Emergency Stove Comparison

I needed a new esbit stove so headed to Canadian Tire with a gift certificate and picked up this:
Coghlan's Emergency Stove

Then, while at Walmart looking for a dry bag (FYI I decide to try this - Coleman Dry Bag) I saw a Coleman emergency stove that looked just like the Coghlan's one but at $6.99 it was only half the price. (Can't find an on-line link, sorry.)

I'm curious why the big price difference. A few bucks I understand, but half price? The Coleman one didn't seem as heavy but I wondered if anyone has any experience with it. The Coghlan's ones work great and I wonder if the quality is the same.

I've got the standard ESBIT brand one. Looks like the same as the Coghlans. The Coleman looks basically the same too.



HJ

Thanks Jim. I think I'm going to pick up one of the Coleman ones. That price is hard to resist!

here's an Esbit for $6.90 with cheap shipping

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001C1U...NZK7ANW9FA6GYJQ

Hexamine stoves are very interesting.

Ultralight hikers prize them for their light weight, but they can be a nice addition to any kit as an emergency stove. They've got about the most stable fuel around. The fuel doesn't evaporate or go bad. You can generally burn 40 year old fuel that hasn't been sealed without problems. I keep mine sealed and protected (they can be crushed or chipped pretty easily), but I've seen some old hexamine fuel that burned just fine. They're great for long term storage in a kit that you don't plan to touch often.

The down side is that they don't put out a lot of heat, can be hard to light (particularly in wind), and the low velocity flame really needs a windscreen. They also leave a residue on the bottom of your pot, but in a survival situation, that's probably the least of your worries. I usually keep my pot in a plastic bag if I'm going to be burning hexamine.

One trick for lighting them is to set the tablet on the edge of the stove at first. Get your flame under the tablet. Once it's lit, then move it to the center of the stove with a stick or something. This trick is a little easier with the larger ESBIT brand rectangular tablets than the smaller "pill shaped" tablets that some companies produce.

Hexamine's not bad stuff, but it's not particularly powerful either. It's worth playing with it a few times in order to get used to its quirks. Don't set it down in the bottom of your pack untried and then expect to pull it out and be comfortable with it in an emergency. It's no big deal, but it's worth getting used to how to light, how to cook with, how to extinguish, etc. before you need to.

Despite the fact that hexamine is not volatile, hexamine is not permitted on airline flights. Hexamine is a precursor to explosives such as RDX/Cyclonite. You wouldn't want to go into an airport with the scent of hexamine about you.

HJ

Thanks. That's a great post, HJ.

Thanks Jim!

Thanks guys.

First, a hexamine trivia question: What does the acronym ESBIT stand for? (see answer below)

A couple of addenda to the above:
- A little squirt of alcohol will speed the lighting process up. Haven't tried it, but hand sanitizer should work too.
- You really don't need much in order to have a hexamine "stove." A couple of bricks and a (non-flammable) spot on the ground will do. The lid from a shoe polish can, a ladies compact (if it's metal), pretty much anything will work so long as you can figure out how to rig a pot over it.
- A really light, compact example of a commercially produced hexamine stove is the Ti Wing stove.

HJ

ESBIT = Erich Schumms Brennstoff in Tablettenform (which basically means Erich Schumm's Fuel Tablets). Now you know.

Cool!

I really like them in my emerg kits. They're small and light. It takes a little while but I can heat water in my army mess cup without going to much trouble rigging a set-up. I also like not worrying about fuel. As long as I've got some tabs and a way to block the wind, I'm good to go.

Thanks for the purelle tip Jim!

Purell definitely works for this purpose.

Good to know. Thanks Jim!

I threw together a kit and added some ZIP firestarters. I wonder how they'll compare. I'll have to experiment tomorrow night.

Hmm. Interesting. Let us know what you find out.

HJ

Will do!

FYI - these are them:
http://www.zipfires.com/ca/american-grilling/zip-original-firestarters/

Not a shareholder, just a long ago customer. (They smell like lighter fluid.)

Do they come individually wrapped? If these are what I think they are, if the seal becomes compromised, they'll go bad. Excellent fire starters if the seal stays good.

I think they're a porous material that contains something volatile like naphtha. The naphtha will dry up essentially if the seal is broken.

Zip Fires + ESBIT cubes = Win! Nice combo.

HJ

Hey Jim,Thanx for the comparison info on these stoves,I have an Esbit winger,2-Stansport,& 4-No name German army stoves,they are Exactly the same as,one another.The stansports come with the pill type fuel,the german ones come with the wafer type.I was toying around with them awhile back,& found that candle wax dripped upon a burning fuel tab(pill type)will flame up fairly quick like & burn with gusto/ferocity!I didn't make the means of boiling water,but I'm thinking I'll do it again for a cup of water with candle,& without, to see if there is a Big difference.It stinks something horrible though,& smokes as bad,probably wouldn't be good in shelter situ.Happy Thanksgiving,almost!

Hi, Rich,

Good to know.

I have a question: If you drip wax on the fuel tabs before you light them, are they easier to light? That would be handy.

HJ

I experimented with those a while back as tinder/firestarter and that's pretty much what they are, spongy material soaked with kerosene (smells like it). Fine for BBQ since if one doesn't work you just grab another, but not something you want to rely on when you really need to get a fire going.

Maybe the first part of my post is pure nonsense LOL. But really, I don't understand the cut pattern on some esbit stoves. The one in above picture is symmetrical and nice but in some other models they are cut in odd geometry. I tried to figure the purpose but failed.

Anyways, interesting about the one pictured above, if you notice the cut is somehow like teeth. Right ? In one U-tube, I noticed a hiker used the stove upside down ON A LOG, not on the ground or a flat surface. The "teeth" had a good grip of the side of log and the stove didn't slip during cooking. Something to appreciate if you have lots of debris on the ground after a hurricane or earthquake.

Thanks for the tip Chisel! I've often wonder about using it that way myself. Knew there had to be a good reason for those ridges!

Trying to visualize the tuna can stove on goole, I found this:
http://s1.zetaboards.com/survivalism/topic/1249476/1/

Excellent stove. I also would not call that a hobo stove. As for wicks -- anyone tie up their turkey before cooking? That heavy cotton string makes a great wick. What else do you do with used string that been wrapped around a turkey? I always like to scrounge when it's unnecessary.

Great idea Russ! I always feel bad throwing that twine away. The greese from the turkey might make it burn better too.

I've had a "hexe" stove for many, many years and I can certify the fuel manufactured in the late 70's (and left open for decades)still works fine.

As a wind shield, you can use some stiff aluminium (like that from the bottom of a commercial pie tray, or the type builders use as roof flashing) and cut and bend it to make a screen that will fit inside the stove, and can block out the "back" of the stove. Make one for the front too if you like, but leave a gap for air flow.

Hehx is very stable and seems to work fine in the dry heat, wet tropics. It does not get wet.
I've used mine is the snow, and had no issues, but never in the severe cold, like you get in the Northern Hemisphere.

I have a couple of genuine 70's Australian Army issue stoves, and a couple of modern, commercial versions; they all work the same - its basically just a fancy tin can so there's really nothing between them, and nothing to go wrong.

Having said that, some are a bit heavier than others, and there are a few different sizes on the market - so choose one which suits.

One thing I have read is that some manufactures do produce better quality fuels. I can't say I have done a comparison, because I have a supply of old fuel tabs. Allegedly some companies add normal "wax" in with their hexe so its (cheaper) and doesn't burn as well. Perhaps HJim will turn up some research in the future ?

You can also burn just about any type of fire lighter's you want, or make your own from wax mixed with sawdust or cotton wool. You can even feed sticks, leaves etc in to the stove to use it like a hobo.

I've just noticed this thread and I have to challenge the idea that hexe can be left for years and will function perfectly. It will absorb moisture over time and while it will still burn when damp, it is more difficult to light and puts out less heat, presumably because of the energy required to drive off the moisture content. If it gets really damp it will flake and crumble.

You are probably safe enough with it in a dry, warm climate, but here in England, it is necessary to store it rather carefully.

Those are good points. I do keep mine sealed in a Ziploc bag, and I've had good results with that. They will also crush and turn to powder if not protected.

Still, and this is important, they are not like Wetfire tinder. If Wetfire's packaging gets compromised, the tinder will quickly be rendered useless.

On the other hand, with hexamine, even if the packaging is compromised and it does absorb some water, it will still burn.

HJ

I guess I can't give a comparison to a fresh new hex tablet. My tablets have crumbled a bit, but to my eye seem to burn OK and I've never had a problem lighting them.


Just goes as a reminder that you need to check - and test - your gear, esp the things which may be packed in long term storage, like bug out kits !