Austin
When comparing anything to KBB you have to realise you are comparing to the most engineered charcoal on the planet.(well maybe, lets say the most engineered charcoal for backyard cooking) They have worked to make the product easy to use, have maximum amount of surface area,(those imprinted K's) be able to read when it is ready (that additive is for that) and to burn very consistent. They have it down to a science and are still trying to improve the product. It is good stuff, but it also has it's drawbacks, like additives.
Kingsford is not a all wood charcoal, it also contains anthracite coal, added to make the coal burn hotter, Limestone or other mineral to make it turn white when burning, starches to help it bind together and a few other additives used in the processing of the product.
The main ingredient is sawdust that they actually dry to a char, not burn as in the normal process of making charcoal, they make it in a retort.
Once mixed they get the moister content to 35% to press the briquettes and then dry them down to somewhere around 4 % and package.
It is a very stable product to use.
I am not saying that it is everyones choice, as a lot of guys do not like the additives, but it all burns down in the end pretty darn evenly and that is why it is number one in the good ole USA. did no say the best, just the best engineered and numero uno in sales.
Now Coshell is a very green product, made of coconut husk. They say shell but that is misleading as it is actually made from the husk, every coconut has this thick fibrous husk that needs to be removed and the shell is underneath. At any coconut processing plant in the world you will find huge mounds of the husk which now are being turned into charcoal and is a renewable source as compared to chopping down trees. However the husk is fibrous so you will not see lump coshell, it is therefore made into a briquette. and that means adding a starch as a binder, but then starch is natural so they can claim it is a 100% natural product because it does not contain coal or limestone.
that means KBB and Coshell should be of a similar density at the same amount of dryness Kbb may weigh a bit more because of the mineral content.
How hot coconut shell burns as compared to sawdust, I cannot say, but KBB does have a hot burning coal in it.
Do you want to cook over real coal like in KBB? That is up to you
Now lump charcoal is normally made it a retort commercially but beginning product is large pieces of wood or bark that they end up with a product they do not need to grind down to make briquettes from, they just bag the end product, weigh up a cubic foot of lump, and one of briquettes and the lump is lighter, it is not as dense. A lot of people complain about lump burning unevenly because of the multiple sizes it comes in. Others swear by the stuff. I am sure this post will be discussed because of that, I use lump and briquettes, in different paces.