Tuesday, April 29, 2014

Ezbit Stove (Equipment Review)

Ezbit Stove Equipment Review
Buy it Here
I received this alcohol stove a few weeks ago and have been testing it for the last week or so making multiple meals on it. While I have been waiting to add this stove to my bushcraft cook-set for sometime I was quite disappointed at its performance but I will save further criticism for the traditional pro/con list!


Specifications: 
1) All brass construction
2) Screw top lid with rubber gasket seal (replaceable)   
3) Flame regulator/snuffer
4) Weighs 3.25 Oz.

Testing this far: 
1) Ease of lighting: 
     -Able to light with a lighter but not a ferro rod
2) Burn time when full: 
     -Stove burn time is 35 minutes with HEET and 37 minutes with medical grade rubbing alcohol
3) Ramen Cook Time:
     -Roughly 12 minutes (I don't like a lot of broth so it had to cook off)
4) 20 Oz water boil time: 
     -5:47 minutes with medical alcohol, 4:23with HEET
5) Functionality with Pathfinder Stove/Cup: 
     -The Alcohol burner functioned flawlessly with the pathfinder stove and flame was approximately 1-2"   above the stove while no cooking vessel was on the stove. 
6) Difference in fuel performance: Heet seemed to perform much cleaner and brought water to a boil much faster than medical grade rubbing alcohol.
7) Altitude= 1100 Feet









Pros
-Able to hold fuel within the cooking vessel
-Durable Design
-Built in flame snuffer
-More fuel efficient
-Much faster boil time than a homemade stove
-Price point under $15, you cant find that with propane
-Packable with the rest of your cook set
-Works perfectly with the pathfinder stove
-No need to carry inside another container to add durability and a snuffer
-Pretty close to bullet proof

Cons:
-Price vs. My homemade stove (Instructions Here)
-Capacity vs. a homemade stove that is limited only to the size can
-Unable to light with a ferro rod unlike a homemade stove
-Lid is slightly rounded which made for an interesting configuration in the bottle cook set
-Seems to take 1-2 minutes to get the flame up to par

Final thoughts: While I was a little let down by this product I must say that there is no other self-contained cook stove on the market that is close this product to have instant fire for cooking and warming in nearly any environment. I recommend this product to anyone looking for a good bullet proof bushcraft cooking item!

11 comments:

  1. Hey Josh, thanks for posting the review. I was wondering, your photos looked like you were using it indoors, did you get to try it outdoors in any wind? Would it cook well outside in the cold?

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    1. I don't know about cold it was 55 inside and 65 outside. I took the pictures inside (so you could actually see the flame), but performance didn't seem to be effected by being outside. Once it gets cold again I will see how it performs, but from my experience with homemade alcohol stoves it has to be well below freezing to severely effect performance in a negative way. Wind doesn't seem to effect performance other than the initial lighting of the stove.

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  2. Cool! So as I understand it, the review is for the Esbit burner not the stainless steel pathfinder stove and pot, correct?

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    Replies
    1. Correct. Although I obviously used the Pathfinder stove and Cup with the Alcohol Stove for all the testing as it is what I carry in my bushcraft cook set. I guess I could have thrown the 54 oz AL can on there full of water or the pathfinder bottle..... maybe an update with boil times for several different containers :)

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  3. I like the how-to article on building the home-made alcohol stove you compared it to...(and the video)

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    Replies
    1. thank you! I love that little homemade stove it just doesn't hold up to getting crushed in a pack. But it burns hot and is great for cooking!

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  4. Mention your altitude. That effects boil times too. Good Job!

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    Replies
    1. 1100 feet, I updated the blog above!

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    2. So water boils for you at around 2 deg. lower than water boils at sea level. (208F vs 210F). http://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/boiling-points-water-altitude-d_1344.html

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  5. I just ordered one!

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    Replies
    1. You will be happy with it. Stick with the blue and yellow HEET and you will get the most out of it!

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