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Thread: Esbit or Wetfire?

  1. #1

    Default Esbit or Wetfire?

    Which is easier to light and which one burns longer?

    I saw some in Academy yesterday and they had the Esbit packaged 12 for $5 and the Wetfire 8 for $7. They looked like the same size cubes. How do each of these compare to the Trioxane tabs?

    You can get a box of three Triox tabs for $2 at most Mil Surp stores and each tab can be broken in two to make six pieces roughly equivalent to the same size of WF or Esbit cubes. That makes Triox a little cheaper than the other two.


  2. #2
    Super Moderater RangerXanatos's Avatar
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    While I can't tell you which is the best. I would look at the Weber Firestarter Cubes instead of the Wetfire. I believe Crash has tested them out anc compared them to each other.

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  3. #3

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    ^^^ Hey great link. I did some surfing and found that the Weber cubes come 24 in a pack for about $3.50. The cubes are 11 grams, approximately twice the size of the Wetfire cubes. They are waterproof and will burn while floating, and can be lit with a fire steel.

    I found a test where the Weber cubes boiled 2 cups of water (57 degrees starting temp.) in 5 minutes and 47 seconds, and burned for 11 min. 15 sec.

    You can get them at Ace Hardware.

    I guess I'll stick with the thin Trioxane tabs for my pack and get some of these Weber cubes for my big-box-o'-camping-stuff. They are a lot cheaper and seem to burn just as hot.
    Last edited by RichJ; 03-30-2010 at 03:31 PM.

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    Administrator Rick's Avatar
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    I don't know anything about Weber but Trioxane is poisonous when burning. If you handle it be certain to wash your hands before handling food or before eating. Really pretty nasty stuff.

    Wetfire will burn when wet. It will burn when floating. You can scrape it for a fire starter, too.

    Both Wetfire and Esbit burn smokeless and both can be extinguished when you are finished using it so you can safe it for the next meal.

    I think it's really a matter of preference. Just look around. You can beat those prices. The Weber prices look pretty good.
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  5. #5

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    Seeing as they are twice as big, I wonder if you can cut the Weber cubes in half and wrap them in aluminum foil.

    I'm going to try this. My biggest concern is crumble. I'll try using a tiny coping saw and see if that works first. If not then I'll try cleaving them with a wack to the back of my knife.

    I might even try shaping some of these with my sander to fit in a round match-stick case, like pellets.

    I'll let you know how they turn out.

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    Not a Mod finallyME's Avatar
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    Don't quote me, but I think wetfire is lighter. I also had no problem lighting wetfire with a spark. I have never tried esbit...yet. I see wetfire as an emergency fire starter and esbit as a cooking fuel. Two different applications.
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    Super Moderator crashdive123's Avatar
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    I like the Weber cubes. On the plus side, they work well, burn quite a while and are inexpensive. On the potentiall negative side - the foil coating on the back of the tray is easily torn. I have not tried it yet, but am thinking that cutting the individual plastic sections, while keeping the foil in tact and then putting a small piece of duct tape over the foil to protect it. Here are some pictures from the testing I did with them.

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    Senior Member Wise Old Owl's Avatar
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    I though Wetfire and Esbit were the same thing...What makes them different?
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  9. #9

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    I have wet fire and am not a big fan. Its kinda like scraping magnesium. If I need this stuff to start a fire WHAT am I going to burn?

    Lighter, Ferro rod, and matches. In that order in a situation. I am not a big fan of matches as you can see.

  10. #10
    Super Moderator crashdive123's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Batch View Post
    I have wet fire and am not a big fan. Its kinda like scraping magnesium. If I need this stuff to start a fire WHAT am I going to burn?
    Lighter, Ferro rod, and matches. In that order in a situation. I am not a big fan of matches as you can see.
    It will burn long enough to catch wet kindling.
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    Senior Member Pict's Avatar
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    Wetfire is good stuff but it will degrade with time if the Mylar wrapper develops pinholes or becomes abraded. If the package is perforated the stuff begins to shrink and lose its ability to burn. Trioxene will do the same thing. If the foil is punctured even a little eventually it will disappear entirely.

    If you are planning to store either of these in a survival kit I would think twice if it will be packed and stored for some future emergency. Either of these are great fuels/fire starters if you are taking them along intentionally as part of your preparations and have packed them for the trip. I would stay away from either of them in along term storage situation.

    Fire starters/tinders that do not degrade with time are cotton treated with Vaseline, inner tube rubber, and anything wax based. If you are planning to leave a kit packed for years then keep it simple and non-perishable.

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    Senior Member Old GI's Avatar
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    We discussed the Weber cubes some time ago. I went out and got some and really like them.
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  13. #13
    Administrator Rick's Avatar
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    WOO - Esbit has been around since 1936. It was the firestarter issued to the German Army or at least one of them. It's manufactured by Esbit Compagnie GmbH. WetFire Tinder is manufactured by Ultimate Survival Technologies.
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