Best esbit stove

gram cracker with caldera cone and sul 1100 pot for 2 people.
This summer in the Winds I averaged slightly less than 2 cubes per 1.1 liter of water boiled.

BPL has only 2 Esbit Stoves, one is the titanium wing stove which is out of stock, and the other is a beer can set suited for solo cooking.

However like David said, you can use Caldera cones for Esbit tabs too.

I know, I was bummed when I saw that the titanium wing stove was out of stock!

-Evan

I got a Tibetan esbit wing stove from:

http://www.lighthound.com/Tibetan-Titanium-Solid-Fuel-Stove_p_68-2582.html

Seems to be about the same as the one sold here. Weighs .5 oz on my scale. I just got it and haven't tested it. I don't anticipate any problems with it. It is well constructed and is very stable with my SP600 mug on it. And Esbit fule tabs should perform as expected.

Hi Daniel, that's a very nice little stove and at a good price. BTW, you might know this already, but I just found out that Coghlan's tabls are even cheaper than Esbit tabs.

How do solid fuel stoves perform in winter?

I have a good winter stove with power to melt enough snow (Exponent Extreme), but curious as to how solid fuel stoves work in winter.

Solid fuel stoves are pretty much immune to the cold temperature problems that plague canister stoves — you'll be able to get a reliable burn.

But…

They have a low flame velocity and so are susceptible to wind, which is especially important in a blizzard. So, site selection and windscreen design are critical.

And,

Solid Fuel stoves don't have a very high heat power output. So, snow…melting…is…extremely…slow.

If you have liquid water available, a solid fuel stove can be great for boiling small quantities of water for rehydrating meals and hot drinks. But, for snow melting my choice would be a liquid-feed canister stove.

Cheers,

-Mike M

> I have a good winter stove with power to melt enough snow (Exponent Extreme)

I would categorise the Xtreme as the Gold Standard of winter canister stoves.

Cheers

EJ

Thanks for the tip on the Coghlan's tabs. I haven't used solid fuel tabs in 12-15 years and I thought I'd give it a go.

I also saw a recepie to make fule on the zen stoves

At the very bottom of:
http://zenstoves.net/SolidFuelBurner.htm

Has anyone tried this?

Plus, CORRECTION on the Tibetan stove weight, it is .35 OZ on the scale.

The wing stove is good for a solo-sized cup. The steel version is hardly a brick, just not as elegant as the Ti version. I really like it for a day hiking stove to make a little soup or a hot drink.

The original Esbit folding stove works well with a foil windscreen and you can stow tablets in it when folded. IMHO, the folding stove has the optimal flame height and can hold more than one tablet at a time. Too bad there isn't a lighter version. IIRC, they are only about 3oz, so they won't tip your pack over.

Seeing that you need a windscreen anyway, you can make your own Esbit stove with a piece of 4" aluminum flashing, two aluminum gutter spikes or tent stakes, a couple paper clips and a small cat food can. You cut the flashing to give 1/2" clearance when rolled around your pot. The paper clips hold the flashing in a circle. Use a paper punch to make holes for the gutter spikes to form a pot stand, with the spikes sitting parallel under the pot. The upended cat food can forms the fuel platform. I don't have the measurement handy, but I would space the top of the cat food can and the bottom of the pot to equal the spacing on the folding Esbit stove. I punch a couple rows of air vents in half the perimeter near the bottom, allowing positioning in the wind if needed. Add some foil under the whole assembly to reflect heat. I have a pot with handles and cut a slot to suit. This makes a hot, stable stove that fits in your pot and gives you a couple spare tent pegs. It incorporates the wind screen and pot stand in one unit like the cone stoves. It is cheap and sustainable too. All you need for tools are a single hole paper punch and a pair of utility scissors. If you have a pop rivet tool, you can make a permanent assembly and carry it with your pot inside.

Has anyone tried the ESBIT brand Ti wing stove? It looks the same as the ones that were formerly sold here on BPL. I’m wondering if it’s any good.

HJ
Adventures In Stoving

I reported on my new arrangement last week. Snow Peak bowl (1.8oz), Esbit wing stove (0.5oz), and a couple of bits of aluminum foil.

–B.G.–

The only difference I see is one says Esbit on it.

The only difference I see is one says Esbit on it.

Yeah, that was my read on it.

HJ
Adventures In Stoving

I really like my Esbit 585HA cook set it is combo stove/windscreen with a 16oz. pot/lid combo that I have 8oz. plastic cup and cut down spoon that fit in the provided sack That weighs 7oz. I also like that my sea to summit collapsable silicone bowl that fit on top of it in one neat kit.

The stove/wind screen with nesting pot cook great and is very efficient for boiling water for meal bags and tea.I like I don't have to haul around a separate wind screen.
http://esbit.net/product-detail/items/CS585HA-hard-anodized-aluminiium-585ml-cookset.html

Terry

Hey, Terry,

Does that set up have decent wind protection? It looks pretty open.

HJ
Adventures In Stoving

Jim asked "Has anyone tried the ESBIT brand Ti wing stove? It looks the same as the ones that were formerly sold here on BPL. I'm wondering if it's any good."

I have the one marketed by Wetfire. It looks pretty much the same but it has some dimples in the legs that make them more resistant to bending. I carry it with a 400ml Ti mug, a windscreen made from aluminum flashing, a turkey roster pan lid and a folding Ti spork (or my new folding anodized aluminum spoon). That gives me a solo kitchen for 3.7oz. I think a setup like this is best for a little hot water for coffee, tea, instant oatmeal and soups— great for a minimalist overnighter or a hot drink on a cold day hike. When I want to *cook*, the canister stove comes out.

All these wing stoves need to be watched for stability with small cups and pots: the smooth metal surfaces are slippery. I don't think any of the wing stoves are at optimum distances for an Esbit cube, using the folding military version as a gauge they are a little low. The steel wing stoves are about the same height.

Looks like a nice UL set up.

My Ti-Wing stove has little serrations on the tips of the pot supports. I looks like yours does too, yes? Mine don’t do too much to stop the slide of a mug though.

HJ
Adventures In Stoving

"little serrations"

With a hacksaw, you can sharpen those up a little so that they will bite the cook pot better.

–B.G.–

Bob wrote:

"…."little serrations"

With a hacksaw, you can sharpen those up a little so that they will bite the cook pot better.

–B.G.–"

They are more like waves than serrations. I like using a triangle ceramic knife sharpener for light metal tweaking. A Dremel tool would be good too. I just tried it and it is a definite improvement.

"I just tried it and it is a definite improvement."

I would not have suggested it unless I had already tested it myself.

A Dremel tool can be very handy, but I had already given my Dremel tool a real workout on another titanium item last week. Geez, that is hard stuff.

–B.G.–

They are more like waves than serrations.

Agreed. They’re not particularly grippy or anything. Kinda smooth.

HJ
Adventures In Stoving

Jim,
The stove works great in wind I just face the large opening that you put the esbit cube in away from the wind or I sit in front of it. It's a nice little compact kit. One plus because of the elevated legs clean design it allows a more efficient burn of the esbit cube. Also you can set it on a picnic bench at the beach campground and boil some water for tea, No one is the wise of what your doing. I was lucky I bought mine on sale at sierra trading post.
Terry

Interesting. How much water can you boil on one ESBIT cube?

HJ
Adventures In Stoving

We have the Wetfire version of the Ti stove. From what I can see it is identical. Wetfire is an interesting fuel but burns dirtier than Esbit. I always recommend that people also buy a pack of Esbit with the Wetfire stove. The stoves are $17ish with one wetfire piece.
As far as how much you can boil. It has a ton to do with how well shielded the flame is and how wide the pot is. With a single cube you might be okay with 2 cups of water. But if there is 3 cubes side by side you will get a bigger flame – more btus – ego capable of boiling more water.

For argument sake, the Vargo Triad holds more Esbit and will also hold alcohol. But weighs an unimaginable 20g more.