Esbit Ultralight Folding Pocket Stove with Six 14g Solid Fuel Tablets steel, Small - Original

This is a very small and basic stove that is perfect for minimalist camping, dayhikes, emergency kits, and for putting in your truck for those early mornings on the jobsite (or north 40, or wherever) when you want a hot meal or cup of joe. They are relatively inexpensive and small, and I've always got one nearby. I have had one in my truck kit for years and there have been many times I've been grateful for a warm drink when I'm out in the sticks. The following are main points based on my use and experience over the years:Positive Attributes:* Compact - About the size of a small wallet for both stove and four fuel tablets, the Esbit folding pocket stove is hard to beat for dimension and weight. (not considering the competitive field of ultra-minimalist penny stoves, of course) Stove and four fuel tablets amount to the size and bulk of a small men's wallet.* Reliable - Consisting of a base and two folding metal pot supports that expand from a closed position, there really isn't much to go wrong with this stove, ever, unless it's been run over. Ever had a sticky valve on your fancy multi-fuel stove keep you from eating a hot meal when you are tired and cold in the back country? Cracked O-ring on your fuel bottle? Blown valve on your isobutane canister? I have, and it's no fun. With the Esbit stove: Open, insert fuel tab, light, cook. If this stove lets you down, it may well be the end of the world.* Durable - Made of electro-galvanized steel, this stove ought to last several lifetimes if treated gently. The fuel tablets themselves have an almost infinite shelf life if kept dry; they have been known to light and work perfectly after sitting for decades. No fuel to spill, evaporate, or turn into varnish. I find it comforting knowing that the stove in my kit will be there for me. No matter what.* Clean Burning - The hexamine tablets leave very little soot behind on my cookware, which is easily cleaned off. While burning, smoke is negligible-to-nonexistent. (good for hiding from zombies, I find)* Fun - OK, this may not appeal to the hard-facts types, but this stove appeals to me on a level beyond pure function. I like that it's been around in the same form since WWII. I like that it's been part of NATO survival kits and humanitarian packages to cook food and boil water. I like that it's still made in Germany (as of the last time I bought one). I like that it is simple, rugged, basic. There is a coolness factor here - for this reviewer - that enhances my experience and thus warrants inclusion in this review.Limitations:* Range of Use - While the fuel tablets have a high energy content for their size, there is no adjustment once they are going: Once you light them, they just sit there and burn. Ideal for boiling water for purifying or hot drinks or reconstituting dehydrated meals. Less than ideal for genuine cooking where you can really use to modulate the heat. Not impossible, mind you, but more challenging. Also, one tablet only gets you so far, though more can be added as the first burns down.* Smell - It may come as no surprise that a product of formaldehyde and ammonia would leave an odor. The Esbit fuel tablets are made of hexamine, and the burned residue leaves a telltale fishy scent. Personally, I've learned to love it, but buyer beware.* Sensitive to Wind - This is a trait of most, if not all, small campstoves really, but the Esbit folding pocket stove is especially sensitive. I've solved this problem with a hand-made windscreen fashioned from aluminum foil.* Size - This is no Coleman double-burner. But it doesn't weigh 15 pounds, either. This is never an issue if used accordingly.* Cost - I think the cost of the pocket stove represents solid value, considering how long it's likely to last; The fuel tablets, however, cost more per use than alternative fuels for other stoves, such as alcohol or white gas, or even isobutane cannisters. Given the likely frequency of use, though, I don't think the cost should amount to much in the long run especially considering their excellent shelf life.Sample use:The way I use my dayhike/truck-based Esbit pocket stove: I always keep a complement of 4 fuel tabs inside; the stove is wrapped with two paper towels; that package along with storm proof matches UCO Stormproof Matches, Waterproof and Windproof with 15 Second Burn Time - 25 Matches in water-tight canister, pack towel Packtowl Nano Light Towel, two sandwich baggies, four tea bags, 2 oz. campsuds Campsuds Campsuds Soap, homemade windscreen, and titanium spork Snow Peak Colored Titanium Spork Utensil - In Your Choice of Colors in a Snow Peak trek 700 cup/pot Snowpeak Trek 700 Titanium. I find that the Esbit stove and this kit make for a very compact and versatile cook kit for my truck and day hikes.After years of use in all conditions, I can highly recommend the Esbit pocket stove. Five stars for an excellent, dependable, and durable micro stove.

This is a great little stove for backpacking or storing in the BOB. I go backpacking maybe 4-5 times a year for one or two nights at a time, and I've found this is perfect for me. I just boil water for coffee or rehydrating a meal in a plastic bag. The cubes burn for about 15 minutes, although for the last two, there's not much heat left. This is sufficient to get one pint (16 oz) up to a roaring boil. I typically do about 20 oz to have enough for a meal plus a bit of coffee, and it gets it to a decent boil. This is sufficient for preparing food, but probably not for sterilizing water if it hasn't been filtered already. A wind screen will help get a little bit more efficient heating. I usually carry a couple of pieces of aluminum foil inside my cook set and set them up in about an 8" circle around the stove. The cubes also make a great (although expensive) fire starter since they give about 15 minutes of continuous flame, which should be plenty to get the kindling started. I also enjoy the fact that the cubes aren't flammable, have a very long shelf life, and won't leak out into the pack like could happen with liquid fuels.I think this does stove what it's supposed to do almost flawlessly, but I will add a few caveats in case people have an unrealistic expectation:- There's obviously no temperature control. I wouldn't try to cook anything fancy on this stove. All I do is boil water, and it works fine for that. If you do put in too much water, and it doesn't get up to a boil, your only option is to add another cube / partial cube, or maybe add some twigs.- This wouldn't be my first choice for a long multi-week hike, like the AT. The fuel is expensive, and somewhat hard to come by. I've seen it advertised for as high as $2/cube, and the cheapest I've found so far is ~$0.50/cube. An alcohol stove will probably heat the same amount of water for $0.05 or less. I've only seen the cubes online and at outdoor suppliers like REI. You probably can't find any of these at any of the stores in trail towns, so you would have to rely on supply drops from home to keep them replenished. Also, a word of caution, there are different sizes of the fuel. I think I've seen 5g and 7g sizes. These may work for you, but obviously you'll have to use 2-3 cubes to get the same amount of heat.- The cubes are somewhat difficult to get started. I typically have to hold a flame to one for 10-15 seconds before it starts burning on its own. I can usually accomplish this with a lighter by tilting the stove while lighting, but in windy conditions this may be difficult. I've found three workarounds that make this somewhat easier. 1) scrape some of the fuel into powder and put it on top of the cube. The loose fuel will ignite much easier and then start the rest. 2) Use a long-burning survival match that resists wind and won't risk burning fingers. 3) Place a cotton ball soaked with Vaseline next to the cube. The cotton ball will light instantly and burn for 60-90 seconds, which is plenty to get the fuel cube to light.- The fuel will leave a hard tar-like substance on the bottom of the stove, and a black oily residue on the bottom of the cookware. For the stove, I just scrape the residue off with a knife occasionally. For the cook pot, I usually rub it in clean dirt for a bit to remove the worst of it, and then wipe the rest with a rag. I keep the cook pot in a gallon zip-lock bag in my pack so that any remaining residue won't rub off on the inside of the pack or other items nearby.