Which Alcohol Stove Is Best? Pop Can, Esbit or Pathfinder?

Which alcohol stove is best for you? In this video I show a pop can stove, an Esbit stove that is the same as the Trangia stove and the Pathfinder stove to give you a comparison of the 3 to see which stove is best for you!

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[jamesaritchie]

I know a lot of people use HEET, but it's a really silly choice. People use it because you can find it anywhere, and primarily because so many on YouTube use it. It is not smart. Alcohol stoves are made to use denatured alcohol, which burns much, much better than HEET and which is far cheaper. You can find it almost anywhere, too, if you know enough to understand what it is.

There only one other fuel that should ever be put in an alcohol stove, and that's 190 proof grain alcohol. Denatured alcohol is just 190 proof grain alcohol with a little poison added so the manufacturer doesn't have to pay all the taxes the government slaps on drinking alcohol. It's expensive. I pay fourteen dollars a fifth, or about forty to fifty dollars per gallon, but it has certain advantages over denatured alcohol.

It's perfectly safe to burn in an enclosed space because it emits zero harmful fumes, it's child safe because no child, and very few adults, can swallow enough to be harmful, and it can be used medicinally, which can matter.

Any kind of homemade stove, unless made to the same strength and design commercial stoves use, is silly beyond belief. Penny stoves are the worst and the number of explosions that have occurred with these stoves should make anyone avoid them, but all homemade stoves are dumb. If you get caught using one of them in my area while an open fire ban is on, you'll get slapped with a very healthy fine.

There have been too many cases of homemade stoves exploding, or leaking, or spewing flame, and starting brush fire or even forest fires, for anyone in charge of the land to look on them kindly.

Alcohol stoves are fun to make, but please do not take them into the woods. Commercial stoves are dirt cheap, safe, and better in every way. Use them

If you can't make yourself use a commercial stove, which is crazy, then at least use an AP special, which is just an open can, such as a cat food can with nothing in it at all. Don't try to turn it into a stove, just use the open can. Pour just enough alcohol in it to heat your water, and no more.

At least it won't leak, or explode, or spew, and it will boil water.

I have the Pathfinder stove, but I'm not at all crazy about it. It's too big to use with half my gear, , and it takes a lot longer to boil two cup of water than my Trangia does. There's no reason to have that much alcohol in a stove, anyway, so why use such a big stove? The bigger the stove, the less efficient it is as you use up the alcohol in it, the dirtier the alcohol burn toward the end, and the easier it eventually clogs.

The large size Trangia is far more efficient, and has much better cooking gear made for it. The mini Trangia works better, far better, as an emergency or day hime stove, so my Pathfinder sits at home doing nothing. It isn't a bad stove at all, it's just not as good as the full size Trangia, or as convenient as the mini Trangia.

[marksarkaquariums]

Great Video.I am going to make a Beer can stove.Cool and I'm going to make a pot stand like the Last stove you talked about.

[LaurentGouzouAKALynx]

Real great side by side comparison Buddy 👍👍👍 I have tried differents diy alcohol stove and to me for my needs, for Safety reasons, for the cost, for the no need of pot stand, for the light weight and most important for it's easy of ignition in cold weather/ winter conditions the FancyFeast is my favorite one. Many like Trangia type but their weight and price is a big turn off for me. That said any type will anyway need a windscreen but when it's possible I just dig a trench hole to put my stove in an I have a natural windscreen 😉 Thanks for sharing with an awsome approach your thoughts and knowledge 👊✌️

[donball]

Good review and much useful information. While a matter of preference, I prefer using a "closed top" penny can stove rather than any "open top" models as matter of safety -- the thought of spilling flaming alcohol far from any medical help gives me real concern. Your comments about the weight of the various stoves is spot on -- what weighs an ounce in the morning weights a pound at the end of the day. I would note that I think the optimal distance between a vent opening and the bottom of a pot or pan is on the order of 0.75 inch/. All of these stoves strike me as being "top heavy" and potentially prone to spilling. Accordingly, a broader pot stand (broader than the wire mesh stand you discussed) is appropriate.

[AllthingsStyledbyPam]

Hi Wolf pack!!! I really loved how you explained the difference in each one!!!! Each one has it's positive and negatives!!! But useful in there own way if I said that correctly!!! But I kind of favor the pathfinder because of the more attachments even though the fire height and just in case I may need to have more alcohol!!! Thank you for going over all of the aspects if each and that's why I know when you give tutorial you are giving all if the pros and cons that we need to know!!! Thank you!! Xoxo Diamond76 ❤❤❤❤ big thumbs up and sharing 😍😍😍

[playeah]

I have all those stoves but the pathfinder is the champ for me. Those 3 chip and crack after prolonged use. Emailed the 2 top brands on why it does this and they said its normal wear and tear. Back then I was overseas and alcohol stove is I use 3x a day every single day for cooking since Im assigned to different places and shifts.

[IndependentJean]

Great vid hun! Tfs it’s good to know about it! Thanks for explaining everything about the stoves! 😁

[buckshot]

I have half a dozen or more Trangia's and an Evernew. I bought a Pathfinder stove & have nothing good to say about it. It's the slowest alcohol burner I have ever used. If it were a car it would be recalled. Just my 2 cents but it's the truth.

[mr.delacruz]

As always you did an awesome job! I really do trust & enjoy my Pathfinder gear. (Canteen kit, Bushpot, skillet ) but I do not own the alcohol stove. I do own a trangia that is Solder sealed so no leaks. I really like it. I went with Trangia because I use my Firebox Nano and it’s setup for a Trangia but I now know I can use a Pathfinder stove.The home made can stove is a sweet!Thanx for this video!!

[roberttotman]

I have made and tested almost every DIY pop can alcohol stove and found the same style of yours worked best for just boiling water. If cooking was needed then I go with the foldable wood stoves.

[Ghkain]

The first time I used my Pathfinder alcohol stove, I made the mistake of using 91% Isopropyl Alcohol. It burned with a yellow flame, wouldn't bloom, and blackened the pot and the stand with massive amounts of soot. I then read on YT that the proper fuel is Denatured Alcohol, available at any hardware store. That made a huge difference. Now I get a quick bloom, an almost pure blue flame, and no soot. Lesson learned. It would have been nice if the stove had come with a small piece of paper saying that.

[teddvidler]

I started with Trangia's not having made a burner. i also like the Pathfinder setup. sniffer works fine. I like to use the Trangia's in a stove I made from a Cambells soup can and in my Firenox Nano 2. They work great, but, there's nothing like a wood fire for warmth and atmosphere. Enter my Ikea hobo stove with Trangia. I use all three systems.

[cmcclellan]

I ordered the Pathfinder Alcohol Stove and will make a pop can stove. Cover both bases and, like you said, the pop can stove literally weighs nothing.

[PREPFORIT]

I have not picked one yet. This Helps !
I had a friend get badly burned when one was knocked over.
But I do like the lack of smoke aspect !
Good vid .👍🏼

[PontiacCZ]

Again - simmer rings shown but not how they can be used to regulate the flame...

[charlietango]

I use the pop can type which I made and I have the Esbit, but I am waiting delivery of the pathfinder, it's worth trying to use a smaller pot stand that is not so high, the sweet distance is 1" from the burn holes to the underside of the pot, give it a try from some rabbit netting, I think you will see an improvement, just my opinion.

[lucyintheskywithdiamonds]

i own'em all and use'em all. i like'em all. thumbed up / thx!

[LGSkywalker]

I love my Pathfinder stove but since I’ve never owned nor used any other alcohol stove I suppose my opinion is biased. Still a great stove even at the weight and level of flame. Thanks for sharing sir!

[heathschwab]

Then are to cool. Man there's to many thinks out there. I'll never be able to catch up to anyone that's using this stuff. But I've got by with nothen so I won't never not have fun. But very cool I've seen the pipe can one made I need to make one and maybe make and when I'm camping or fishing and using them give them away. Thanks sir god bless

[Oldsparkey]

I have all sorts of alcohol stoves that I like to use when camping and some I regret purchasing. Over 60 plus years of camping lots of things get improved and some remain the same. The one that I have filed away in a drawer to never be used again is the Pathfinder alcohol one. It's heavy and takes forever to bloom and I would not give it to anyone. It's worse then the ones from Vargo and that is pretty BAD. In fact it makes the ones from Vargo look pretty good and they aren't.
In my opinion the best designed stove is the Trianga because it can simmer, be extinguished and then capped saving the unburden alcohol in it.
My favorite is the Evernew Appalachian kit when backpacking since it is lightweight ( 7.8 oz ) and includes everything. . The down side of the Evernew is that you can't cap it and save fuel plus it is a fuel hog since it has more burner holes then the Trangia. It does boil water rather quickly for a alcohol stove.
The pop can ones are good little burners. I did four days of meals with one I made for the three of us on a float trip when the guys stoves failed. They spread the word about the stoves so I made a lot of them as gifts for the rest of the guys and some spares for myself.
I use denatured alcohol and on some trips the food grade ( consumable ) alcohol in the 153 to 190 proof range. Liquor Store items.