Inexpensive British Military FireDragon BCB Solid Fuel Stove - Real World Review
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 7 พ.ย. 2020
- This is the British Military Fire Dragon Stove which is a NATO / Military approved product from across the pond that utilizes Solid Fuels.
In this Agenda Free Review, Luke goes over the Pros, the Cons and why this may be the right stove for you.
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British Military Solid Fuel Stove Fuel Cooker
Agenda Free Link : www.amazon.com/Dragon-Unisex-...
Cost : $8 at the time of filming and that is only for the stove - no fuel - in the UK, these are even less expensive with common pricing being around 2 euros
Weight without fuel cubes : 3.8oz
Weight with 5 .5oz (14g) fuel cubes : 6.4oz
Dimensions: 3" X 1" X 4.5"
Features : Retractable side walls and removable windshield. Integrated fuel receiver channels heat from fuel to mess tin, cup or pot. Can store fuel blocks within closed cooker.
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Made by BCB International, the FireDragon Stove is a British military product; even though the name of the product is the BCB FireDragon Multi-Fuel Cooker it doesn’t come with any fuel even though the packaging states FireDragon which is weird.
Fuel : Can be used with any type of solid fuel including Hexamine and Trioxane and some liquid fuels.
Use : With 14g/.5oz Hexamine tablets; each tablet burns approximately 12 minutes and one tablet boils 500 ml (2 cups) of water in about 8 minutes - Results will vary greatly with such a fuel and stove
Benefits of Hexamine :
✔ Clean - very little soot
✔ Renewable
✔ Burns even when wet
✔ Suitable for extreme conditions
✔ Easy to light
✔ Lightweight
✔ Cost Efficient
✔ Low luminosity
✔ Easy storage
FireDragon Fuel : This company has their own fuel which you can purchase separately which is like hexamine but is reportedly nontoxic and is alcohol based. I haven’t tried the fuel myself but I will get some in to test out and to compare.
Hexamine Fuel Cost : 40 tablets cost around $30 - burn up 1300F degrees
About the BCB Company :
Since its creation in 1854, BCB International has been developing pioneering innovations that have helped generations of armed forces personnel, seafarers, aid workers and adventurers operate and survive in some of the world’s harshest environments.
Review Pros :
Very simple designed
Good quality
Light weight
Hold multiple fuel Tablets
Features a windscreen
Lightweight
Inexpensive
Easy & Quick To Use
Retractable Side Walls which allow for multiple angles of use which allows for many sizes of cup or pot to be used
Fuel Channels allow for multiple tablets to be used at once; 1 - 3 at a time for faster use and for larger pots and longer cooking events.
Can be used with multiple fuel types and fuel sizes; hexamine can be found in multiple sizes.
Hexamine is excellent for high altitudes and sub-zero temperatures
Review Cons :
With the BCB FireDragon stove, it doesn’t actually include any FireDragon Fuel
There isn’t much to complain about; it’s inexpensive, fuel is inexpensive and it doesn’t weigh much.
Is a stove actually needed?
There are lighter weight solid fuel stoves but they aren’t expandable for larger pots and cooksets.
Summary :
These little stoves are great for those who want to go out on adventures with a lightweight, small form factor stove and fuel solution. Inexpensive, simple to use, compact and fuel is easily available.
If you are looking for an alternative to this brand, one that comes with some fuel, Esbit has a version which is very similar;
Agenda Free Link : www.amazon.com/Esbit-Ultralig...
It is very similar in size, weight and design. Cost is around $13
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BCB is a great company in Cardiff, Wales. With their expertise in manufacturing Fire Dragon gel fuel they really stepped up during the Covid pandemic and started producing alcohol hand sanitizer to supply local hospitals, care homes and other critical businesses when hand sanitizer was in short supply. Overall a very responsible community focused business that makes some very innovative products.
Seen their product you mention through my ppe deliveries recently , good local company :)
Been using mine for nearly 30 years now, got it issued in a 24 hour ration pack. Still going strong, although the fuel costs almost as much as the stove, there a kind of satisfaction knowing I've been using the same stove all these years. Digging a small pit helps on windy days. 🇬🇧
Used a version of this excellent little cooker many, many times during my long service in the Royal Navy. It used to come with a waxed cardboard wrapping containing (I think) about 9 or 12 blocks of hexamine and this 'packet of solid fuel' fitted neatly into the cooking plate area when the 'legs' were folded flat for stowage and packing away in your ruck. And as you opened the two halves halfway or fully, the way of the 'lid' arrangement made the cooker stand on four little 'legs' which is slightly different to this model. The cooking area was also a flat plate, unlike the 'compartmented' one you show. However, it is more or less the very same piece of kit. Great idea with the little 'windbreak', which we never had. We used to break the blocks in two and arrange them standing upright. This brought the flame closer to your pot and sort of concentrated the flame a bit more. A great little cooker that can still be found in military surplus stores in the UK and if I'm not mistaken is still issued to some units with their ration pack issues these days. (must ask my sons who are still serving). Love your channel my friend, stay safe.
Thank you and your sons for your service for your country and the free world in general, from an American.
🇺🇸🇬🇧
Yeah that was the original hexi stove, stunk bad, this is the modern more eco friendly version, but it's a bit slower.
I think I've got a few kicking about, still complete in brown paper with the waxed box of tablets, I think there's 8 but you can break them down even more as you said, I seen a few people use tin foil on their mess tins to stop them sooting up, but I never bothered.
It’s 8 - 4 per layer - I had mine from the qms when my dad was a boot neck 42
@@jameswoodard4304 Thankyou my friend. Although a Brit I am now also a proud US citizen. One son has very recently left the Royal Navy after seventeen years and has just joined the Australian Army! The other one is in Naval Intelligence and attached to British SF. Very proud Dad. Thank you for your kind words.
@Andrew Miller I used these many times, either on exped in the RN and believe it or not, in the Belize jungle at Punta Gorda when each section of our ships Landing Party were detached for a few days with the Gloucester Regiment. Unfortunately the ants took over the cookers! It’s not just booties that have to eat in the field matey! Lol. And at sea, I even used this cooker in my gun workshop in defense watches to fire up a tin or two of soup for my section lads. Happy (but Spartan) days. (And it’s ‘matelot’ lol)
This video now explains a German version of this stove that I accidentally picked up for $5 from a surplus milspec website. When it arrived it wasn't what I thought I ordered and I had no idea how to use it, but for $5 it wasn't worth the effort to return. Now that I know what fuels to use and how to use it I think I'll drop it in my car's emergency kit. Thanks for the info!
Hey Luke, love your work mate, your vlogs are very informative. I served in the Australian army for over 20 years,and the hexistove, was our go to issued individual cooker that usually comes with our ration packs. A few pointers if I may, 1. Heximine tablets is extremely toxic in closed in environments, we used big white blocks of the stuff, and usually got 4 heximine tablets per stove,with more on replenishment of rations. I actually saved my pit buddies life when we were on exercise, story goes that we were in a defensive dug in position, and we had our own fighting/sleeping bays. Anyway, I came back from gun/security piquet and found my pit buddy passed out in his sleeping pit, he used two heximine tablets to keep himself warm. Likely we had a medic close by and the ambulance was in our admin area. 2. There are actually two ways you can use this stove, one of them you had already covered, the second one is you turn the stove upside/down, and use the claws to dig in to the dirt, we used this method when we were in a closed in jungle environment, and didn’t want the enemy to smell the heximine tablets, of course a small scratch hole for the tablets, but very effective. Anyway, I hope I didn’t bore you with my story and that this message helps you out. Cheers, Ozzz
That is why they created jell fuel, to get away from toxic hex an triox.
Great company BCB , based about 15 miles from me in South Wales :)
Two Key features of this stove which make it different from all the stoves out there:
1) the windscreen which adds stability and reduces boil time
2) the central section allows you to use gels, liquid fuels AND solid fuel tabs. That is why it is the "fire dragon" stove - fire Dragon is a bit ethanol fuel tabs that turns to a gel during combustion, burns clean and with a barely visible but very hot blue flame with virtually no light signature, and comes either as a tab or as a gel in a bottle
I've replaced all my esbit standard-issue stoves from the army (Austrian NATO issue, original esbits) with these BCB stoves. Well worth the money for the added versatility.
Both the fire dragon stove and fuel tablets are very good as an emergency backup clean burning and odourless🇬🇧👍
and loaded with arsenic. Why dont use them over here in Uk military anymore.
A good honest review, I have used this stove over several years and it performs well in emergency situations.....God bless America and the 2nd amendment...🇬🇧
@@tomhirons7475 ...Typical British military...poison the squaddies 1st to see if its toxic.
Ex British Army and we used to get the old Hexi stove with the hexi-block fuel in it, wrapped in greaseproof brown paper as part of the 24 hr ration packs. a more simple design (no windguard) and still very easy to use and to pack as the hexi blocks fitted perfectly inside the stove. Seems strange to see these new ones being sold without the fuel.
I'm in the US Army and my Unit spend a lot of time in the field. I've used this stove many times to heat up my coffee and if I'm lucky, shaving water. The wind screen makes this the best stove of its kind.
Really, I just use the esbit with a rock on the ground!
The Australian army issued hexamine stoves for many years. 2 "cons" that should to be mentioned are: 1) The fumes given off by hexi are noxious so this fuel needs to be used in a well ventilated area 2) A sticky "tar" like residue is often left on the base of any cooking pots after using this fuel. It can transfer onto pouches or gear & is difficult to remove. To negate this problem liberally smear dishwashing detergent ( using the pot scourer found in the old Australian ration packs ) on the base of the cooking gear, this stops the tar-like substance from sticking ( just wipe the blackened base of the pot onto leaves & the soot comes off ) Hope this was helpful. Keep up the great reviews Luke : )
The fire dragon fuel blocks are not hexamine and not toxic. Safe to use in any environment, inside or outside
The go to stove for my time in the military. Had great gas stove but when the temperature dropped or didn’t have time to set gas stove this never failed. Great stove to stick a quick brew on when you only had ten minutes to sort your gear out. Like you say tried and tested stove been used in British army for at least 40 years that I know of.Soldiers were using this in falklands war that’s how long it’s been around. Luke great vid as always sir
They have been around a lot longer than that, perhaps not in the British army. The Esbit pocket stow is marginally different from the one it the video was introduced in 1936 and used by the German army in WWII.
I could not find when the British army moved was from the Tommy cooker with a metal can with gelled alcohol to the hexamine fuel. There is a stove om eBay that is listed as from 1958
www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Hexamine-Solid-Fuel-Cookers-Vintage-1958-Ex-Army-Field-Gear-Collectors-Item-/203055545632 So I suspect is was relative quickly adopted after WWII when the main design was discovered.
The British solid fuel stove of WWII look like a lot worse designed. www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Vintage-WW2-British-Army-ration-pack-stove-and-solid-fuel-blocks/333774157416?hash=item4db67d7668:g:z88AAOSwv9Bfnx4U
Bobby Ball,I think BCB also produces great face camo products as well.
Love them, this product and the older British forces old hexi cooker from when I served. When ever I go out on my local hills or even for a walk with my dog. I always have one in my pocket with a small cup, a 3 in 1 coffee sachet and a bottle of water (shared between me and my dog) so I can have a brew. As below (Paul McCoy) says there is also the British Army Crusader cook set which incorporates the 58 pattern water bottle, a plastic cup for drinking, a metal cup for eating/boiling and an integrated hexi cooker, which is also a great bit of kit.
BCB make great outdoor products. In addition to the product featured in this video, they make a cook set which is integrated with the British 58 Pattern Watterbottle. It too uses the Fire Dragon fuel, hexamine and even a Trangia burner.. They make 2 types of metal cups with integrate with the system. The smaller cup is issued to the British Army, whilst the larger, is private purchase. All of these products can be found on eBay and Amazon..
A Great bit of kit. I am taking my Crusader set out on the hills for a brew with my Mrs later today.
One of my favorite channels..especially love the various military gear reviews..
This is not a hexamine stove, this stove replaced the hexamine stove as the standard issue for all British military. The BCB Crusader MKII is now my goto stove and works with either hexamine, nesbit, wood, firedragon gel or tabs, fire rope and meths/ethanol or a Trangia, it really is a versatile cook system. This lightweight BCB will serve you well, it served me well for 9 years in the Infantry and is so reliable but it works best with firedragon gel or tablets. The windscreen not only shelters the buring material from the wind, but it also adds extreme strength to the two folding wings which will take the weight of a full kettle of water easily. Throw it in your pack, you wont regret it.
I like the mk2 stand but problem I find is that bcb mugs don't come with a proper cover and are super heavy, aluminiumugs are light but no cover again, unless u improvise. There are titanium bean shape mugs on market with cover but cost a lot. So that folding cooker is good if u wanna use a light titanium mug that u can get from 15 pounds, it will fit any shape pot basically..
In the UK this stove is so cheap on Amazon, £3.90 (aprox $5) and they also sell the solid fuel in packs of 30 for £14.90 (approx $20). I’m going to buy one for my backup car get home bag. Thanks for the review Luke.
That is a really cool stove...thanks again Luke for your integrity, as always, excellent video!!
Oh I dig solid fuel stoves, just got one myself love the windscreen on this one!! Thanks for the review!
Love your channel so much luke, during these tiring times w the virus and all the political stuff going on these videos are like a mini vacation escape for me, thank you brother!
How could anyone give Luke a thumbs down this guy is the real deal you would have to be pure evil to do something like that with that being said i would like to personally thank you Luke for your channel my friend you are total awesomeness keep up the good work peace out brother strength and honor
Good to see some British product on your channel. Greetings from across the pond!
Great review Luke, thank you for sharing this video. The very best to you and Susie. I look forward to your next adventure. 🤗
I've seen many of these but never one with a wind screen...brilliant innovation. And im digging that jacket you're wearing.
His jacket looks like the helikon tex pilgrim. I've just gotten one in black. Loving it so far!
rockinink i have one in green it is awesome . I have water purification and storage as well as fire starting , a small knife , whistle, snail fishing kit, head lamp, so many pockets to make it into a survival jacket .
Love watching your channel Luke. As an ex Squaddie we have all used these to cook our rations with, before buying a Coleman petrol stove or gas for speed. But i would always keep a hexi stove as backup for its reliabilty.
The old hexamine blocks used to tar up the bottom of your steel mug, but as long as you rub it on grass straight after using it you get rid of that tarring easily.
Great review! We used these in the army back in the 90s and they never let me down. The best thing is the speed , you can get water boiling in no time at all and those few minutes saved can make a big difference!
Not accurate even slightly 🤣 entrenching tool dug down a massive square break ya kneecaps on the blocks and wouldn’t light and often fall through the cooker to then cook the dirt 🤣🤣
I like the divots and windscreen that separate it from every other run of the mill solid fuel stove.
Being it's made of galvanized material, I'd suggest doing a few burns on it before you cook on it. Burning galvanized metal gives off some bad fumes (zinc oxide) and can give you flu like symptoms called "fume flu."
Fantastic little stoves, used them all the time in Army Cadets.
👍👍When you blow out the hexamine DO NOT BREATH IN THE FUMES highly toxic👍👍👌✌🙏
Brings back memories of when I was in the air cadets. We used to use a similar design, but we called them hexi-cookers. I still have on in the loft. I think I'll dig it out and have a go with it.
Used them for years in the army, absolutely love them,simple, easy to use what's not to like
I’ve used a Esbit for three years now, while moto-camping. Simple, small, cheep and lightweight. When you boil water for meals or coffee, it works.
And Would be safer than carrying easily puncture gas canisters on a bike!
Cost in UK from GO-outdoors is £1.47 per stove with the 20% off members card. The solid alcohol blocks are £3.42 for 12. Or you can purchase gel in either 1lt or 200ml form. The very packable 200ml screw top pouch is £1.40. Each tablet is 30g and the stove 115g on my scales. Amazon charges more.
Used these stoves a lot in Scouts back in the 80’s. Our Scout leader was a retired Royal Marine. The MOD version did not have the wind shield and the hexi blocks came in a waxed cardboard pack that filled the inside of the stove. All in all a good piece of kit. As you said good in low temperatures and when bivvying out. The ration packs these stoves were part of I remember were heavy as they contained tins not MRE style foil pouches. I still like “Biscuits Fruit” and the top tip of mixing the porridge oats with the apple flakes for breakfast👍😎
I have two stoves that look exactly like this one. One is by the Esbit co. which has been around for a long time and the other is German military surplus. Both use solid trioxane tabs and work very well! I was lucky to buy an entire shopping bag full of the fuel tabs at a yard sale!
This stove is designed to contain the melting jell fuel where as the Esbit/German Army ones do not.
I got curious about this stove after seeing it in one of your recent overnight videos. So I picked one up along with the Fire Dragon fuel tabs. My conclusions: 1 tab boiled 2 cups of water, but not to a rolling boil, this took about 7 min. The water was hot enough to cook my Mountain house meal. The soot left behind was minimal and most of it scrubbed off easily. I can see myself taking this on long day hikes.
Very simple, minimalist, and effective!!!👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻
Thanks so much for the review ! Just ordered one from Amazon on the strength of your opinion.
I like the way the windscreen also reinforces the pot stands.
The windscreen is nigh on essential, I would think; as the rivets (the hinges) wear with use, and the concave-to-convex detents wear, the ability of the stove to support mass -- without the wind screen -- would decline. Failure will be one-ended, likely slopping the contents of the pot dramatically sideways. In anticipation of inevitable wear, or the inevitable loss of the screen, perhaps the detents should come pre-drilled -- clean through each one, BDC, so as to accommodate a needle or simething of similar size and composition. Another improvement might be filing 'teeth' into the lower corners of the hinged section. You'd drive these with a bit of force into a log/fallen tree to lock the hinged plates at a set angle, and adding the pot would run no risk of the stove sliding, and reduce the likelihood of one hinged plate collapsing.
Even if it were possible to integrate the screen in the body, or make the plate of the current design captive (e.g. with thin aircraft cable), the stove could benefit from a little more engineering at the hinge, corners ('feet'), and detents. The edges of the plates might also benefit from a re-jigging that, when in use, tends to center and constrain at least smaller pots and cups (e.g. cut as stepped curves).
I think you nailed the time aspect of setting up and using it. I used a flat-packing, titanium fold-up stick stove just yesterday and it worked great. It packed flatter than this stove and was lighter, but I had to walk around finding sticks and getting it lit after I had spent all day hiking into camp. In an area you know will be wet or if time or daylight after you find camp are problematic, this tidy package of stove and fuel might be a better way to go.
Good afternoon little guy just want you to know man you are my inspiration for for this camping thing. I've never been camping a day in my life but I have all my utilities and utensils for my first camping trip. If it weren't for you and a couple other guys on this channel I would not have wanted to go camping but you inspire me. Thank you and I love your show.
Used one when I was in the cadets - more than 2 decades ago. Tried and tested. Works great. One tablet is more than enough to cook a meal in a 24 hour ration pack.
Great review of a great looking piece of Kit. It reminds me of the Esbit Stove in some ways.
I've modified my Esbit by making a small well that fits inside it for Alcohol Jell. (Hand Sanitizer.) That works well and I find it easy enough to carry a small bottle of the Jell.
The Wind Screen gives me some ideas, I'll have to see what I can come up with that will store inside the Esbit along with the Solid Fuel Tabs.
Cool. I have this one and you will see some trials on my channel from way back. Your stove looks improved design wise from mine as the wind shield kept falling. Fire dragon gel cubes are good and burn hotter than those hexamine ones you used. It can also be used as hand sanitizer! You can’t use more than one at a time as it overflows out the stove. You get approximately 20 mins burn time with the gel cubes too. They are really good. It is really good when it is raining and you want an emergency back up.
I want to thank you for having made this video (3 years ago or so). Originally I thought this was a copy of the Esbit’s but after a closer look I decided to order it and I could not have been more wrong. This is one much more sturdy and the fuel they sell is also more economical and way less toxic.
Thanks!
I saw this review a while back and was looking for something like this. I use this very stove all the time now, because it's yet to let me down with Firedragon's gel fuel.
Packs down light into a small space, is surprisingly sturdy compared to my last hexamine Gelert stove which wobbled too much to be useful.
Brilliant little thing!
This stove really doesn't come into its own until you try it with their proprietary gel fuel bars.The BCB will pack up with three of the packaged gel fuel bars inside it: one in the well with one on either side with the packaging tops overlaying the center's. It closes up and holds all three inside nicely-perfect for a decent overnighter supply. I'd love to hear your thoughts after trying the BCB stove and fuel vs an esbit stove and hexamine tabs.
Luke👍👍 Used to use this "style" of stove years ago but got tired of the mess with solid fuel tabs. Now with gelled alcohol and equivalent fuels, this may be back on the "can use" list. Nice review, thanks. Enjoy!
Would love to see a stove-off comparing all the various solid fuel pocket stoves
I've used and relied on FireDragon fuel for quite a while. The fuel is available in a bottled gel form, or the block version which is far easier to use. As someone has already mentioned, the Fire Dragon also doubles up as a hand sanitiser, which can be useful. I have one of these stoves - with Fire Dragon fuel blocks - in my emergency 'go bag' when I'm travelling
We have a saying in the British infantry, "Eat now, digest later." These stoves are designed for the forces where admin in the field wants to be as fast as possible. With that in mind these are perfect for those remote locations (the top of a mountain ridge) where a quick brew stop and off again comes into play, also for adverse weather conditions when you need to keep moving. I keep one in tow for emergency situations.
I have used it a few times, very reliable. Over 40 years ago I had another type of (Swiss made?) Solid fuel stove. Made of aluminium, included a cup that the burner stored inside of and burned metaldehyde tablets! Saved my life in central France in mid December.
I have the BCB burner and love it, the Dragon fuel is excellent, reduced soot, no smell and you can use it as a sanitizer or soap if needed, the downside to Dragon fuel blocks is that they onlu last around 6 minutes in non windy conditions!! In the UK the stove to buy is around 4 dollars, the blocks cost approx 30 cents each.
I have a fire dragon stove now and use the gel fuel tabs, I really wish I had it back when I was in the Army.
I bought one last year for back country hunting. Liked it a lot now it's in my go bag with the same fuel your using.
I'm a Brit, this stove and heximine fuel for has been the main issue stove and fule for the British Army since the 70s they are bomb proof the only draw back is the Hexi fumes can taint any food or watter you cook with it. The biggest drawback its its slow to cook with
fire dragon is not that toxic and doesn't smell like sh... it's like night and day.
And a &&8! to get off the bottom of mess tins. Loks like fuel has improved though.
Hi Luke,
I have used the Fire Dragon fuel several times and I like it a lot. One drawback is that the fuel tabs don't last quite as long as Hexamine. However, this is made up for by the fact that it burns a lot cleaner and you can light it with a ferro rod. You can also get it in bottled gel form.
Daniel in the UK.
Hey Luke, I think Firedragon is a BCB brand name for their alcohol fuel which has now replaced Hexamine in the British Forces. I have a pack of issue Firedragon tablets, the stove holds three at a time. I can send you a pack to review if you want? They make excellent emergency firefighters even after being submersed in water, you can use them as a hand sanitizer and they are much cleaner burning than hexy. In the Army we were taught to dig a small hole to help as a windshield for the stove and for tactical reasons. Keep up the great work. 👍
Thank you for the "🔥 Fire Dragon, liked" !!
Cool video... You can buy their set though where you get the stove and 6 x solid fuel tablets in one pack. Also if you use Firedragon's actual fuel tablets that you get with this stove or can buy separately there isnt any smell with them 👍🏻👍🏻
Once again..a great video...thanks
Fire dragon is gel fuel it turns to liquid when it’s warmed up. It hold three inside the bcb and is odourless
It’s a pity you didn’t get any as they are good 👍
And the gel cubes can be used as hand sanitizer on the go
Multifunction👍
You can also get the gel in a sports gel kind of pouch but I prefer the prepacked cubes
Go outdoors has the stove and the blocks and the gel packs
These are made for British army bivy bag cooking
Your hunkered down with the drawstring hood up over to make a kind of tent porch to cook in ( well boil in the bag in lol)
No toxic fumes filling your sleep space
That’s when it comes into its own👍
The original Fire Dragon Tabs are only geled alcohol, they didn't smell bad.. no poison... burning like hell. 🤣.. nearly a little bit to fast!. please excuse my bad english.. 🙏😇🤣
Didn't mention the BCB Crusader cook kit, all goes very well together with the fire dragon fuel (can squeeze 3 underneath). These are as cheap as chips in the UK, got 5 for £10 off gooutdoors. Only negative I see with the gel is the crappy residue they leave behind behind after burning. I found with my older Esbit is that you couldn't fill it fully and close it. Maybe they have changed it now. Other thing with the Crusader 2, the firesteel is good quality but lighting the fuel blocks in wind, good luck. Take a light or matches too.
Taking the British Army's lead on a move to alcohol for cooking, Hand sanitiser is 70%+ alcohol, it burns nicely, low odour, low light & can also be used for cleaning hands etc
The Esbit stove is the same exact idea minus the clip in wind screen. I have two Esbits and usually carry one with me for a quick coffee on winter hikes. The integrated windscreen would add more support too. Nice share.
Yep, classic design. I had one for about 30 years - before the British army used the Fire dragon fuels. I don't think mine had a windbreak, if it did I must have lost it. Worth having at least one for the car, and it's way quicker and easier to setup than trying to find the right rocks and so on, more stable for the pot too. Oh yeah and easy to fit in cargo pants pockets or military combat jacket (smock) pockets too.
Love these things, very light and they can be packed easily with your mess kit. And as you showed you can store the fuel inside it to save more space when closed up.
We had these in the military. You stopped from your march, and set it under your mess tin ( fitted perfectly), with a pint of water. Added soup, main course ( casserole) and 'hardtack' all together. You then set up your tarp and sleeping bag. By the time the sleeping kit was up, your hot food was ready, about 12 minutes. Use 'lifeboat' matches, not normal ones; and the hexamine is literally storm proof, once lit it will not go out. No moving parts, so nothing to go wrong. Never use in a confined area as the fumes are poisonous.
There's a store in UK called GO Outdoors. And got one of those stoves for £2.38. Excellent little stove for the price
Luke I bought a stove at WalMart with that same design for less than $5.00. It comes with fuel tablets. It's the UST Folding stove Camp Kitchen. Not only does it come with the fuel tablets but it also serves as a stand for a Trangia style alcohol stove. Pus if you run out of fuel tablets it works great as a stick stove. I've had mine for a while and I love it. At almost half the price.
Good review. The hexamine Esbit fuel was invented in Germany in 1936. The German soldiers used the Esbit stove during WWII and I think even use it today. These are great for emergency or casual camping. I used Esbit fuel to power my steam engine when I was a kid. I don’t know it the brand makes a difference but the Esbit fuel whether burned in my steam engine or in my folding stoves has very little odor. I have heard trioxane solid fuel tablets (used by a number of military organizations) have a very bad odor, but I never used any.
These stoves are made of steel so they will not melt like aluminum so you can use wood as fuel.
I have 2 of these in my car for me and my SO, its part of our get home bags and I have been forced to use mine once when I got stuck in the mountains and had to wait to the next day for AAA to come tow my car. I burned through 10 tablets (firedragon) to get my dinner going, a cup of bullion before bed (sleeping bag in reclined car seat) and coffee the next morning
Might be a good addition to my winter setup.
I like it. I have a Trangia set (burner, two pots, lid as frying pan, wind screen thingy, even a nesting kettle) which I love but what I like about this is it's simplicity. If I'm out for a long hike before setting up camp I can see myself breaking the out Fire Dragon for a quick hot lunch. It's light enoughand cheap enough to take along as a back-up.
I love u man.great show and very informative.keep going
We used a less sophisticated hexy stove in the cadets back in the 80s. No windscreen, nor divets.
But this video is pure nostalgia. Now I want one again.
Great video as always. The stove can be purchased for about 3-4 bucks. The fuel cost about the same as esbit tabs. They weigh 28 grams each and burn for 8-10 minutes. These fuel tabs reach their max heat out put very quickly, and maintain it for most of the burn time.
THANK YOU LUKE ! REALLY NICE VIDEO & COMMENTARY ! COULD HEAR & SEE YOU PERFECTLY ! WILL HAVE TO KEEP AN EYE OUT FOR THIS GOOD FOR EMERGENCIES TOO . BE SAFE ! HAVE FUN ! GOD BLESS YOU & YOUR FAMILY ALWAYS ON YOUR JOURNEYS ! ENJOYED !
Just bought it on amazon with the tabs included
Thanks for the very good review. This is a good backup stove. Take care.
Hey Luke! That looks like a good little stove. It looks sturdy and doesn't seem too small for what you need it for.
Luke you need to review the crusader cook system. It's made by BCB and is the personel cook system for British troops.
The crusader reminds me of a mixture between the american canteen cup system and the swedish mess kit. Just got mine a few months ago and havent tried it out yet.
@@kloroxii Yeah I can definitely see the similarities. I've had the mk1 for years, rarely use the stove section but the mug is one of those bits of gear that's like a companion now. Even got a nice custom steel lid for it.
Absolutely the first thing I thought of as well. Definitely add to your recommendation
Have one similar to this stove, very simple. Work good when fishing or hiking, when need something for hot drinks. Nice it uses different fuel, which I like.
I bought one when I was in the Army. It handled US canteen cups well.
I'm from uk , a great little stove to be used with the new Dragon gel blocks and liquid which from experience burn great , they boil faster than hexi burners and smell and soot much less . Once you go Bcb Dragon Gel you should prefer them to hexi blocks i reckon , dragon gels alcohol do good hygiene wash, shame the kind viewer did not send the dragon gel with the dragon cooker :) 👍🙂
I've used this stove twice. Once with the Firedragon alcohol tabs, and once with ordinary alcohol hand sanitizer gel. The fuel trough did not leak any of the gel, and it seemed to work about as well as the tabs. I didn't compare boil time or anything like that.
The tabs can be kinda expensive once you pay shipping from England. Of course, when using the hand san gel, the higher the alcohol percentage, the better it will burn.
Have had a similar stove for 20 some yrs that i purchashed at a Army Surplus store i like it because fits in a pocket and fuel tabs or Military fuel packets make quick fire for instant coffee and lipton soups .
I think I am gonna grab one of these for my trip to 1Shepherd
Good video well produced and informative- there is nothing worse than watch folk drop their matches or fumble with packaging and start mumbling to themselves - you got a subscription
I’ve been looking at this system for months but haven’t purchased it it’s solid fuel but turns to liquid alcohol as it burns pretty neat setup
Hi from the UK Luke, the fire dragon replaced the hexie as the hexie fumes are toxic in enclosed spaces.
From Singapore. Used this stove early in my teens whenever I go camping. Can get the stove for less than SGD$6 and another SGD$7 for the 16 solid fuel. Love the fast burning of the solid fuel for easy cooking and boiling of water...
I take this all the time with me on day hikes. I use gel hand sanitizer and it works perfectly, ita cheap and easy to find. Not only for coffee but also for cooking pasta or other simple foods. I love this stove. Cant imagine not having it anymore.
I think one of the main ideas behind the design of this simple stove was for cold/snowy weather so it can be set up with ease while wearing gloves or mittens ! and as you say no 1 item is ideal for every situation , this 1 is a pretty good all rounder and if the poop hits the fan its an ideal basic form of heat and cooking
I know someone who uses this stove quite a.bit throughout the year he swears by it , great simple product
The official Bcb dragon fuel tablets are fantastic. Best I’ve ever used.
I like it. Thanks Luke.
I prefer using these types of stoves over butane or propane, especially for stealth camping as they are quieter. Takes longer to boil water but not a big deal to me. I have the Esbit and the black military versions and I use either trioxane tablets or a small Fancy Feast tin of alcohol or HEET. I would love to add the Fire Dragon to my gear due to its construction and addition of the wind screen. If that inner container can hold liquid, alcohol or HEET, that would be awesome. I can always line it with aluminum foil to give it that ability to contain fluid fuel. Great review, Luke...looks like a winner to me! Our NATO friends possess some really cool surplus gear. The Coleman surplus outfit in Pennsylvania carry a lot of NATO surplus items. BTW, Expedition Research on Amazon sells a bushcraft grill pack of two, one 9inchX4.5inch grill and one 5X5inch grill, for $24. The 5X5inch one works perfectly with these stoves. Just open the stove to normal width and place the 5X5 directly on top, allowing any size cup, pot or pan, even a 32oz Pathfinder bottle on it without having to adjust the stove width.
Yay, a hexy stove! They also make a useful pot rest for a small fire of sticks. Bit less clean burning though! Love and best wishes from the UK.
I first came across heximine stoves and fuel in the scouts but my dad was a Royal Marine Commando .
I've used that style a couple of times very quick and easy to use
Looks like a good buy and functional