"Ulysses" wrote
I missed most of this thread but I make candles as a home hobby which is also useful come storm season here. Note: Most of this below is not for homes with young children or curious cats.
Votives by design (along with tea lights which come in little metal cups) give off minimal light. Tea lights especially do not burn long and I have little use for them.
Votives in a strong (will not melt) glass can be useful as night lights when you are without power. Set them in the container then set the container in a small bakeable dish like a cassolet (just incase the container breaks which can happen). I have an old pyrex measuring cup where all the measures came off a long time ago, that gets used here. It sits in a bakeable cassolet. (I may be spelling it wrong, a cassolet is a small cassarole dish, more common to french cookery and makes a single serving).
Pillar candles with a thick wick (I use braided square cored wicks) which are 6 inches tall and 3 wide (may be double wicked meaning 2 of them about 1 inch apart) are best for light if not using an oil lamp. Always set these in a dish capable of holding the entire candle worth of melted wax and set that on something heat resistant (such as a dinner plate). I have several smallish colorful stone bowls and other bakeable but pretty dishes for this.
Taper candles are ok too but set the holder on a plate big enough to hold all the drips.
Many of those cute 'against the wall' sconches are actually too close to the wall to be used without fire hazard. I am told 6 inches away is the minimum and it sounds right. This may vary with an oil lamp as some types are meant to be mounted and have a flame resistant heat backer on the wall side which also reflects light back to the room. Even the oil lamp types I am thinking of, give a 4-5 inch from the wall clearance.
I've never had an oil lamp leak, but we keep them on a plate too just incase (or in a cassarole dish).