TrangiaSpirit burner for storm cooker

[UPDATE] A year and a half later of usage and this stove is still working as well as the day I got it. It produces a better set of flame jets than the others I have, presumably because of the clean, perfectly round holes where the vaporized fuel comes out. I have not regretted the purchase and still recommend this as the number one spirit based burner.I purchased a clone cook set recently (see my other reviews - quite pleased with the quality/price combo) but wanted to see how that compared to the original Trangia spirit burner so I could speak from experience when people asked questions. I must say that I like this stove the best out of the ones I've either purchased or made. It is top quality made from brass except for the steel sliding plate on the simmer ring. This stove produces the tallest flame by quite a few cm over the clone and does a slightly faster job of bringing water to a boil. So, I will definitely be using this as the primary stove even with the clone's cook set (base, windscreen, pans, etc) since the burners are identical in form factor.The cap does an excellent job of keeping any unused fuel still in the stove for packing away - no leaks so far.Cold weather lighting was not a problem to get it primed and working quickly as the little ridged ring around the jets holds just enough fuel to help that along.The only thing I would change is that the clone's simmer ring has a wire handle that makes it easy to drop on top of the stove when it is inside the windscreen. The Trangia does not have this and therefore I have to pull the pot off the pot frame and even detach the pot stand/wind screen from the base before I can drop the simmer ring on to either use simmer or to snuff out the stove.Regardless, this is a top notch addition to any cooking kit. I see it being used and useful for many years. This is a great value for a dependable stove.

What arrived was the 602500 Trangia spirit burner, just as pictured above. Amazon lists the item number as something else.It came without instructions, and as I haven't used an alcohol stove before it seemed odd that you'd just pour in alcohol and hold a flame near the burn holes, but that's how it works. When you fill it, the level of alcohol slowly sinks as it diffuses into the stove; refill it until it looks about 2/3rd full. Hold a lighter to the side of the top and you're off and running. Note: it burns hotter than you might expect, and as the stove warms up the heat increases a bit. It got a full boil from a small pot of water in about 4 minutes. On denatured (methyl) alcohol, it burned with a yellow flame, but cleanly.The ring with the brown disk acts as the snuffer when the disk is closed; when it is open it acts to reduce the flame for simmering. Being able to reduce the flame is nice; but the ring gets quite hot of course, and you then have to close the disc to shut the flame off, which is awkward given how hot the ring is. And you'll often want to reduce the flame if you aren't boiling water. Note that the burner itself gets hot to the touch while it operates and for awhile afterwards.The screw cap has an o ring and seals tight. I don't know how long it will keep alcohol in and I wouldn't expect years, but it didn't leak when I shook it.It's quite light - so light I suspect it's made of aluminum, not brass. It seems reasonably sturdy. Always use it on a steady surface, if you knock it over you'll instantly have the entire load of fuel in a fast spreading, burning puddle.It consumes alcohol fast - people have claimed a 20 minute burn time and even that seems a little optimistic. With the simmer ring it will last longer. A week's worth of cooking is a fair amount of fuel to carry around.Overall I like it. It works like magic, puts out as much heat as you could need and is small, light and sturdy. I have unhappy feelings about not being able to instantly shut it off when using the simmer ring (at least without burning fingers), but that's the price of simplicity.

First,This is a great sturdy burner, it does what it's intended to do and does it well... now on to the important.While this is cheap and does a good job it's a burner and not a stove and does weigh a bit. For those that don't know the difference between the two... a stove can not be used aloe, it need something above to to but a pot or cup. That's one.... now it's beefy, so if you Chou the weight it is a bit heavy... that's two... it costs a bit, compared to a great alternative...that's three.Now the answer. I use many, many stoves, I do like this one. But,,, there is one you can make that's better and almost free. Commonly called the "fancy feast" stove. This a stove, you can just set your pot or cup on top. It's extremely light, easy to make and extremely cheap, and it's a stove not a burner. . I highly suggest you do a google and YouTube search on how to build one... it's not fancy ... buts it's the most functional alcohol stove I have seen. You need fancy feast cat food can, tomato paste can, carbon felt (found at Amazon of Home Depot). That's it.In the mean time get this one. If your like me though you will find yourself leaving this home and using the fancy feast one more and more. This also fits perfectly in the Toaks 450 or 350 ml cup.

If you are looking for a stove to flash boil water, this probably isn’t what you are looking for. But if you plan to actually use it for cooking this is the right choice. Will it boil water, of course it will, but it is made to be more flexible for just using for boil-a-bag meals, you can cook food without it scorching what’s in your pan instantly.Plus, it’s just got a decent amount of cool factor being able to use a piece of technology that is so old but still works exactly as needed with no fussing with it, just light it and use - nothing really can go wrong with it.