Product Review: Esbit Stove and Fuel

[natertot]

One of the things I hated about alcohol stoves was the soot issue.

I had zero soot with the denatured alcohol, but I did make two chamfer style alcohol stoves to run Isopropyl Alcohol today. I started to run the first one, but it was too big to put on the small Esbit stove. Once the canteen cup was put on, the flame really struggled for air. I then made a slightly smaller one which worked for the test run. The temps, time and boil were nearly identical as the denatured alcohol. Price for the product runs close to the same as denatured alcohol as well. The soot from Isopropyl was a lot and the smell of doing it indoors was quite offensive. (Ask the family!) That being said, here is where I would rank the fuels I have tested so far.

1 Esbit fuel tabs are number one choice, but are costly and there is some minor soot. Lightweight and don't spill as they are solid is a plus.
2 Denatured alcohol from a homemade jet stove is cheaper than Esbit, but you have to contend with liquids and slightly longer burn times to achieve the desired temps. ZERO soot was awesome though!
3 MilSurp fuel tabs are cheap and work, but multiple fuel tabs are needed to reach desired temps. Also soot and smell are slight issues.
4 91 percent Isopropyl is the same price point as denatured and times and temps are similar. Extremely high soot, really offensive smell and having to use in an "open" chamfer style stove increasing the chances for out of control fire set this as the last means necessary.

I still want to experiment with HEET and off brand variants as well as some other liquid fuels. I also want to do a run with Coghlan's fuel tabs. I will post more info as I play.

[TXyakr]

"Natertot" that is very good side by side comparison. Sometimes the best fuel is just what is available when you are in some small town or on the road.
Check out the technical evaluation of several common "Fuels for Alcohol Stoves" at zenstoves.net

I prefer denatured alcohol but am aware that it is toxic and best not to store inside my pot in case it leaks from its container.

[natertot]

Hey TX, I agree that what is best is what's on hand. You got to learn how to use it though otherwise it is pointless. Reading only gets you so far, doing will get you to your destination. After looking at the "evaluation" I wasn't too impressed. They went into the chemical make up, but I really don't care about that. They also didn't cover how to use which types of fuel for which type of stove. That would be more useful than chemical compositions in my book. What I am learning is how to use each one and what the pros and cons are. Just can't really learn that by reading.

Denatured alcohol is only toxic if swallowed or absorbed in large amounts. Keep it in a proper container and you don't have to worry about it.

[Tokwan]

Tokwan, I would like to hear/see more on that duel fuel stove.

Batch, its a 2 piece cookset Esbit Stove. Comes with a alcohol stove taht can be used for solid fuel as well. It has a small pot and a cup that can be used for the cover. Its on the net and here is the link http://www.ogm-shop.com/product.php?id_product=78

[Tokwan]

So far..all my trangia and esbit alcohol stoves leaves no soot. You gotta add 10% of water to the spirit or alcohol.

[Tokwan]

I also have this stove...http://eco-sports.com.my/index.php?m...oducts_id=1176

However, this only uses solid fuel.

[Lamewolf]

One of the things I hated about alcohol stoves was the soot issue.

You must have been using isopropyl alcohol, as denatured alcohol does cause soot - burns hot and clean. That's why they use in in marine stoves.

[Lamewolf]

I also have this stove...http://eco-sports.com.my/index.php?m...oducts_id=1176

However, this only uses solid fuel.

Looks like my Trangia spirit burner would fit right in that one too, so it would burn alcohol !

[TXyakr]

Natetot your comparison of Esbit to denatured alcohol fuel was helpful. For many years, many people have criticized alcohol as being an excessively bulky fuel for anything more than a short weekend trip due to a low BTU content per volume and weight.

Ethanol, (ethyl alcohol), contains approximately 11,570 - 12,500 BTU of heat per pound
Methanol, (methyl alcohol), contains 8400 - 10,000 BTU of heat per pound
White gas contains approximately 18,000 - 20,000 BTU per pound
Propane, Butane or Isobutane 19,000 - 25,000 BTU/pound not including pressurized vessel.

Various solid fuels like Esbit ( Hexamethylenetetramine) approx 13,300 BTU of heat per pound

These fuels often contain many different impurities depending on who made them and which batch, how old, moisture content, country of origin etc so the exact BTU can vary by a lot.

Being a scientist I was trained to start with theory, make a hypothesis then design an experiment to test it. Then base my practical field work around that.

So it would be interesting to cut a Coghlan's tablet and weigh to get about the same mass and size as one from Esbit then boil about the same amount of water. See which is more efficient. Several local stores sell 24 of the small tablets for only $3, so price is fairly low. It is also easier to use this to start a wood (biomass) fire with than alcohol or even with many liquid fuels like white gas, naphtha or kerosene. Probably possible to make your own solid fuel tablets but I have never tried. These from Coghlan's, StanSport and Weber are very cheap.

One of several sources of basic scientific information that may NOT be accurate:
http://zenstoves.net/Fuels.htm#Solid

Edit: an advantage of alcohol and these solid fuels over propane or isobutane is that they do better at very cold temperatures. White gas as well but it requires a more complicated stove so some people (myself) prefer it for longer trips.

[TXyakr]

91 percent Isopropyl is the same price point as denatured and times and temps are similar. Extremely high soot, really offensive smell and having to use in an "open" chamfer style stove increasing the chances for out of control fire set this as the last means necessary.

I still want to experiment with HEET and off brand variants as well as some other liquid fuels. I also want to do a run with Coghlan's fuel tabs. I will post more info as I play.

Back in the 1970's when I was a kid, cheap open burner alcohol stoves with "rubbing alcohol" 91% if we were lucky was all we had most of the time. And a metal food can as a pot. Surprising that my friends and I have not died of cancer by now. By punching holes in the upper sides of a tuna/pet food can a person can make a "stove" that requires no additional pot stand since the flames come out of these side holes and the "pot" sits on top. Then whatever fuel (hand sanitizer mixed with sand, Benghazi burner/cooker or rubbing alcohol etc or petrol/diesel fuel mixed with sand or whatever cooks food in metal food can clay pot or whatever, these methods are crazy. One of my friends was severely burned and spent months recovering and his legs have massive scars 40 years later. So don't be an idiot!) But if in a difficult survivor situation think outside the box.

Also some soot can actually improve the efficiency of an aluminum/metal pot when used with wood/biomass therefore may not be all that bad just a nuisance when packing up due to low quality alcohols (Isopropyl).

Some park rangers during burn ban do not like open alcohol stoves because they can spill and the flame is transparent in daylight. My mother put out a fire in a guest's room when some British folks were using one to heat up water for their afternoon tea. She was like "just ask the maid to heat some water in the kitchen and don't burn down my house, thank you very much!!!" She has a low tolerance for foolishness.

[Zack]

Zack, send to my email...tokwanang@gmail.com

Who, me? I don't follow...

[crashdive123]

Who, me? I don't follow...

If you would have kept reading you would have seen that he made a mistake asking you to send an email.

[Tokwan]

You just gotta forgive an old man like me...lol

[Tokwan]

Looks like my Trangia spirit burner would fit right in that one too, so it would burn alcohol !

Yep it would..tested!