How to choose Diwali crackers

Start with who will be bursting them

Before looking at prices, think about the people. Young children enjoy crackers they can hold or watch up close. Teens and adults want the aerial ones. Elders, babies and pets usually prefer the quieter end of the range. Most families need a little of each, so plan the mix around who is home.

Crackers for young children

These stay close to the ground or in the hand, give a lot of light and very little bang. Children should always use them with an adult beside them.

• Sparklers: hand-held wires that burn with bright sparks. The classic first cracker.
• Flower pots (anar): placed on the ground, they throw up a fountain of sparks.
• Ground chakkars: spin on the floor in a ring of colour.
• Pencils and twinkling stars: hand-held sticks that give coloured or twinkling sparks.

• Sparklers
• Flower Pots
• Ground Chakkar
• Pencils
• Twinkling Star

For teens and adults: the sky

Rockets, comets and fancy aerial shots climb into the sky before they burst, so they are the big moment of the night. They need open ground with clear sky above, away from balconies, trees and wires, and an adult should light them.

• Rockets
• Comets
• Fancy

Loud crackers: bombs and garlands

Atom bombs, Lakshmi bombs, chorsa and garlands (walas) are about the bang rather than the light. Keep them well away from small children, elders and pets, and check whether your apartment or society allows them before you buy.

• Atom Bombs
• Laxmi Bombs
• Chorsa
• Garlands

If you live in an apartment or gated community

Shared spaces work best with ground and hand-held crackers: flower pots, chakkars, sparklers and pencils. Aerial crackers need a wide open area with nothing overhead. Most societies set aside an area and timings for Diwali, so ask your association before the day.

Set a budget and build a mix

A simple way to split a budget: spend most of it on ground and hand-held crackers, which the whole family enjoys together and which last through the evening, and keep a smaller share for a few aerial shots to end the night.

If you would rather not work it out yourself, Build my pack suggests an assorted mix for your budget and family, and you can change anything in it before you send it. Prices on the site are indicative; we confirm the final amount when we call you.

Buy early and store them safely

The best choice is available early, and stock gets tight in the last week before Diwali. Once your crackers arrive, keep the boxes somewhere cool and dry, away from the kitchen, puja lamps and direct sun, and out of children's reach. Do not leave them in a parked car.