Elsewhere I mentioned that during the post-hurricane blackout (folks we conversed with at the restaurant where we dined last night were out for 8 days.. and for some others this was the second time, having lost power for days just a couple of weeks earlier) I came to the conclusion that we needed an easy, quick non-electric way to make coffee and tea short of breaking out and filling the kerosene stove... especially for mornings where that's the only need (usual, for us), and we suspect the power won't be out for long. To that end, based on pleasant previous experience, I bought a small stock of Esbit tablets, a stove and a spare (they're cheap).

Recently, though, I came across references to "Storm Kettles" and "Kelly Kettles" that , though designed for outdoor use,seem like they'd be a very efficient indoors using (non-toxic) Esbit tablets for fuel. I found one reference to using them with "hexy" tablets, which I think are similar.

The "Storm Kettle" seems rather expensive (over here), the one retailer I've found selling them for just under $100 USD. The "Kelly Kettle" looks to be a bit cheaper, at around $70.

These devices seem to be almost unknown on this side of the pond- anyone from the UK care to comment on them? Is one better than the other? Any tips on usage?

Thanks in advance.

And denatured alcohol. They are cheap/free, fuel is plentiful and cheap, and it works better then esbit or fuel tabs. If you go to any search engine on the web and type in, homemade alcohol stove, you will get all the plans you need. Chris

I personnally don't have any experience with them, although I have seen them on sale here. However I do know that Shwert owns one and is a great fan. I'm sure he post a reply <img src="images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />.

I have two; one an old copper unit made in Ireland by a tinker long ago and the current Kelly. I can't use the antique, on account a member of the "gentry" came over and lives in it according to family lore. The contemporary Kelly is excellent. Pouring the water can be awkward, with or without the wee people. <img src="images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> There is only one maker of kelly's in G.B. so just find the best price. Aside from the importer in Washington State, I know Lee Valley tools carries them.

http://www.leevalley.com/garden/page.asp...y=2,40733,40996

This type of boiler is reputed to be very efficient in contemporary tests by various agencies working in 3rd world countries. I have no personal experience with them.

Chris, thanks for the response.

I will examine any I buy closely to make sure they're not inhabited.. though no doubt few of the little people would find the aluminum (sorry- aluminium) versions to their taste.

I had stumbled across these instructions for pouring and handling:

"To pour the boiling water, lift it by the handle and tilt it using the cork chain. There is a bit of a knack to it - pick up the handle bail, supported with your fingers to maintain a 90 deg angle to the chimney until you are off the fire, then let swing like a bucket handle. Grab the cork chain and lift the base to pour the water. Just do not lift straight up off the fire or you will experience the heat!"

Here :

http://www.kingsley-hughes.com/outdoors/kit/kelly.htm

>>There is only one maker of kelly's in G.B. so just find the best price.<<

That's certainly true per se, but there's also the very similar but not (I don't think) identical "Storm Kettle":

http://www.eydonkettle.co.uk/History/history.htm

And both manufactures (if there are two) seem to produce two sizes of the things, but no two on-line sources seem to agree on what those sizes are. For the "Kelly" version alone, I'm seeing everything from 1 pint for the small and 2.5 pints for the large, to 1 quart for the small and 2 quarts for the large.

http://www.wildernessaccess.com/products_kettle.htm

Very confusing.

Just a word of caution...

Hexy tablets, or Hexamine Tablets to give them their full name, as used in British Army Cookers are very poisonous in confined spaces (though I always thought that they smelled nice <img src="images/graemlins/crazy.gif" alt="" />)

I've heard that.

I had a store of those once, but I kept hearing how toxic they were, and they went far past their expiration dates, so I got rid of almost all of them without using them. I've also heard the the ash/residue is toxic.

Though behaving similarly, Esbit tablets at least claim to be non-toxic, unless actually consumed. I know that generations of kids have used them to power their working-model steam engines, and I don't recall anyone even considering moving them outdoors before firing them up.

never used one myself, know of people who have. they like them. don't know if it might be cheaper to buy from the uk and import them, or buy in the US. depends on postage i suppose. two places that sell them here are attlebrough accessories and bison bushcraft try either of these two suppliers.
all the best steve

I have the small (one pint, 20 oz) version of the Kelly Kettle. It is a very nicely made and efficient boiler.

I have posted a combined review at OldJimbos site

http://oldjimbo.com/survival/kellystove.html

Overall, for emergency use (coffee making after a hurricane <img src="images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> ) I would recommend the larger kettle over the smaller. I am going to buy the larger one someday. I really like the small fire, poor fuels, quick boiling aspects of these kettles. They are not cheap, but worth the money IMO for their unique operation.

Here were the only US outlets I could find at the beginning of the summer. Lee Valley best price on the small, Garrett Wade best for the large.

http://www.garrettwade.com/jump.jsp?lGen...roductID=106256

http://www.wildernessaccess.com/products_kettle.htm

http://www.leevalley.com/gifts/page.asp?page=43901&category=4,104,45478&abspage=2&ccurrency=2&SID=

http://www.lehmans.com/shopping/product/...p;keyword=storm

And the parent company

http://www.kellykettle.com/


Make sure you note that some of these are the one pint (small) version and some are 2.5 pint (large) versions.

I think the Garret Wade large with accessory kit is the best value I have found in the US. Lee Valleys small is the best value for that model. UK prices, shipping and VAT etc would be a good alternative to research.

The sizes of Kelly Kettles is indeed confusing on the sites. British pint is 20 oz, so the kettles should be 20 oz and 50 oz. I have measured the 20 oz (see my review) but have not seen the large kettle, but would guess it to be 50 oz.

The various sites seem to not realize that British pints and US pints are different. Thanks to King George III who wanted to raise taxes on Colonial beer pints, but found he needed an act of Parliment to do that but only needed a royal decree to decrease the unit of measure effectively raising the tax. I always get Imperial pints in our taverns.....no way I am paying the increased tax!

Schwert,

Thanks for the leads and info. I had stumbled on Lehman's and wildernessaccess.com sites, was pointed to the leevalley site here, but had not seen the Garret Wade site.

I'm still not persuaded that we're only dealing with one maker here. Here's the other that I know of:

http://www.eydonkettle.co.uk/History/history.htm

This larger one is, I think, the one that Lehman's carries. Note that their smaller version is more rounded in contour, that there appears to be only one hole in the base in both sizes, that the handles are slightly contoured, and there appears to be a bit more flare to the base.

I agree that the Garrett Wade version with kit seems like a good deal, but I'm a little dubious about the value of the cook kit. It looks entirely too much like some backpacking kits I've owned that didn't really work terribly well.

The sizes are a bit of a problem- for me, the ideal size would be about 32-35 oz, for two large mugs (mine are about 15-16 ounces), or a mug and enough to shave with in the morning, or a mug and enough to reconstitute a freeze-dried meal. I'm embarrassed to say that I did not know that the British pint was 20 oz- knowing that sort of thing is something I expect of myself. That makes the 1 pint too small, but the 2.5 pint very large at 50 oz. (it really doesn't look that much bigger in the photos). The Storm "Popular" version at "just under 2 pints" (I'm guessing that means close to 38 ounces) would seem to be perfect- and unavailable here, as far as I've seen.

Does yours still leak?

Presumed,

Wow, I did not know about these Storm Kettles. Mine is a Kelly Kettle and I have never seen the Storm brand. I think the Storm 2 pint would be perfect. Mine is great for one mug of tea only.

I do not know how big the 2.5 pint Kelly actually is but this is the one I am going to go for in my home kit and for car trips etc. My version is very nice for day trips where all I want is a mug of tea without a lot of trouble or bulk.

Lehman's picture always looked a bit strange to me so I bet you are correct in that it is a Storm version. This may also be why it seems so expensive compared to the large kettle at Garrett Wade. You might contact them about ordering a 2 pint Popular version.

My Kettle has ceased leaking at the base seam. Seems it just needed a bit of time.

I think a large Kelly would be an ideal piece in a home kit for both water boiling to purify after a storm and that all essential cup of tea, cocoa or coffee while the lights are out. Mine burns just about anything so after a storm it should be easy to fuel it up.

I am a bit uncertain as to the actual value of the accessory kit for the large kettle. I was going to get it assuming they still sell at this price when I get around to ordering it. The grill may be worth it but I really do not know.

I live in a country where people are tea-crazy. A very traditional way for making tea is using the "semaver."

http://www.friendsofmerzifon.org/Day16/pages/Picture0668_2.html

Semaver is a boiler with a pot on it. You burn your fuel under the semaver in the part with holes all around. A semaver is usually made of copper or tin.

The picture on the link is a sophisticated one. I was not able to find a single picture for a more simple one.

A little bit bulky but the easiest to use around the house or the garden. It has a tap on the boiler <img src="images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

Another picture on the bottom of the page http://www.harsena.com/eng/aboutamasya.htm

Burak
Istanbul

Thanks for the input.

I've had tea from the Russian versions ("samovar"), and it is indeed good tea, but I've never seen a small one. I've seen them in use indoors, but never seen what they were using to supply the heat.

They are attractive devices, though.

AKA samovar in russian and samowar in persian. You can find these @ www.sovietski.com here in the USA or a good persian deli import shop. When I win the lottery I am buying a yurt felt tent and taking a deep breath in it over tea. <img src="images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

Traditional units use small lumps of charcoal. That may seem dangerous until you remember timber frame buildings are actually rather drafty structures with plenty of freshair and a huge fireplace venting fumes. Some modern units use electricity, a deplorable act. <img src="images/graemlins/mad.gif" alt="" />

Schwert,

I got a reply of sorts from the Eydon Kettle Co, makers of the "Storm" and "Popular". I had asked about the capacity of each model in ounces, what I got was 1.5 and 1.2 liters, respectively.

At least that's unambiguous, just in case fluid ounces also vary from continent to continent... :-)

That makes the Large about 50.5 ounces and the Small (Popular) about 40.5 ounces. That means that they have stated that it's both "just under two pints" (below 40 ounces) and just over 40 ounces, but never mind... it's going to be somewhere in that neighborhood.

The Popular looks like the best size for me. I suppose if I fall in love with it, I might end up with a larger one as well eventually.

Curiously, the weight of the two models (empty) is within an ounce of each other... so, unless bulk is a problem, an argument could certainly be made for the larger as more versatile.

Presumed,

Fun dealing with these goofy measures of volume eh? The Wilderness link really just has the measure plain wrong, the others just seem to confuse US pints with Imperial pints....sort of <img src="images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

I would tend to think that the 1.2L Popular would be just about right given your needs. 300mL extra may not be worth the extra bulk. My little 600mL Kelly is a bit bulky but light, I am guessing that the bigger models of either maker are pretty bulky to be carrying around in a backpack, but in a storm kit at home or the car should be just fine.

I saw that shipping from Eydon was only a few pounds for international. My larger "Kelly" may just be one of these Storms as I think the 1.2L would be just right. That doubles the volume of mine.

Let us all know if you order one and what you think. I find mine just about a perfect little device for fairly trouble free boil ups. I took mine to MT this summer and planed on having tea at a high mountain lake, but extreme forest fire conditions prevailed and all fires, contained or not were forbidden.

I frequently use mine in the backyard as it is just plain fun and allows semi-normal practice with fire making techniques.

Most novel use was last weekend when I used it to incinerate a cluster of tent worm eggs on a tree branch.....they are not coming back next year <img src="images/graemlins/smirk.gif" alt="" />

I've been wanting one of these for some time but didn't want to pay shipping etc from the UK. Thanks to everyone for posting the USA sources for these! I plan to order one soon.

Something that is sort of similar, but not as elegant, is the Zip Stove: http://www.zzstove.com/

Not trying compare the two- just bringing it up in case someone here hasn't seen it before. Campmor and REI sell it.

>>I saw that shipping from Eydon was only a few pounds for international.<<

I noticed that too, and acted on it. Ordered a "Popular" last night, from far, far over the horizon, somewhat north of where the sun rises. We'll see how long it takes.

I'm sure I'll play with mine with a variety of fuels outside, but I confess I'm most curious about how well it does with Esbit tablets indoors for when the power's out.

Physics being what it is, though, I expect it's MUCH more efficient once the inside gets sooted up, which would probably take a long time with Esbit alone. In fact, the effect of blackening heat-transfer surfaces is often so dramatic that it might be worth a little stove paint in there...

I'm familiar with the Zip stove, and it's an interesting concept- basically an old-fashioned hobo stove with insulation and a battery-powered fan added.

I find the idea of carrying and monitoring batteries a bit irksome, though, and wonder how necessary that is. Seems like you might make a passive draught system work on something like the principle of hot-blast lanterns, and if that's too bulky, you could certainly use a Peltier junction to power the fan without batteries, and it would weigh less.

I have friends with pellet stoves, which are very nice and low-fuss, but they use AC for the pellet hopper feed (wormscrew) and the fan- and as such, they just don't work at all when you need them most, when the power's out. I've often thought that this would be an ideal use for Peltier junctions if they weren't so expensive. Maybe a closed-cycle low vapor-pressure turbine? There's a lot of heat coming from a stove, and it seems that no one is much thinking about the problem.

Colin Fletcher and Chip Rawlins in the newest "Complete Walker IV" have done a good writeup on the Zip stove, management of the batteries and charging using and a solar power panel. I have never used one of these but it would be worth the read for anyone interested in trying this stove.

Esbit and Kelly should work. I would only encourage you to make sure you have set the firepan on something that is heat resistant. If you look closely at my stump support in a couple of my pictures you will see the scorch marks of the fire pan.

My other guess is that the turbulance of the wood fired Kellys is more efficient than the burn of an Esbit tab, but this is only speculation. I may give this idea a try on mine.

I am seriously considering ordering the Popular also, just have to clear the purchase with the comptroller of the currency.....a lengthy process at times.

Don't forget the stoves first ran burning peat. Anyone using a fire in the wilds should consider a 'Fire blanket' These look like a small Space Blanket only thicker. Aside from leaving unsightly reminders of our passing, embers can travel for miles in subsoil root systems. Most of the horsepacking catalogs carry these.

This problem is even worse in old peat formations. My Grandfather's home was built on a drained peat bog and after the fire that took out 1/2 the neighborhood his house settled 4 feet. The dried bog just smouldered for a week or so right under the foundations of the homes.

All three sizes I've seen would seem to have their uses. We'll see how the "Popular" works out... I wouldn't be a bit surprised to find that I end up with two, eventually.

Lehman's did confirm that the Large Storm actually holds 50 ounces, if filled to the spout, which they don't recommend. I found more images of these by Googling on "volcano kettle", some are impressively blackened and beaten:



(Also notice the difference in the depth of the bases between these two models)



but a picture or two of the large version gave me a feel for scale, and it is pretty big:



It seems to be an unavoidable compromise with this concept that they (obviously) need to be be pretty bulky for the fluid capacity.

>>I think a large Kelly would be an ideal piece in a home kit for both water boiling to purify after a storm and that all essential cup of tea, cocoa or coffee while the lights are out.<<

I hadn't intended to use it for purifying, though the large version, used outdoors with lots of fuel available, would probably be very efficient for this. We're pretty well set there- three different sizes of Katadyn filters, and about 275 gallons of water in storage, not counting the water heater contents. :-)

All of this was just spawned by getting up in the morning during the blackout, and being reluctant to do anything as energetic as unpacking and filling the (Alpaca) kerosene stove, waiting for the wick to saturate, and firing it up, all before coffee and tea. Not having anything else at hand, I made a quick hobo stove by church-keying holes in a smallish coffee can and burning Sterno in the bottom. This brought to mind other occasions when the power had been out in the morning, but we suspected it was coming back on soon, and it wasn't worth breaking the serious gear out.

While I anticipate mostly stashing the kettle against this sort of thing, where I'd be using it indoors, with Esbit tablets, on a range, the versatility for camping etc. appeals to me.

I don't know how large the "fire blankets" are, but for a wood-burning-stove thingie like the Kelly they might be a bit much. I note that some plumbing supply stores sell a very flexible "torch guard" to protect house framing from the heat of soldering pipes, and they typically seem to be 9 x 12 inches. Might work well for this.

Here's yet another variation on the "Kelly Kettle" theme, this one from New Zealand:

http://www.thermette.com/

There may even be some advantages to this one; this method of rigging it as a cookstove looks more promising:

http://www.thermette.com/thermette_history.htm

However, with all the copper, stainless steel and galvanized steel, I assume it's quite a bit heavier. Not a backpacking version.

At this point, I find it amusing how many of these descriptions use the word "unique".

It seems to me that I've read about some toxicity issues when cooking in untinned copper. Don't know if that would apply to a boiler since there's probably nothing for the copper to react with. OTOH if you're trying to purify water in the field that has a high mineral content then it might be a concern.

I did like the idea of those handles, though. You'd be a lot less likely to smoke your hand than with the bail over the chimney approach.

Ed

I picked up the Nov issue of Four Wheeler magazine this week and on page 24 there's a review of the Volcano, or Kelley, Kettle. This pretty well sums up their impressions:
" One product stood head and shoulders above the rest and wins, hands down, best of show: the amazing Volcano Kettle."

That's a ringing endorsment given that the review was done during the LandRover G4 Challenge and they were getting to play with all the latest, neatest, high tech, gotta have toys.

Ed

>>It seems to me that I've read about some toxicity issues when cooking in untinned copper. Don't know if that would apply to a boiler since there's probably nothing for the copper to react with. OTOH if you're trying to purify water in the field that has a high mineral content then it might be a concern.<<

Personally, I wouldn't be concerned. There is a concern about long-term exposure to reactive (acidic, mostly) foods cooked in copper... among other things, you can get minute amounts of arsenic. However, if you search, say, ebay for "copper kettle" you'll get hundreds of hits.. they've been in constant use for centuries, and are stil made (I think Revere Ware whistling kettles still have copper bottoms. You can't beat it for conveying heat). When you think about it, it's not much different than copper pipes coming from a water heater...

The minerals in the water actually tend to form scale in pipes and especially in a boiler, that actually isolate the water from the copper, so if the copper were a hazard, the minerals would be a good thing.

But then, I think toxicity of common metals is overhyped anyway. Entire generations survived somehow with dental fillings made of metals that might, in this day and age, provoke building evacuations. We've gone from being probably too casual about it, to hysterical overreaction. I've seen mothers snatch children away because there was a chance they would touch something made of lead... a couple of generations ago, it was what our pipes were made of.

As for the bail verses the handles, I'm not sure. It's really not hard to pick up the kettle by the bail without putting your hand over it- and it looks like those handles have real potential to be knuckle-burners. That copper with boiling water inside looks awfully close to fingers... but not having handled one, I can't really know.

I actually might be persuaded to try this one, though. The design of the cooking ring and base, used with or without the kettle in between, seems to me likely to be much more efficient than the Kelly Kettle's add-on auxiliary cooking arrangement. Whereas that doesn't work at the same time as boling water, this one does both at once, with the same fuel- and where that is reduced to a fire-in-a-pot with a grill, with no chimney effect at all for cooking, this one actually looks pretty efficient even without the kettle.

That is indeed interesting. In googling "kelly kettle", "storm kettle", "volcano kettle", and now "thermette", I've seen a lot of praise, and I'm looking forward to trying it out.

I received my Storm "Popular" model a few days ago, but this has been a "week-from-H" at work.. long hours, high pressure, worked yesterday and today, and I've had no time to fire the kettle up. The size is interesting- it's either the best or worst of both worlds, depending on how you view it. Maximum capacity is a bit less than I thought it would be from the descriptions, something just a hair over 32 ounces. Looks like it will do for two 16 ounce mugs, or one mug and a pouch of freeze-dried food, which is what I was going for... on the other hand, it's pretty bulky for backpacking. For summer packing, where there's far less inclination toward hot drinks, I think I'd be tempted to revert to the singe-pint Kelly. For the main use I bought it for it should do just fine.

I did check, and this one shows no sign of leaks, but the warnings and disclaimers about that and other things that came with it are EXACTLY, word-for-word, identical to those on the Kelly Kettle website. Hmm....

I'm also really tempted to time boiling before and after blackening the inside of the chimney with stove paint, or maybe Birchwood Casey aluminum black (hmm... that latter may have potential for unhealthy fumes...) . People really tend to underestimate the difference blackening can make in heat exchange- it's often dramatic. Tests on cylinders of air-cooled motorcycle engines before and after blackening have shown almost 100 degree F differences.

I agree with you about the exageration of so called 'toxic' metals. 3 years ago we moved from a house with lead pipes (not because of the pipes, I hasten to add <img src="images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />) I had been drinking water from those pipes for all my life with no ill effects <img src="images/graemlins/crazy.gif" alt="" /> <img src="images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> <img src="images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />.

OK, after Yahooing my Sunday morning away reading about copper toxicity, etc here's what I've come up with.
You might develope vomiting, nausea, runs if you drink water that has been standing in a copper pipe for a while (overnight, etc). Flush the pipe for 15-30 seconds and the risk is virtually minimized.

Copper toxicity in cookware is indeed aggravated by acidic foods or if the pot has spots that have oxidized into a copper salt (that blue green crud). Symptoms are as above, short duration, and can may be mistakenly refered to as "stomach flu".

Since at least the fur trade era the majority of copper cookware has been tinned or lined with some other metal. Even top of the line chefware such as De Buyer or Maurviel (sp?) has a stainless lining. I guess it just wouldn't do to barf your expensive French dinner all over the maitre de on your way out the door <img src="images/graemlins/blush.gif" alt="" />

So, as long as you kettle hasn't oxidized, you're probably right, for a water boiler it's going to be a nonissue

http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/toxprofiles/tp132.pdf has a 295 pages of information on the subject, from "does inhaling copper fumes cause impotence?" (they don't know <img src="images/graemlins/confused.gif" alt="" />) to "how much copper sulfate does it take to kill a hamster in 2 weeks?" (quite a bit <img src="images/graemlins/crazy.gif" alt="" />)

Ed

Pete,
How intelligent would you be if you hadn't been drinking water from lead pipes for all of those years? <img src="images/graemlins/confused.gif" alt="" /> Think about it.....if you can <img src="images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

Ed

Maybe anodize and dye the inside of the chimney? Or over-all anodize the outside at least... just regular anodizing would be OK and the black dye can't hurt...

?? Anodizing is beyond the scope of my basement experiments, and I don't think I'm going to spend hundreds to send it off somewhere... or maybe you were just thinking that the manufacturer should anodize it?

Actually, the order card/form that was shipped with it said something about a black finish, but it was marked off, as though it was available once, but no longer.

The only part that needs blackening is the inside of the chimney, of course. Birchwood Casey Aluminum Black would probably be fine, but it's hard to be certain about fumes and using it indoors. Stove paint works. Some high-heat enamels, like engine enamel or even some exhaust paints don't work, they actually insulate.

I'm sure once it's been used with a dozen fires or so, the inside is going to be naturally pretty black- anything else is just a stopgap.

Well... I was thinking of anodizing it yourself, of course. It's not that difficult - prol not worth the setup for just one part, tho.

Aluminum "takes" soot pretty well - I think it might take better if you swab/scrub the inside of the chimney with alcohol right before you fire it off the first time. Burnish it with a dry cloth after each use and it should get a good hard coat of carbon over time. However... since you're thinking about using it indoors, let me point out a probable side effect - when you use it with an "odorless" fuel indoors, you'll get a little aroma from fires past - not unpleasant if you keep the loose soot and resinous stuff wiped out. My old aluminum snow-melting kettle smells like Alaska whenever I use it on the gas stove indoors... it's pretty black on the outside.

Hope you have time to play around with the kettle this week.

You might want to look at stove black. It is a dye made for wood stoves and flue pipes. Easy to apply and on a wood stove lasts a long time. Works good on the flue pipe as well and the pipe can get very hot.

Check stores that carry wood stoves or wood stove supplies. A small amount will go a very long way.

Never tried it on the inside of a stove though.

Neal

Actually, I've got some - thanks. Works fine on the outside of stoves. I never tried it on aluminum - I suspect it may not work the same way it does on iron/steel, but it sounds like P_L will be able to report on his use of it soon.

I am amazed there is another "Kelly" out there. The Thermette is sold locally for me, so I may check it out sometime. I would be curious about the copper version, but overall I think that I like the Storm or Kelly configuration a bit better.

Once you pick up a Kelly like a bucket with it burning you very quickly discover a better way. The bail is heavy wire so that you can actually pick up the kettle with the bail horizontal to the chimney until you swing iy away from the fire pan. This is easy to do, but if you do not, you will never forget this lesson.

Hope that the Popular works PresumedLost. I think I am adding the largest Storm to my Christmas list, but I may change this after seeing the Thermette. I want one for my home kit.

My chimney is black from burning wood or cones. I am not sure it increased the boiling efficiency, but next time I am using it I will precisely time it. Using this indoors now would probably scent up the kitchen a might.....not a bad thing altogether really.

There do seem to be a lot of these things around, all hiding in semi-obscurity.

I admit to being intrigued by the Thermette myself, but there are certainly some disadvantages to the design....

If you look closely at the photos, you'll see that there's no bottom on the fire chamber. It's just a ring. Maybe that's just as well, that there's no pretense of protecting what's underneath from heat... but leaving fire scars is generally unacceptable to me.

Then there's the fact that the base clearly doesn't "nest" in the bottom of the kettle the way the Kelly and the Storm do, which means extra bulk. Ditto for the cooking ring. Then there's the weight...

On the other hand, it looks like something that would be great fun to play around with. :-) I'm intrigued by the versatility, and by the possibility of boiling and cooking at once, and shifting to cooking alone on the fly once the water boils.

Tempting to think of combining the best features of each of these designs into one, though.

After Isobel passed through, the yard was so covered in tree debris that you couldn't see the ground (we have a LOT of tall trees around the house- too close for comfort in a large storm).
In more trying circumstances, that's a LOT of potential fuel for cooking or water purifying.

I tried to fire up the Storm Popular on Sunday, but I tried it inside with one of those 2.5 oz Sterno cans... figured I'd get a baseline with a clean fuel before maybe clocking a boil again after blackening the inside, one way or another. Didn't work out- Sterno puts out so little heat that 45 minutes later the fuel was gone and the quart of water never did boil. I don't consider that a reflection on the qualities of the kettle, just the weakness of Sterno for cooking, which I've experienced a few times before. I'm sure the Storm will do fine, given decent fuel and a little "seasoning".

Good catch on the fire"pan". I have not studied the thermette site enough to see all the differences. The wire handle on the side looked less than perfect, but the Kelly or Storm bail and chain lifter are strange too.

I burned my splitting stump with the firepan (see photos) but at least the full base allows burning on mineral soil or rock without scarring. The storage feature is also a must in my view.

I like the larger fill hole of the Kelly design also, but this does pose a splash hazard that I learned with mine. I was down blowing through the firepan holes to really accelerate the burn (for photo purposes not really needed) and the spout was pointing in that direction....splashed boiling water on my cheek. Now I point the spout opposite the holes, but mostly blowing is not needed unless you use really green wood or have fed the chimney with too much fuel at once.

I keep the fill to 20 oz (600ml) on mine or the extra boiling water splashes out.

If I get over to Bellevue to look at the thermette I will try and give some feedback here. My guess is that I will get the large Storm from Lehman's or direct from the UK though.

The one pint is not bad for backpacking, more bulky than a cup and little alcohol or esbit stove though. But unlimited fuel is an attractive feature if all you need is hot water.

While it's fascinating to see yet another variation on the theme, I see the market for the Thermette as somewhat different than that for the Kelly and Storm kettles. With the extra bulk and weight, I think backpacking use is pretty much ruled out. This is a car-camping stove, or a home/cabin/disaster/survival stove, maybe in somewhat the same niche as the 18-lb "Volcano" stove that claims to cook for a family of 5 for a year on 300 lb of charcoal brickettes (or "briquettes", if you prefer, though I've never seen a building made of "briques").

The lack of a bottom would seem to be a drawback, but maybe if you routinely car-camp in areas with fire pits, it's easier just to pick it up and leave the ashes behind than it is to clean out a pan.. and it's probably still a much faster way to get morning coffee and/or tea than building a big fire. The lack of a bottom, and of a top "flare" on the fire chamber might have one other advantage- it means that it's much less likely to slosh or boil over and douse it's own fire.

For a long-term stay-at-home survival scenario, say a prolonged depression, or full wartime, I can certainly see a use for this. There's no shortage of tree debris in our area for fuel (I pay a company now to haul it away periodically), and long-term water purification would use a LOT of fuel. You could stand the Thermette up in the Weber grill, for that matter, and have a semi-permanent operation going on the back deck. For portability, where 95 percent of the use is for boling water (for freeze-dried foods, or to heat MREs, or whatever), the Kelly and Storm are clearly superior.. but in a truly long-haul scenario, the cooking versatility of the Thermette would come into it's own.

On the other hand, a small aperture on a copper boler brings another possibility to mind- it would be relatively easy to connect that small outlet to a condenser. This very efficient, copper boiler could pretty easily become the basis for a mini-still. :-)

I finally got a chance to give the "Storm" "Popular" version of the Kelly Kettle an honest try.

I carefully masked the thing off and painted the inside of the chimney area with black stove paint- which I think was a total waste. After boiling 3 quarts, the inside is just as black in the areas that were masked as the areas that were painted- can't tell the difference.

I boiled 3 quarts in rapid succession, pouring out the first two and making green tea from the third. All three were very fast, and I can see how people get very fond of these things- it didn't take more than a handful of pencil-thin twigs and five minutes to boil a quart. This has the refined feel of a design that evolved over time, it all just works very well. I especially like the ability to feed the fire just by dropping stuff into the chimney- this let me use acorns, small pine cones etc. that would be difficult to feed though a hole in the side without getting burned.

It does tend to douse itself when it boils over, but that's not all bad. Looks like you could travel a long way with this, using practically anything as fuel, and with a few Esbit tabs as backup, be covered for all eventualities except possibly for long periods in desert, or above timberline. For a fair weight comparison, you should be comparing it to pot/kettle, stove, plus any special fuel you'd be carrying otherwise.

I'm more convinced than before that the optional cook kit for the larger version of the Kelly Kettle is dubious, though- it's clear that a LOT of the efficiency of this device is because of the draft from the chimney effect.

The "Thermette" is supposed to arrive Monday.

It's very tempting to come up with a design combining the best features of each- but I don't know how you'd get one made.