I just reviewed my BOB and LO & behold!!! I found my P38 & handcuff key that I misplaced 1 year ago !!!!! I guess I need to review my equipment more often.

Ok. Both P38s work. One was tested on a tin of chickpeas, the other on a tin of tomatoes. <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

I have now removed the Coghlans can opener from my PSK and replaced it with the P38. Significant weight savings from the Coglans at 8g to the P38 at 3g. I was also able to pack some Potable Aqua that I had had elsewhere (but only by rearranging- not due to the smaller size of the P38).

On to the stove. I have found out it is identical to the small Esbit stove, and the fuel tablets are the same 'lego block' style in a sealed foil pack. They are probably quite old now, being marked 'Made in West Germany', which of course no longer exists. I am not looking quite so hard for a smaller container to put it in- I like the rectangular Aluminium box as it can be used as a stable base and windshield.

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Glad they the P-38 worked, If you ever have to open a really large can, like a three pound coffee can, your fingers will get sore, but you will get it opened...

If I am not mistaken, the Coghlan's are P51s...the larger cousin of the 38.
I have a two pack that I've never opened. I have used the P38s, and being very inexperienced at the time, I didn't know they were supposed to open to 90 degrees...and I had to...persuade them. I agree though, most will probably open easier with a bit of use.

I used an esbit stove extensively, and it never brought water to a boil with one tab. It would almost always take 2-3. Although, I have sinced learned a great deal more since then, I would suggest placing heavy duty tin foil around the stove, reflecting the heat back towards the cup. worth a shot!

Yes, you could be right about the P-51. There is an entry for the P-38 in Wikipedia which also mentions it Wikipedia: P-38 can opener

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Thanks for the comments on the Esbit. Testing is scheduled for next week (when I am on vacation). Of course it's summer here in the Southern Hemisphere, so the test results will have to be normalised for other locations and seasons.

References on the web indicate that one tablet will boil one pint of water in 8 minutes. I will try one tablet with 500ml (2 metric cups) of water and no shielding and report here.

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What altitude though?

Thanks for the inof on the Esbit. I haven't been able to bring two cups to a boil in every attempt I have made. I have tried:

1 esbit tab with tin foil to focus heat - it got the water hot but not to a boil. Then I added some wood kindling. Total burn time was about 15-20 minutes. No boil.

1 esbit tab plus several pieces of fatwood - hot but no boil.

1 esbit tab plus fatwood plus a bunch of kindling sized wood - hot but no boil.

Elevation was about 300 feet above sea level.

When you used 2-3 esbit tabs and got a boil, was it in succession or together? And was it one cup or two?

Does your pan have a lid? That can make a big difference. You need a lid.

I just did some indoor tests, in close to ideal circumstances (no wind etc, although I had a door open for ventilation). 500ml of water, small Esbit-style stove, in a pan with a lid at 150ft above sea level. The genuine Esbit fuel took about 6 minutes to boil. (The temperature measured over 99C).

My preferred fuel is the army stuff which is flat, squarish waxy blocks about 1.75" wide. I usually break them in half and on this occasion I was using odd-shaped fragments which added up to less than a whole brick. They took about 8 minutes. (In the UK you can also get fuel as round tablets, which I find an inconvenient shape and they leave more of a residue, so I avoid them.)

I have both sizes of stove. The big one takes up more space, but the space isn't wasted as you can fit more stuff inside it. It should come fully packed with fuel, but I take some of the fuel out and replace it with a lighter and some tinder and a tea-spoon. The small one holds less stuff but will fit in places the big one won't. In particular, it will fit inside a Trangia mess tin with plenty of space left over, and together they form a nice little system for hiking.

I normally use the stoves for making coffee in the evening and morning, and sometimes noodles in the evening, when camping solo. Although this is outdoors there is usually no wind at those times, and they perform in the wild much as they do in the above test. I once tried to use one on a beach in the afternoon, and there was wind and I basically gave up (it started to rain and I was with other people who wanted to go home).