Kidde FA110 Review: Basic 110 Extinguisher and the Recall

Kidde FA110G (Basic 110) review: Kidde's specs, Consumer Reports' kitchen pick, the 2017 plastic-handle recall and how to tell a current metal-handle unit.

By Maksud · Published Sep 26, 2026 · Updated Sep 27, 2026

The Kidde FA110G (sold as the Basic 110) is a 2.5 lb disposable dry-chemical extinguisher, UL rated 1-A:10-B:C, and Consumer Reports’ pick for a kitchen extinguisher, per The Kitchn. It’s a good, cheap extinguisher to hang by a kitchen exit. The catch: older plastic-handle FA110G units are on a CPSC recall, so check yours.

This page sits in our kitchen safety devices guide. Everything here comes from Kidde, the CPSC, fire-safety bodies and published reviews; how we research explains the process.

Kidde FA110G specs: 2.5 lb of agent, 8 to 12 seconds of spray

Every performance number below is Kidde’s, because no independent lab has published discharge measurements for the FA110G.

The specs come from Kidde’s data sheet for part 466142MTL. It calls the FA110 a recreational, multipurpose, disposable unit that ships with a plastic strap bracket. It is USCG and DOT approved. Kidde’s product page adds that NFPA 10 still calls for annual external examinations. Kidde’s rating covers Class A, B and C only; it is not a Class K (commercial cooking oil) extinguisher.

Consumer Reports’ kitchen pick, per The Kitchn

Consumer Reports picked the FA110 as the one extinguisher to keep in a kitchen, according to a November 2025 article in The Kitchn. The article explains the 1-A:10-B:C rating. It can do the work of about 1¼ gallons of water on ordinary combustibles, or put out a liquid-fuel fire covering 10 square feet. The gauge and pin sit on opposite sides of the handle, which the article says makes it easier to use.

The Kitchn also says Consumer Reports found the extinguisher types it tried all performed well on small kitchen fires. It gives no numbers for this model. I couldn’t read Consumer Reports’ own page.

That’s the whole independent record I could find. The rest of the coverage restates Kidde’s spec sheet and Amazon star ratings.

Kidde FA110G price: about $20 at Amazon

PriceHistory.app, which tracks Amazon, recorded $19.97 on September 21, 2026, with a range of $13.94 to $35.98 since 2023. At that price, buying a second one for another room is easy to justify.

FA110G owner complaints: units arriving discharged

The main owner complaint is units that arrived already discharged or in damaged boxes, per HomeSafetyDot’s summary of owner reviews, updated July 2026. The summary gives a 4.2 out of 5 average and calls those complaints isolated cases. I couldn’t load Amazon’s or Home Depot’s reviews directly. That is a reason to look at the gauge the day it arrives: Kidde says the gauge is how you tell it’s charged.

The 2017 recall: is your FA110G affected?

On November 2, 2017, Kidde and the CPSC recalled about 37.8 million plastic-handle and push-button extinguishers in the U.S. (recall 18-022). Per the CPSC notice, the extinguishers could clog or need excessive force to discharge, and the nozzle could detach with enough force to be an impact hazard.

The CPSC reported about 391 reports of failed or limited activation or nozzle detachment. It also reported about 16 injuries and about 91 reports of property damage. In a 2014 death, responders couldn’t get recalled extinguishers to work at a car fire.

The CPSC’s table lists FA110G among the plastic-handle models with date codes from January 2, 2012 through August 15, 2017. Here’s how to check yours, using the CPSC notice and Kidde’s own recall ID guide:

1. Look at the handle and pull pin. Kidde says extinguishers with a metal handle and metal pull pin, in any style, are not affected. Recalled plastic-handle units have a straight plastic handle and a vertical pull pin. Kidde’s current data sheet (part 466142MTL) lists an aluminum and steel valve and handle; check the handle on the unit you receive.
2. If the handle is plastic, find the date code. The CPSC says units made from 2007 on carry a 10-digit date code printed on the side of the cylinder, near the bottom.
3. Read digits five through nine. They give the day of the year and the year, as DDDYY. The recalled range is 00212 through 22717. For example, 15216 means the 152nd day of 2016, inside the window.
4. If it’s affected, stop relying on it. The remedy is a free replacement. The CPSC notice now gives Kidde’s number as 800-880-6788. Kidde’s recall ID guide lists 855-271-0773, the number in CPSC’s original 2017 notice, plus a registration link. Both are official, so either should reach Kidde. Kidde still lists the recall on its product alerts page.

Kidde designs these to last 12 years, so recalled units made up to 2017 can still be hanging in kitchens in 2026. Before the recall, QRFS notes, America’s Test Kitchen had named the FA110G its top kitchen-safety pick, which is one reason so many are out there.

When to use the FA110G, and when to get out

An extinguisher is a tool for a small fire when you have a clear way out. NFPA found that from 2017 to 2021, more than half of non-fatal home cooking-fire injuries happened when people tried to control the fire themselves (NFPA, Home Cooking Fires, 2023).

NFPA’s cooking safety tip sheet says you can smother a small stovetop fire by sliding a lid over the pan and turning off the burner. If you have any doubt about fighting a small fire, it says to get out, close the door behind you and call 9-1-1 from outside. The U.S. Fire Administration adds: stand by your pan, and if you leave the kitchen, turn the burner off (USFA).

Hang it near the kitchen exit, not behind the stove, so you reach for it on your way out rather than toward the fire.

Who the Kidde FA110G suits (and who should skip it)

Buy it if you want a UL-rated, inexpensive extinguisher for a kitchen or apartment and you’ll check the gauge now and then. Skip a secondhand or old one unless you can confirm the handle or date code is outside the recall.

It only helps if someone is there. If the worry is a stove left on in an empty kitchen, see the iGuard stove shut-off review or the StoveTop FireStop review, which are designed to act with nobody in the room.

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