I always burned my fingers on the bias bars and ended up giving them away. If you use those, I recommend purchasing the plastic ones as they are less likely to burn your fingers than the metal ones.
When I want bias strips for applique purposes, I use the Clover bias tape makers. I heavily starch the fabric before cutting bias strips, taper one edge so it easily slips into the bias tape gadjet, then use my iron on the fabric as it comes out of the bias tape maker. Very fast and very easy. There are some Youtube videos that demonstrate how to do this. I have tried other brands of bias tape makers, but the Clover brand are the best ones and they are color-coded for size. Here is a link to a complete set on Amazon, although you can also buy them separately:
http://www.amazon.com/Clover-Bias-Ma...dp/B00579GQ7U/