Brew in the Woods - Testing Stoves

[Ashley Cawley]

Hi Folks,

Enjoyed a nice brew in the woods today with Martin, Matt & the wife. I started testing two Stoves that I am taking a look at, one being the White Box Stove and the other the Honey-Stove.

First impressions; I love both and can see merits for each, but before I've made any final decisions I will be testing them a lot more.

The wife shot a couple of minutes footage whilst we were out, I'll post that here when it's done uploading.

[Ashley Cawley]

Here's the video:

http://vimeo.com/16820727

[Ashley Cawley]

Oh and photos from today are @ http://picasaweb.google.com/ashleycawley/StStephensWoodsNov2010#

[Kieran]

Hi Folks,

Enjoyed a nice brew in the woods today with Martin, Matt & the wife. I started testing two Stoves that I am taking a look at, one being the White Box Stove and the other the Honey-Stove.

First impressions; I love both and can see merits for each, but before I've made any final decisions I will be testing them a lot more.

The wife shot a couple of minutes footage whilst we were out, I'll post that here when it's done uploading. i was thinking of getting the honey-stove. i'll be checking back to see what you think :)

[Kieran]

do you reckon you'll get this ash?
http://www.backpackinglight.co.uk/product496.asp?PageID=110
or is it plenty big enough as it is? :p

[Ashley Cawley]

No it's plenty big enough as it is. It's bigger than a Bushbuddy stove, so you can already get chuncky bits of wood in it, which will probably result in less maintenance to keep it going, time will tell.

[Kieran]

and it's cheaper than the bushbuddy ;)
the honey-stove does look pretty awesome.

[Martin]

and it's cheaper than the bushbuddy ;)
the honey-stove does look pretty awesome.

It is bigger than the Bushbuddy and packs smaller and is very light. However, the Bushbuddy is a wood gasification stove and consequently burns very efficiently with very little smoke as we saw yesterday. It is also fair to say, from the ashes left at the end of the burn, that the Bushbuddy makes the best use of the available calories.

I really liked the Honey Stove but think it is important to realise the difference between the two systems. Ultimately, the Honey Stove is a very nicely made fire box which does no more than contain and concentrate your fire. It is a very neat design but the same result can be derived by building a fire in a tin with holes in it. The Bushbuddy actually increases the efficiency of your fire.

Martin

[Ashley Cawley]

... I really liked the Honey Stove but think it is important to realise the difference between the two systems. Ultimately, the Honey Stove is a very nicely made fire box which does no more than contain and concentrate your fire. It is a very neat design but the same result can be derived by building a fire in a tin with holes in it. The Bushbuddy actually increases the efficiency of your fire...

They are two different systems and I agree the bushbuddy is more effecient in it's burn.

In principle the honey-stove is just a posh version of Justin's dog-food can hobo-stove (http://vimeo.com/9807635) the difference being that it packs up flat and I suppose it a little more versatile in that you can build different constructions with it.

The Bushbuddy is an elabourate double-skinned gasification stove that burns as much gas as posible, it is still light and a lovely system. If it wasn't so expensive I would consider getting one. I can appreciate the price-tag considering the good design & construction.

[Kieran]

They are all pretty awesome :).
I like the fact that the bushbuddy is very fuel efficient!

[Janine]

I have had fun with the Bushbuddy, Caldera stove and titanium esbit tablet stove..
these are a set of photos put together when I was demonstrating the merits of the Bushbaby (I mean Bushbuddy !!) and titanium stove to my son and a special needs lad I work with.
I do a lot of Bushcraft with all the special needs children I work with..
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2036991&id=1408680757&l=c4f9b94d90

Caldera stove is here
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2047990&id=1408680757&l=a9a1aade3f

[Kieran]

It is bigger than the Bushbuddy and packs smaller and is very light. However, the Bushbuddy is a wood gasification stove and consequently burns very efficiently with very little smoke as we saw yesterday. It is also fair to say, from the ashes left at the end of the burn, that the Bushbuddy makes the best use of the available calories.

I really liked the Honey Stove but think it is important to realise the difference between the two systems. Ultimately, the Honey Stove is a very nicely made fire box which does no more than contain and concentrate your fire. It is a very neat design but the same result can be derived by building a fire in a tin with holes in it. The Bushbuddy actually increases the efficiency of your fire.

Martin
is this the same?
http://www.bushcooker.com/

[Martin]

is this the same?
http://www.bushcooker.com/

Yeah Kieran, I believe the Bushcooker is a copy of the Bushbuddy. It seems identical except for the price although I have heard that it doesn't perform so well but I really don't know as I haven't used one.

Martin