Caldera Cones and FL550

[Ryan Krause]

I see the Caldera cones are up on backpackinglight's store now – does the firelight 550 handle heat up on the pot with use? Does it come with something to store the cone in to protect it or do I need to get something separate (and if so, what?)

[Richard Nelridge]

Hi Ryan,

First of all, according to Trail Designs though the FL550 will fit the Caldera Cone for the FL500 it is not optimized and will have about 15% less efficiency. Trail Designs suggests the usage of the slightly larger Caldera Cone for the Brasslite 600 Mug. When I ordered my Brasslite 600 Mug Caldera Cone it did not come with a Solo Cup, but I ordered mine from Antigravity Gear along with a specially adapted Caldera Kitchen which George made for me.

Rich

[CW]

Surely BPL isn't selling the wrong cone for the 550? AGG clearly lists seperate models on their site for the 500 and 550 and their UL versions.

[Richard Nelridge]

Hi Chris,

When I spoke with George at Antigravity Gear to begin with after I received my FireLite 550 George said to wait on ordering a cone until Rand at Trail Designs checked his burn results with the different cones. When I saw the new listing on the Trail Designs site, I called George at Antigravity Gear. As I recall, George indicated that Rand at Trail Designs determined that though the FireLite 550 would fit the cone for the FireLite 500 it would perform at a reduced efficiency of about 15%. George further indicated that it was determined that the BPL FireLite 550 was basically the same size as the Brasslite 600 Mug. George also stated that that Trail Designs tests of the FireLite 550 performs at its optimum with that particular cone (one for the Brasslite 600).

Prior to speaking with George I had spoken with Addie at BPL either right before or after I had received my FireLite 550 (which was when we were figuring out why there were 2 versions of the pot). Addie had told me that BPL had FireLite 500 Caldera Cones. When I spoke with George when I ordered my Cone I told him that Addie at BPL had indicated that they had Calera Cones for the FireLite 500. George indicated that he was not sure if BPL was obtaining cones for testing or sale.

So, since BPL is now selling cones for the BPL FireLite 500/550 I suspect that they have the one for the original FireLite 500. They only list a single part number. If they have the larger cone (for the Brasslite 600) then it will not perform optimally for the FireLite 500.

It would be best if BPL decided to carry both cones- the proper one for the FireLite 500 and the one for the FireLite 550.

At this point it might be a good idea to put a call into Addie. But I suspect that what I have said initially is correct.

Rich

[Richard Nelridge]

Deleted Double Post.

[CW]

Guess I'll have to put in a call first thing tomorrow to check before my order gets shipped out.

[Richard Nelridge]

Hi Chris,

If BPL does not have the right cone for the FireLite 550, though it may cost a little more, you can order it from Antigravity Gear. George will take care of you.

Rich

[Steven Evans]

Dang…I already orderd mine last week (for my FL550)- wish I was paying more attention to the posts. The BPL site gives the impression they were to fit both…thanks for this info.

[Richard Nelridge]

Steve,

This thread only took place on the 23rd early in the day than you had responded.

When I had seen that BPL was offering the Caldera Cones for the FL500/550 I probably should have given a call to Addie.

It is possible that BPL is unaware that Trail Designs tested the cones for the Firelite 550 and found that it required a different cone (the one for the Brasslite 600 for optimum performance) than the one designed for the Firelite 500.

Rich

[Addie Bedford]

Hey all!
So, we're working on this. Unfortunately, Ryan (the big boss with it all in his head) is out of town until tonight. We're going to check and see that the Cone we carry fits both the 550 and 500, as advertised, and if it doesn't, we'll get the right size in quickly. Sit tight – I hope to have news by tomorrow.
Thanks,
Addie

[CW]

Thanks Addie! You exemplify customer service.

[Ryan Jordan]

Hello All,

Thanks for your patience here, I've been out of town for a few days. Just back this evening.

Stephanie and I took the 500 cones with the 550 pots backpacking in the Tetons a few weeks ago, before we added them to the site. Based on the advice of Alan Dixon, who's had a great deal of involvement in tuning the cones for the smaller pots, we used 15ml of EtOH to boil 16 oz of cold water, which he claimed was the optimum for the 500 cones/500 pots.

We found that 15 ml of fuel was sufficient for the 500 cone/550 pot as well, so when I added these to the site last week, I labeled them as 500/550, not realizing that there have already been individual versions released for the 500 and the 550 pots, with the 550 cones apparently tuned to about 15% greater efficiency with the 550 pots than with the 500 cones.

People who have purchased the "500/550" cones will be contacted by Addie to see what they would like to do with their new cones, she will give you a few options.

We will change the product description of the 500/550 to 500, and we'll discontinue this product, in favor of bringing in the 550 cones that TD has developed specifically tuned for the 550 pots.

Thanks for being patient during MY state of confusion, I certainly appreciate it!

Best,
Ryan

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