands of the Widow Shells like no other tube will.

In another blog, we’re going to be explaining how we make our own artillery racks, so make sure you subscribe and follow along as we continue our Pro Talks!