They work well, but realistically they are only good for a fairly short life. The ones I've made all seem to have had thier burner holes open up with usage.

Tips: A pad and a windscreen. They dont' like the cold, and they really aren't throwing a huge amount of heat, so you will need to use both of those additional items. THe pad can be a little donut of plywood, and the windscreen can be aluminum foil, doesn't have to be fancy. And I recommend having a back up plan, in case it is too cold out for them to light well.

The upside is, they are dirt cheap. Soda cans, scrounge them. A bit of scrap dryer vent for a combo windscreen/pot stand, about 2 bucks will buy enough dryer vent for half a dozen of these guys. The pad, as I said, can be a plywood scrap. And in the spring (or if you have an all year growing season), a bag of vermiculite will run you about 5 bucks, and be enough for a hundred or so stoves.

Fox10/McCann's book has plans for a snow melting stove that uses the Nuwick candles. That might not be a bad thing to try with a soda can stove. The stove, a nuwick for backup, a small thing of matches, and a flask of fuel should make a handy package.

That being siad, I like my trangias better. They have them same place that was recommended for the Vargo for about 14 bucks with a really nifty potstand/windscreen. My trangias are surplus and probably older than I am, and they work perfectly. I'd estimate they will out live me, based on thier wear compaired to my brother's, which he got new.