What Stove?
Article by British Red
Introduction
Anyone who has read my other reviews for this site will know I enjoy investigating the pros and cons of various types of kit. In this review, I have attempted a slightly improved approach from my normal subjective musings. In other words I actually attempted to try some form of objective measurement of performance!!
Now there aren’t quite as many stoves on the market as there are knives or multi-tools, however there are still far, far more than I will ever get an opportunity to review. I have therefore tried to pick one or two stoves from each of the major “types” in order to give you some opportunity to form an opinion. In order to try to compare apples with apples, I have stuck to single burner, portable stoves. If you fancy self-contained multi burner stoves, you can choose from gas or petrol. If you want grills, ovens etc. – its Calor gas – right up to a replacement for your domestic cooker with a huge propane cylinder outside.
Types of Stoves / Review Criteria / Conclusions
I have looked at 4 fuel types in this review:
· Gas
· Petrol
· Alcohol
· Solid fuel
The criteria I have reviewed against are:
· Size
· Weight
· Speed to boil 500ml of water
· Cost to buy
Extrapolating from this, there are some conclusions for each stove (all personal opinions) and some “recommended” awards.
Findings
Picture
Type
Fuel
Width (cm)
Depth (cm)
Height (cm)
Time to Boil (mm:ss)
Weight
(g inc Fuel)
Approx Purchase Price
Australian Barbecue
Gas Cartridge
35
28
10
03.50
2,000
£10 - £20
2
Coleman Gas
Gas Cartridge
16
16
10 (+canister)
03:45
680
£15
3
Coleman Sportster
Unleaded Petrol (or Coleman Fuel)
15
15
15
04:21
1,100g
£35
4
Crusader Cup
Alcohol Gel
13
11
6
16:32
450g
(inc cup)
£12
5
Trangia
Methylated Spirits
20
20
10 (packed)
19 (set up)
12:25
800g (including 3 pans)
£30
6
Esbit Micro
Solid Fuel
12 (Unfolded)
8 (Set Up)
12 (Unfolded)
8 (Set Up)
0 (Unfolded)
5 (set Up)
15:12
100g including 6 tablets of fuel
99p
Hexamine Stove
Solid Fuel
12
10
3 (folded)
7 (Unfolded)
5:22
375g (inc 8 tablets of fuel)
1:00
Learning
So what did I learn? A few things:
· Nothing beats gas for speed of boil
· Petrol is nearly as fast as gas (and much cheaper!!)
· Trangias are slow but light
· Fancy new ideas don’t really work very well (Esbit and Crusader Cup)
What Stove?
Article by British Red
Introduction
Anyone who has read my other reviews for this site will know I enjoy investigating the pros and cons of various types of kit. In this review, I have attempted a slightly improved approach from my normal subjective musings. In other words I actually attempted to try some form of objective measurement of performance!!
Now there aren’t quite as many stoves on the market as there are knives or multi-tools, however there are still far, far more than I will ever get an opportunity to review. I have therefore tried to pick one or two stoves from each of the major “types” in order to give you some opportunity to form an opinion. In order to try to compare apples with apples, I have stuck to single burner, portable stoves. If you fancy self-contained multi burner stoves, you can choose from gas or petrol. If you want grills, ovens etc. – its Calor gas – right up to a replacement for your domestic cooker with a huge propane cylinder outside.
Types of Stoves / Review Criteria / Conclusions
I have looked at 4 fuel types in this review:
· Gas
· Petrol
· Alcohol
· Solid fuel
The criteria I have reviewed against are:
· Size
· Weight
· Speed to boil 500ml of water
· Cost to buy
Extrapolating from this, there are some conclusions for each stove (all personal opinions) and some “recommended” awards.
Findings
| Picture | Type | Fuel | Width (cm) | Depth (cm) | Height (cm) | Time to Boil (mm:ss) | Weight (g inc Fuel) | Approx Purchase Price |
| | Australian Barbecue | Gas Cartridge | 35 | 28 | 10 | 03.50 | 2,000 | £10 - £20 |
| | Coleman Gas | Gas Cartridge | 16 | 16 | 10 (+canister) | 03:45 | 680 | £15 |
| | Coleman Sportster | Unleaded Petrol (or Coleman Fuel) | 15 | 15 | 15 | 04:21 | 1,100g | £35 |
| | Crusader Cup | Alcohol Gel | 13 | 11 | 6 | 16:32 | 450g (inc cup) | £12 |
| | Trangia | Methylated Spirits | 20 | 20 | 10 (packed) 19 (set up) | 12:25 | 800g (including 3 pans) | £30 |
| | Esbit Micro | Solid Fuel | 12 (Unfolded) 8 (Set Up) | 12 (Unfolded) 8 (Set Up) | 0 (Unfolded) 5 (set Up) | 15:12 | 100g including 6 tablets of fuel | 99p |
| | Hexamine Stove | Solid Fuel | 12 | 10 | 3 (folded) 7 (Unfolded) | 5:22 | 375g (inc 8 tablets of fuel) | 1:00 |
Learning
So what did I learn? A few things:
· Nothing beats gas for speed of boil
· Petrol is nearly as fast as gas (and much cheaper!!)
· Trangias are slow but light
· Fancy new ideas don’t really work very well (Esbit and Crusader Cup)