Yeah, I have one. I like it at least in concept. The difference between this and the Bush Buddy type stoves is that the dimensions are large enough that the post can sit lower down and IN the burning chamber. This permits the heat to wrap up the sides of the pot and increasing the efficiency. The burn chamber is also larger which allows more fuel to be placed inside and a longer burn. Air flow is excellent and the little damper door is useful to control the combustion.
The fellow has definitely put a lot of work into his design and has machine many different versions of stoves. The work that goes into the stove is first rate.
Since the skewers (he calls them fire sticks) can by put at different levels which makes it suitable to control the burning height to the bottom of the pot distance. Why is this important? You can keep the flame appropriate for the cooking. Put the skewers high and then slow cook or simmer. Put the skewers down low and the fire is kept right at the pot height more max. heat transfer.
Since it is larger than the BB stoves, you can build a bigger fire in it and use it as a campfire with the use of thumb sized deadfall. It comes with a cotton sleeve which can be turned inside out and used to keep your hands clean.
The weight is the negative. At 2.2 lbs or 1 kilo, it is a bit heavy for backpacking. But considering you don't need to bring your fuel with you the weight penalty is not as heavy as may think. In my correspondence with the owner, he said he is coming out with a Ti version. I made a few suggestions like trimming the dimensions, thinning the walls and using tent pegs as the "fire sticks" thus serving dual uses and allowing a small price reduction. While you can also use an alcohol stove or Esbit tablets with it, the logic of having both a wood stove and alternate stove escapes me -- why carry extra weight when you already have a heavy stove?
I've been waiting for the Ti version to come out and test to see how it stacks up before deciding whether it or the BB is the better overall stove.
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The BB is hand made by a fellow in British Columbia. Like the Firebox designer, he is also an accomplished tinkerer and lightweight backpacker. In the long run I'd sooner support a guy like him than a large corporate company.
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