Emberlit Wood stove vs everything else

[Devon Cloud]

Hello! I am new to the forum, so forgive me if this has been discussed and I just could not find the thread.

I know there are a lot of people who think that there are lighter wood burning kits out there than The emberlit TI at 5.45 ounces (they now even make a smaller version naemed the EL that is 4.1 ounces) but I am not seeing anyone talk about this stove and I personally think it is the best thing since sliced bread. Here is one discussion between the emberlit vs the littlebug Jr:
http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/forums/thread_display.html?forum_thread_id=57313&disable_pagination=1

The best feature of the emberlit stove that I have seen is the one that no one hit on in this review, which is the side- feeder hole. With the Littlebug Jr you feed from the top which means a whole lot of processing of your wood to make it be small enough to fit in the two inch opening width-wise while being short enought to completely fit in your small stove. With the Emberlit, you do not have to worry about this very much at all… you start the fire with small sticks, then after that you can fit a relatively big stick with a couple of smaller ones around it (to almost equal the size of the feeder hole)but much longer than can fit into the stove. Instead of working so hard at processing all that wood for the littlebug Jr, you just push the longer sticks in the feeder hole as necessary. THis also gives you control of how much heat you are getting so you can even simmer food. With all of that comfort, it seems to be that the emberlit is the clear winner over the Littlebug Jr and other heat sources such as alcohol stoves, especially for more than one person.
Concerning alcohol stoves, I am not sure about the weights of those stoves vs the emberlit but it seems it would be comparable when you take into account the weight of the alcohol needed and the weight added due to carrying it. The emberlit will also work in gusty conditions and will still focus the heat to your pot.

With boil times around 5 minutes, this seems like a very viable option for cooking that can cook good meals adding much more comfort to your trip for very little weight. Since I am new to trying to go the UL route, Can I get your opinions on the subject?

[Robert Kelly]

You can go to QiWiz.net and draw your own conclusions about how the FireFly stove stacks up against the Emberlit. The Emberlit stoves are nice and get positive reviews. I don't have one myself, but I am very familiar with both the original, the ti version, and the mini. The BushBuddy stoves are also very popular with BPL'ers.

The Firefly is lighter (2.2 oz) but not tiny, has a FlexPort option for side port stick feeding (that can be closed when you want a quick chimney burn), and has a MultiFuel option so that you can use an alcohol or Esbit burner with good wind protection around the stove and pot. Even carrying the entire MultiFuel kit with you, the FireFly is still lighter than even the Emberlit mini.

Just sayin' – Can you dig it?

[Stephen Barber]

I have both the Emberlit and the Firefly, and prefer the Firefly. It's lighter, burns well, and is more flexible in fuel burnt. I have the flexport model, and like it alot.

[Devon Cloud]

okay, thank you.. that looks to be about the same exact design almost at half the weight. I like it… I guess I do have one question is the metal mesh bottom… After using this stove a bit have you noticed any degradation in that piece of it or does it hold up fine (I am just wondering if that piece will not hold up very long as it seems a bit flimsy in the pics but that can be decieving)

[K C]

I prefer my Ikea cutlery caddy wood stove. At less than 4oz and $4.00 and my snowpeak 900 fits right inside. Can that be beat?

[Robert Kelly]

The mesh floor is welded stainless steel mesh. Not gonna rust, not gonna melt, should last and last. Would not expect floor durability to be an issue at all, though the FireFly stove has only been available for a couple months, I guess we'll have to wait and see. If you want, you can get a notched titanium floor as an option, but this is really just an option if you want to reduce bottom ventilation when using the FlexPort rather than because you need increased durability. The FireFly will take all the heat you/it can dish out, even a charcoal fire to grill a steak. See the nice steak Medicine Man cooked up last night: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xIyYAUU-Kzw&sns=em

Now we're cooking!

[Corey Miller]

Right there with ya Kaleb, I love my little home made ikea stove. Mine cost $12 but that's because I don't live by an ikea. Can't beat the weight for the price!

Cheers

[Devon Cloud]

Just ordered the firefly… why not, I guess I will have two wood burning stoves (also bought the other burners for it too in case I want to move into that route).. thank you all for posting. I figure two stoves would not be that bad anyway in case I have a bigger group of guys and could use two pots on the fire at the same time.

[Robert Kelly]

Devon – just need to know your pot size (diameter and height) for windscreen.

[Dan Yeruski]

There is one more good wood burning stove out there;-) It's a well kept secret but time to let a few more folks know about it. It's a one piece stove that folds flat. Collects very little soot or creosote by the nature of the stainless steel mesh material that it's made of.

The Woodgaz UL pocket folded size= 3.5" x 5" x .5" It weighs 3.9 oz.

One load of wood stacked verticle and top lit will boil 4 cups of water.

Watch the videos:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BA_sdeDmkv8&feature=player_embedded

[Brad Abrahams]

I'm about to try this one which burns wood, alcohol, and esbit. Will report back.

http://www.backpackinglight.co.uk/product577.asp?PageID=118

[BER —]

I've not tried Robert's Firefly stove, though it looks good and I am acquainted with a couple people on HF that give it good reviews. I am a fan of the Emberlit and have both the original Ti and mini versions. Both work very well, but of the two I prefer the EL-mini. I have rigged my EL-mini to work with a MBD mini-atomic or esbit using a 10g Ti stand. Works well with both fuels. I previously has a BB Ultra, which I have sold since receiving the Emberlit. If I had known about the Firefly (with flex port) before I bought the EL-mini, I probably would have tried it instead. But the small weight differential, sadly, does not justify $80 (with desired options) for another wood stove. :(

Stephen, you said the firefly is "more flexible in fuel burnt.". I am curious what you mean by that.

[Stephen Barber]

"Stephen, you said the firefly is "more flexible in fuel burnt.". I am curious what you mean by that."

With wood, you can burn feeding from the top or the side. You can burn alcohol, you can burn esbit. So you've got three (and a half?) options on fuel.

The Emberlit (as when I got it) only burns wood from the side. Alcohol and esbit could be done, but it's not sold that way – you'd have to rig it yourself.

[Devon Cloud]

Hello Robert! Sorry I got back to you so late…. I am betting you could not get it out last night due to my lack of response, which is no big deal, I don't need it right away. I love your quick response time though! Looking forward to getting the stove.

In terms of the Ikea DIY stove, I gotta say that is pure genius (mixed with a little luck that pot fits right inside of it, that means no extra volume in your pack wasted!).

From looking at the different designs that have been tried on that, a couple of them have open sides cut out of them which I am guessing would result in a loss of heat delivered to your pan but great design!

[Devon Cloud]

Stephen, what he meant was that you can buy an optional esbit or alcohol stove and attachments to use with the stove that you could use in lieu of wood (and also putting the fuel source at the optimal height to your pan). It even has a wind shield that is wrapped around the devise to ensure optimal heating. All very light.

Robert, not sure if you want to display the numbers, but if you dont… only using 4 of the 5 sides and the attachments for the alcohol stove, what is the total weight of the stove?

[Robert Kelly]

Devon, the FlexPort configuration of the FireFly weighs 2.3 oz. I sent your stove out this morning BTW. You have a relatively big pot (1.3 L Evernew), so a bigger windscreen. I'm gonna guess its gonna be about 1.25 oz for your MultiFuel Kit. The one I have for the 900 ml squat Evernew is just shy of an ounce (28 g).

So with your pot in alcohol burning mode (windscreen, support wires, alcohol burner) with a FlexPort configured FireFly the total should be 3.5-3.6 oz.

[BER —]

Stephen said:

"With wood, you can burn feeding from the top or the side. You can burn alcohol, you can burn esbit. So you've got three (and a half?) options on fuel.

The Emberlit (as when I got it) only burns wood from the side. Alcohol and esbit could be done, but it's not sold that way – you'd have to rig it yourself."

I know I'm quibbling, and really not trying to start a fight, but just like the Firefly, the Emberlit burns wood from the side, and burns from the top (albeit you have to lift your pot, but why bother when you can burn from the side). It also burns well with alcohol and burns esbit just fine. Yes, I bought a MBD mini-atomic separately and flip it over to burn esbit. AND I bought a Ti stand from Zia-Grill-Guy (though in truth a rock or something similar would also work).

I'm not sure I see that as much different than having to buy the additional alcohol burner, additional esbit burner and hanging stand from Robert. I will grant you that it may be slightly more convenient as you can get it all from one vendor. But from a functional standpoint, I don't see your point. Both setups require "extras".

Sorry for splitting hairs.

And don't get me wrong. Like I said, if I hadn't already bought an EL-mini, I probably would try a Firefly (if for nothing else some variation as I already had a standard EL-UL)…though I still would have rigged the Firefly to use my mini-atomic and stand as I already had these on hand.

[Dan Yeruski]

My choice would be the Firefly over the Emberlit.

First choice would be the Woodgaz Folding Stove. I like it!!! ;-)

Ok!!! I'll add a side port for adding fuel from the side as I'm working on a batch of stoves right now. I'm easy going!! Service with a smile :-)

Another feature is the Companion burner that is being widley used with wood burning stoves as featured in one of shugs videos. Holds 3 ounces of fuel suspended think safety feature. Turn the burner upside down and use esbit.

I mentioned it's a one piece stove and folds flat.

[BER —]

Dan said:

"My choice would be the Firefly over the Emberlit.
First choice would be the Woodgaz Folding Stove. I like it!!! ;-)"

(chuckling) Not that you or Robert (or Mikhail) would be biased in any way right? :)
Dan, as a stove designer yourself, what is the basis for your first statement? Weight alone or something else?

[Devon Cloud]

Dan, I reviewed your design and like the others it works, although it seems your boil times are not so good, especially in wind. That being sad however, There is something to be admired for a slower burning stove.. not everything (in fact most everything other than water, pasta or coffee) should come to a rolling boil in less than five minutes.

That is one thing that I don't see talked about much with any of these stoves is if they work with a slow burn for simmering. I know that a lot of UL's out there are looking for quick… but for me, slowing down for a good dinner increases my enjoyment tenfold on a trip.

Since I have the emberlit I am experimenting on closing off breather holes to see if I can slow burn and have some good success adding aluminum foil to a few of the holes but I am going to test if I can just stick sticks some of the holes to get the same effect without having to handle the hot stove so much.

For the Firebug, I think using the titanium plate on the bottom plus closing the feeder hole with the swing door shut as much as possible over the top of the sticks may work to do the same thing and slow the burn down. When I get the stove I will test both out to see.

[Robert Kelly]

Just kidding ; )

There are some great stove choices out there, and the best one for one person is not necessarily the best one for someone else. Issues of weight, materials, complexity, cost, fuel options, ease of use, boil times, ease of getting into your pack, matching up with a cook pot – all and more are worth considering and factoring in to your decision.

Some responses to some of the ideas in posts above this one that relate to the FireFly: If you just want to quickly boil a couple cups of water, a straight chimney fire is all you need. So if this is all you usually do, no need for the Port options. If, on the other hand, you like to make a longer burn (say for slow-cooked stew, melting snow, or just to enjoy the ambience of a small fire in camp) then a Port option makes this easier than feeding in twigs from the top of the stove over a longer period of time. If you do some of both types of cooking/burning, a FlexPort option lets you choose a chimney burn OR feeding bigger caliber sticks through a Port with almost no weight penalty. The FireFly I put in my pack has a FlexPort side, because I want to have both options available.

The FlexPort and the really light weight are the two most unique FireFly options and features, IMO. I have to give Steve Barber the credit for getting me to think about a Port at all. Thanks grampa!

You can use a Companion stove or Mini Atomic, or just about any alcohol or Esbit stove you might already have in the FireFly if you like them. No need to get my MultiFuel Kit. If you want one of my windscreens, there's probably a way to add that as well to your setup.

You can simmer in a FireFly. It takes some practice with fire management, and is most easily done when using an open FlexPort or FuelPort, since you can quickly adjust temperature by moving wood out or in through the Port.

[brent driggers]

Any woodstove will be very inefficient in wind without some kind of windscreen. There is no static pressure and even a slight breeze can take the flame off the bottom of your pot.

edit:
Packing flat is a nice feature. As well as being "one piece".

Coals are the original simmering tool arent they? Woodstoves are great for simmering and baking after most of the fuel is gone. It just takes practice.

[BER —]

Robert,

By no means am I trying to "kindle" (nudge, nudge, get it? ;) a wood stove war. I think all of the stoves mentioned have merits. I just like asking the question "why". If someone wants to opine that one is better than another, I would just like to know specifically what makes them hold that opinion. An opinion without the rationale behind it is of little use.

Brent,

I hadn't seen your Firemug/Holey Grail stove before. Nice.
Agree with the statement re: windscreens.

[chris markley]

How would the emberlit and firefly compare to my wonderful caldera cone ti tri with the inferno woodburning insert?

[Robert Kelly]

"do or do not, there is no tri" (yoda)

I really like the Ti Tri stoves; I have two of them in fact. One for a big pot when cooking for 2-3 people, and one for a solo pot. But where they really shine is in alcohol and Esbit fuel use. Not so good as a woodburner IMO, and ill tell you why in a minute. First the good: good that you can use wood fuel as a backup, and I have needed to do that and appreciated the flexibility (you do not BTW need the Inferno insert to do this, but I have used the two-piece ti floor you can get from TD instead as a ground shield). But the bad: you end up with your cone, a large surface area, covered with soot, and because you roll it up to store it, I have found it difficult not to get soot on stuff – hands, caddy, fuel bottle stored in the caddy, etc. I'm sure there are ways to minimize this, but I find it annoying enough that I would never PLAN to use a Ti Tri as a wood burner, just as a backup plan if I run out of my primary fuel. However, if I am planning to use alcohol or Esbit as my primary fuel, the Ti Tri is what I put in my pack. I would typically do this if I expect foul weather or I'm above tree line or a fire ban exists, etc.

The FireFly is a more desirable wood burner than the Ti Tri IMO. More concentrated burn, more complete burn, FlexPort side feed option, much less soot more easily avoided. It's not as good as an Esbit or alcohol stove as the Ti Tri. So I use it when I'm expecting to burn wood as my primary fuel, and I would personally use Esbit as a backup if I thought I might need another fuel option.

So in my gear closet, these are actually the only types of stoves I use. If I went above tree line in winter and needed to melt snow, I do have a white gas stove that I would pull out of mothballs (MSR Simmerlite).

Your opinions may vary. I'm sure this discussion could go on a long time. ; )

[Author]

Posts