I live in Georgia and coke is hard to come by for a reasonable price. I have to order it from somewhere like Centaur Forge for $63 per bag. I am new to forging and have been using charcoal with some success, but would like to give coke or coal a try. Is it worth the cost, or should I stick with lump charcoal at $25 per bag?

$25 a bag for lump charcoal is pretty steep. If you have a Home Depot near you their Royal Oak is $12.97 a bag Walmart has it for $13 a 20 lb bag. I found it for $6.00 a bag on sale and bought all my store had.

I have been using Cowboy Brand from Ace. Works well for railroad spikes but it takes a lot of it to heat larger and harder pieces of metal. If I could get it for $12 per bag would it be more economical and effective than coke?

I’m a big fan of coke. I prefer it over coal. Never tried charcoal though. 

I think the idea of charcoal is that you can make your own out of scrap wood and it's historically the blacksmith fuel that's been the longest in use.