I did a preliminary test with the 230g (claimed net fuel weight, total canister actual weight 380.1g) version yesterday to get a feel for how it performs in cold weather. It wasn't that cold in my laboratory (okay, the back deck of the condo)- around 19degF – but I have found such temperatures cold enough to have a distinctly observable effect on performance.
The canister was placed on a glass table on the deck for about an hour before use to make sure it was at or very close to ambient temperature, already attached to a Snow Peak Giga stove so as not to warm it with handling.
Using a Primus Eta 1.8l HX pot filled to the rim with ice cubes from the freezer and a little water in the bottom to prevent any chance of scorching, I lit the stove.
Right out of the starting gate this fuel/stove combo was extremely impressive, instantly putting out a huge amount of heat. I realize that was the propane doing its thing, but even so it performed noticeably better than a brand-new MSR canister. The ice was brought to a boil fairly quickly, although I forgot to start the timer… suffice to say it was pretty quick under the conditions.
I did a few more burns, and it got progressively less effective as the propane burned off, to the point that it behaved pretty much like any other available blended fuel canister.
So yeah, whatever contribution the blotter paper might make is short-lived.
As for efficiency relative to other stoves, I just did a boil test of 1 liter of water, starting temperature 46degF, canister starting at room temperature which was 68degF. Using the Primus Eta HX 1.8l pot, it brought the water to a rolling boil in 4min15sec while using 10.8g of fuel… which are Reactor-esque numbers for speed and fuel efficiency.
