where can I find a good selection of alcohol stove

Going to buy my first alcohol stove

I've done a search on this forum and found a few stoves, I want to know more about them before I buy one, I can't seem to find a good selection on one site, or a site with a comparison of more than a few stoves

most alcohol stoves can be made by your average joe. Also due to the DIY nature, new ideas and stoves are constantly being made. That said there are only a few basic types, but of these types you will find a ridiculous number of stoves. I have quite a bit of experience with a number of stove types and using them in different conditions. Perhaps I can share my experience with you to at least narrow down your options. What type of cooking will you be doing? Is weight a factor? Is speed a factor? Will you be using it in the cold (below freezing)?

Thanks for offering to help.

Speed is the most important to me, weight not so much just lighter than my jetboil, in the winter I use white gas (dragon fly) I'm not sure about the pot type but considering tall and narrow but I will use a wide pot if it means the stove is faster.

Start here :
http://zenstoves.net/BasicSideBurner.htm#BasicSideBurnerStove
Backpackinglight has had a few comparative erticles on them but you need a subscription to see them.
Franco

Alky stoves are so easy to make a caveman can do it. Personally I see no reason to buy one from someone else. Unless you have absolutely no time and you are dripping money.

Whatever you choose, make sure it's suitable for your particular pot.

I don't know of one place. I have links to several sites in my stoves section of my "kitchen" page. Just scroll down a could of screens to the alcohol section.

--Mark

After some reading I think I would like a stove that doesn't require the user to measure the fuel to make the stove work

Like many I have made several (a few dozens...) alcohol stoves. They all work.
However I use the TiTri Caldera Cone system.
That is because it works exactly the way I like it. Best compromise between fuel efficiency and speed (for me...)
I only boil water, so the 550ml version works for me. I use the caddy as a mug and my re-hydrating container.
The cone works well in the wind.
No, I don't have to measure how much I use. I made a "snuffer " for the 10-20 stove. That allows me to put the flame out as soon as the water boils or is hot enough for my coffee. Then I transfer the remaining fuel to the snuffer and from that back into the container.
The snuffer at the moment is still a piece of doubled up aluminium foil shaped over the stove and cut to size.

Franco

measuring the amount of fuel put in can have a relatively great effect on the performance of many (if not most) alcohol stoves.

You can recover unburned alcohol, but you probably only end up recovering half of it, due to evaporation. If you're not mindful of fuel efficiency, an alcohol setup can end up being much heavier than a canister stove setup.

Jason Klass has a number of youtube videos on alcohol stoves (his youtube username is jasonklass), as do many other people. Watching some of those can really give you a good idea of the strengths and weaknesses of various designs, to get an idea of what might be best for you.

http://www.youtube.com/user/jasonklass?blend=1&ob=4#p/u/4/Uc_YOSTtNns

that might help some...just do some digging, google searches related to alcohol stoves turn up a tremendous volume of info.

Trangia stoves have a snuffer/simmer adjustment and a separate lid (with a gasket) that screws on, so you can just leave the unused alcohol in the stove. It's not light compared to other alcohol stoves, but it's not overly heavy, either.

The best attachment I've found for the Trangia burner is the Clikstand windscreen/pot support (www.clikstand.com); the Evernew .9L titanium pot works really well with it, and stove, Clikstand and a small spoon store inside the pot quite nicely. The whole setup, including a Platysport bottle for extra fuel, weighs no more than a Jetboil. (I can't recall the exact weight, since I no longer use alcohol stoves and don't have one lying around. It worked fine, I just found I liked the simplicity of canisters better - strictly a subjective choice on my part.)

An alcohol stove that seems to fit your bill quite well is the supercat. It is very fast, simple to use. The best part is, it is also one of the easiest to make. An empty cat food can (small size) and a hole punch. http://jwbasecamp.com/Articles/SuperCat/index.html

In addition to the SuperCat, you might check out the White Box Stove; very well made.

I honestly feel like people who complain about "Heavy" and "light" alcohol stoves are just being obsessive, if your alcohol stove is small, that is honestly all that matters, anything you buy, short of a pocket rocket is going to weigh alot less that any canister stove.

What kind of pot are you using? You should also check out Minibulldesign

I have about a dozen alcohol stoves. Many are simple, some less so. If fast boil is your priority you will do well to keep the amount of water to 1-2 cups, get a wider rather than narrower pan, and use a supercat with 1 oz of fuel.

Or, get the Minibull mini-atomic - measure (yes, I know) an ounce into it, screw in the little thumbscrew, dribble a few drops on the wick, light the wick. Drop on the potstand and pot. Fast, straightforward, works consistently. Mine is perfect for the heinie pot or a small ti pot.

White box works great - but you have to listen for the pop of the side jets if it isn't dark enough to see the flames. Put the pot on too soon and it goes out.

Measuring helps. Once you know how much you need to bring your desired amount of water to boil on your stove, measuring helps you avoid wasting fuel.

Caldera cone systems are really nice and consistent, but you have more things to pack that way - tho the caddy doubles as a bowl/cup.

I own a Vargo but have only used it once. It didn’t seem to hold enough alcohol to bring a cup of water to a boil (maybe I needed a windscreen?) In my opinion it sucks as an alcohol stove. However, that stove can be turned over to burn Esbit which worked considerably better for me. Esbit is light, cannot spill, and can be added to the stove while it is going.

Howie

Yes, you need a windscreen, always. It keeps the heat focused on the bottom of the pot so it doesn't disperse. Alcohol stoves work with windscreens - they aren't as hot as canister stoves, which will work fine without a windscreen unless it's windy.

I'd amend your last statement: "...unless it's windy" and you can't figure out how to put the canister stove behind a log or rock, or use your pack or body or anything else to create a windscreen. I've used a canister stove successfully in some fairly breezy conditions.

Some canister stoves, like the Jetboil or Reactor, have some windscreening built in. You pay a heavy weight price, however.

And, for what it's worth, I always found that my Clikstand/Trangia actually worked better if it was a bit breezy.

jasonklass asked

What kind of pot are you using? You should also check out Minibulldesign [/quote]


I am using the gsi minimalist which is tall and narrow most importantly the lid is plastic and rubber I want to make a stove that wont sent flames too far up the sides cuz they may melt the edges of the lid.
which of the stoves have a narrow flame pattern

From the Mini-Bull designs? The Atomic has a narrow flame pattern.

One of the easiest ways to decipher a tall verses narrow flame pattern is by the holes. Holes on top of the stove, like the Atomic and other Pepsi-can style stoves will have a narrower flame pattern, while stoves with holes on the side like a Supercat or Fancy Feast will have a wider flame pattern.

Now I am not familer with your pot, but the above method doesn't always work. For example, I use a MYOG fancy feast stove (wide flame) with a Snow Peak 700 (tall and narrow) pot and it works just fine. However with my SP 600 (tall and narrow) pot, the Fancy Feast has a too wide of a flame and thus I switch to a Pepsi can style.

Chris's recommendation of the Atomic is a good one. Also, Tinny makes some other stoves like the Bongo which have narrow flame patterns.

I've used the SuperCat stove. I can boil two cups of water in about 5 of 6 minutes I think. I don't measure, instead I just fill it up to the lowest holes.

Best part is that you can make it yourself in 10 minutes with only a can of cat food and a hole punch from the dollar-store.