Esbit stove

“THERE'S NOTING LIKE THE SMELL OF NAPALM IN THE MORNIN....”

“Doesn't REI sell them?”

“http://www.rei.com/online/store/ProductDisplay?storeId=8000&catalogId=40000008000&productId=3091732 <<< Esbit tabs at REI. The Trioxane is way cheaper!! I get em at Sunnys for 20 cents a box 3 bars to a box.I dont know how they compare to esbit performance wise because Ive only used trioxane and those coglahns fuel tabs and im not sure if they are the same as esbit .The coglahns are alot smaller than the trioxane too.”

“Dredging up an old thread here… There was a lot of talk about Esbit and other fuel tabs. In some of the threads I noticed there was some confusion with respect to the types of fuel. Not all solid fuel is created equal. It's easy to confuse fuel tablets that are made of different compounds.

The two I have used/seen in the context of cooking are hexamine and trioxane. Esbit is hexamine. You can also get your hands on a lot of trioxane out there (is it a military thing?) and it is very cheap if I recall. I haven't used trioxane in recent memory because, if I recall, they don't work very well.

Anyway, the point is that hexamine is a vastly superior fuel from an energy density perspective. Hexamine has 12,000 BTU/lb. Trioxane has 6,500 BTU/lb (a little more than 1/2 of hexamine). It's like the difference between fossil fuel and alcohol from an energy density perspective.

For reference, ethanol has about 11,000 BTU/lb, kerosene about 18,000 BTU/lb, and gasoline is around 19,000 BTU/lb. So hexamine is closer to the ethanol side of the scale while trioxane is only a little better than half of ethanol.

I have used Esbit and Coghlan's fuel tablets with pretty good results. I prefer my pop can stove with alcohol for a variety of personal reasons. Like many things, I think performance is mostly technique. The fuel tabs are expensive but the Coghlan's fuel tablets are much cheaper than the Esbit tabs in my experience. It's been a while since I used them last but I seem to recall they worked fairly well. I have a lot of Esbit around here and I think it’s because I have had better experience with this brand.

Whatever. Everybody does their own thing when it comes to stoves and cooking as it should be. I wasn’t trying to make a point here, I just thought someone might be interested.”

“Obviously gasoline should be the fuel of choice.

j/k”

“You have to look at another metric of fuels: vapor pressure!

Be careful with gas!

That's sort of why I prefer kerosene. It has a much safer vapor pressure (it's less explosive) but packs nearly as many BTU/lb as white gas.
last edited: 9/28/05 9:10:41 PM”

“I just used Esbit for the past week. It served my purpose, but it stinks. Will say more in a trip report in a month or two.”

“Make sure you store them very far away from the rest of your gear. The smell will get into everything. Trust me on this.

A trip report in a month or two?”

“The worst thing about the Esbit smell is everybody else #&%!$ing about it.”

“They will get over it. ;-)

I figure my esbit can't smell any worse than some of the body odor of the complainers.”

“I used esbit last weekend on Springer Mtn for cooking lunch.

I'll be using it on a week long hike coming up in a few weeks. I'm only going to use it for boiling water so no big deal. I use an old pot when I use esbit because I don't want to get black spooge on my newer pots. I wipe it off with a wet napkin and store it in a gallon size ziplock bag so that it doesn't get all over everything else.

I can get 12 esbits, wind screen, stove, and lighter in my pot. It's hard to beat for convenience, although I do miss my pocket rocket when cooking.”

“I almost never cook, so boiling water is all I do. I use my good light Ti pot and the gunk can be removed after it cools.

For weekend trips, esbits can't hardly be beat for weight.
For longer trips, I stick to alcohol.”

“I love my esbit stove. Ours is looking pretty rough, lots of miles/cookpots over the years. We may have to replace it...If you want stink, burn a trioxane tab. That stuff will give ya nosebleeds.”

“I just purchased my first Esbit stove about two weeks ago and used it about 4 or 5 times so far. Worked great for what I needed at the time.

My MSR Rapidfire developed a weak spring and began leaking around the canister..couldn't find the part locally so had to sub the Esbit for awhile.

But on the good news and wonderful customer service front, after sending MSR an e-mail; they put the parts that I need in the mail to me free of charge.

But now that I own the Esbit I think I will work on the "Altoids" stove with the Esbit for the potholder.”

“"...If you want stink, burn a trioxane tab. That stuff will give ya nosebleeds.”


LOL I hear ya, birch! I love my esbit.

Hey GreasyGrimy,
I for one smell worse than my esbit, when I'm backpacking. Maybe that's why no one has complained to me about the smell of my stove. :o)”

“Hey, I wonder if I could get esbit in bulk and if I could would you guys be interested in purchasing it (if it would reduce the cost significantly). Someone used to be able to get us cases at cost and we're almost out now....

BTW, Our case of esbit has been in with our gear for a couple years. I don't have any issues with esbit smell on the rest of my stuff. And a diaper wipe will get the black goo off your pot very well.”

“Did you see my posting on those cheap fuel tablets? 24 tablets (the same as 12 Esbit) for less than $3. Look on the "Woo Hoo New Gear" thread. I got some the other day (what the hell, they were cheap). They work about as well as Esbit but clearly they use a different tablet binder. I think Esbit uses wax as a binder. These leave a solid ash behind rather than that greasy paste/wax substance Esbit deposits.

Other than that they worked about as well. I think the Esbit tabs worked better, but for hiking these cheaper tabs worked as well for what I was doing (boiling water) and cost a LOT less. I also liked that they were the same as 1/2 an Esbit tablet. I generally break them in half since I tend to only boil 2 cups of water at a time. These are already 1/2 size. Actually I have started just blowing out the Esbit tablet when it's done it's job and stuffing it in a baggie to use later, but I used to break them in half.

Oh, there was less "gunk" with these tablets. There was still black soot on the pot but no "gunk". That must come from the binder that Esbit uses.
last edited: 10/06/05 9:07:49 AM”

“Esbit stoves are OK. I used one for a full summer just to give it a try. Only time I was disappointed was when we had a below zero weekend. The next summer I tried a Pocket Rocket...that is all I use now.”

“Yeah, they're no good in winter.”

“Grave Dancer - I'm on a trip with limited computer use. Can write more after I return.

pitts - Cost of the fuel is my main objection. I'll have to check with you on those fuel costs after I return home in November sometime. The fact that the operation does not meet advertised specification is only secondary. Also, it is very sensitive to temperatures, the starting water temperature and the outside temperature.
last edited: 10/06/05 10:20:09 AM”

“Sass:
It was me that got you those esbits in bulk. A case was 1/2 price. Remember me?”

“Just got the best deal of my life on Esbit. 100 tabs for $15 woo hoo!!!!!!”

“dang where the fork have you _been_ le Subtil”

“Birch: where?

nowslimmer: Any system is dependant on temperatures, the starting water temperature and the outside temperature. Cannister stoves are awful when it gets cold (the pocket rocket). That's why they "mix" propane in the cylinders. It's a total scam since the propane all burns off and then you are left with butane which sucks in cold weather.”

“Esbits HAVE to have a good windscreen to work well.”

“I am confused by those that say they don't work well in cold weather. That's not my experience. I do use more tablets when it's very cold, but that is not a big shock. In winter I can't use Esbit because for melting snow you need something like kerosene or white gas (high energy density). But in the fall when it gets cold but the streams still flow I switch between Esbit and the alcohol stove based on whim.

In the summer it's all alcohol all the time unless I am sharing gear with a group. Then it’s generally the canister stove. I have a Brunton Raptor which is a little on the heavy side but it’s OK. I use whatever fuel is on sale at the time. Fuel blending is a huge same and these “designer gasses” for winter are absurd.”

“pitts, I got em on ebay.”

“LOL

Esbit and alcohol stove use does require some common sense to use well.

They are NOT 'idiot proof' like the MSR stoves are designed to be.
The tradeoff is more weight. ;-)
last edited: 10/06/05 8:41:06 PM”

“You aren't talking about those MSR Multi fuel/ White gas stoves are you Stovie? Those are engineer proof so I hear :D”

“LOL, the MSR Pocket Rocket is what I had in mind.”

“LOL True Story:

A Nuclear Engineer buddy of mine back in the late 70s took a brand new Svea 123 gas stove on a week long Tetons trip. He never figured out how to get it lit during the trip. He ate cold Freeze Dried food that week.


This guy had a MS degree but I think he was a 'book start' person with out a whole lot of common sense.
last edited: 10/06/05 8:58:04 PM”

“I hear those Svea stoves are nice. I have read stories about people that have had one stove for ages and they have worked flawlessly... that they only replaced them because they wanted a new one and not because there was anything wrong with the old one.”

“Those types of stoves last just about forever, pitts.
I still have a Optimus 99 from 1975 that still works like new.
....but they are heavy.

http://www.thebackpacker.com/pictures/album/mq4oyst8.php
last edited: 10/06/05 9:17:48 PM”

“I have an Optimus 123r (same as the svea) and I love it. SS is right about the weight but they are darn near indestructible.”

“Pitts, when I say "cold weather", I'm talking about 15-20° and below. They don't work as well in that range; you do have to pile tabs on to get water to boil due to water and air temps. Other stoves work better at that time of year.

That's hillarious SS. Sometimes I wonder if there's a coralation between the amount of education a person has and the amount of common sense they have.”

““I have an Optimus 123r (same as the svea) and I love it. SS is right about the weight but they are darn near indestructible.”

I still gotta get one of the pumps for my 123. Thing is a cold start for sure.”

“"Sass:
It was me that got you those esbits in bulk. A case was 1/2 price. Remember me?”
le Subtil

Oh yeah, hey, aren't you that guy who doesn't answer emails anymore? ;)”

“

That's hillarious SS. Sometimes I wonder if there's a coralation between the amount of education a person has and the amount of common sense they have.”
Sassafras

Hmmm. I have plenty of education, but very little common sense. In my case the correlation appears to be negative!
and it hurts!
last edited: 10/07/05 10:11:57 AM”

“Hey Nigal, I have one of those pumps somewhere. Had it for years, didn't really need it for the Optimus 99.
Will it work with the pot stand on your 123?

I'll send it to you if I can find it, in exchange for some local goodie from your area. Twiggy sent me some Maine Blueberry Jam one time (YUM!). Something like that from your state would be great.
If your state doesn't have anything good, I'll send the pump anyway. ;-)”

“LOL Paul!
I have a BSEE and yet do have common sense.
I've always been weird like that. ;-)”

“lol Nowslimmer,take comfort in the fact that you can spell. I have plenty of common sense, little education (I'm working on it!) and can't spell worth a lick.”

“I have the pump for my 8R (similar to the 99). Before I got the pump I use to just carry an eyedropper to put a little gas in the pan. I had to use a rebuild kit for my 8R, but since then it work like it just came out of the box. The stove is heavy, which is why I don't use it often, but I keep it as a back up because it always works.”

“Thanks, Sassafras. I have been working hard on it, since reading something a few years ago. The quote:

"The difference between the amateur and the professional is that the professional looks it up!"

I have tried to apply this principle to other things in my life, too.
last edited: 10/07/05 10:27:24 AM”

“Oh yeah, hey, aren't you that guy who doesn't answer emails anymore? ;)”
Sassafras

No, that's not me. I answer emails. Sometimes it takes me a while.
I'm the guy without education OR common sense, lol.
One of my co-workers has a t-shirt that says "Common Sense is for Common People"”

“I'll send it to you if I can find it, in exchange for some local goodie from your area. Twiggy sent me some Maine Blueberry Jam one time (YUM!). Something like that from your state would be great.
If your state doesn't have anything good, I'll send the pump anyway. ;-)”
GreasyGrimyGopherGutsStomper
10:15:08 AM
10/07/05

Nigal, send him an Ohioans for Bush sticker or something like that. I mean your fine state put the man in office, so a gift like that might be cool.LOL.”

“Aren't BB and Nigal in the same state??

I think I might better withdraw the offer, Nigal might pack up BB and send him. ;-)”

“SS, very good point.”

“

The label says:

OPTIMUS MINI PUMP
CAUTION
-for Optimus/Svea stoves only
-pre-heat stove normally
-over pressure may cause surging flame

Design Patent D-240.1
Optimus-Princess, Inc.
Santa Fe Springs, CA 90670

I have the replacement cap that the pump fits on. Shown beside the pump.
To use, replace the Svea 123 fuel cap with the special pump cap. Slide the mini pump on it, pump a few times, remove the mini pump, lite stove.
The seals look good to me but may need a little vegetable oil or something on them to help seal.
This pump and cap are about twenty years old but look good. I bought them from REI years ago, used them two or three times, then decided I really didn't need it for the Optimus 99.

Nigal, you are welcome to it if you promise NOT to sent me BB.

Email me with your mailing address.
last edited: 10/07/05 4:15:16 PM”

“Bump for Nigal”

“LOL! SOrry about that! Man that would be awesome if you could help a brotha out StoveStomper. Something from my region? Something from my region...shlt man, bout all we have is corn and buckeyes. LOL!

How about I take a look through my gear I need to get rid of and see what turns up for a trade?

Thanks, I'll e mail ya!”