Initial Report

Initial Report–Brasslite Turbo II-F with extensions

Personal Information:

Name: Laurie Corbin
Age: 40
Gender: Female
Height: 5' 6"
Weight: 135 lbs.
Email: mslimpsalot@yahoo.com
City, State: Cumming, GA
Date: October 5, 2004

Backpacking Background:

I began backpacking and hiking in college and, after a hiatus, returned when I could no longer ignore the call of the outdoors. I am a four season backpacker and avid dayhiker who tries to get out three to four times a month. Because of an old ankle injury, I have been forced to adopt the lightweight approach to backpacking. I hike mostly in the Southeast U.S.

Product Information:

Manufacturer: Brasslite
Manufacturer’s Website: http://www.brasslite.com
Year: 2004
Weight per Manufacturer: 1.7 oz (48.2 g)
Actual Weight: 1.6 oz (45.3 g)
Width of stove plus extensions per manufacturer: 3.5 in (8.9 cm)
Actual width of stove plus extensions: 3.5 in (8.9 cm)
Height of stove per manufacturer: 2.25 in (57 mm)
Actual height of stove: 2.3 in (58 mm)

The stove arrived in a small box wrapped in bubble wrap. A one page instruction sheet was enclosed as well as a fuel bottle. The fuel bottle allows the user to squeeze to measure the alcohol. The alcohol is then poured into the stove. A windscreen is not included with the stove but the instruction sheet includes instructions for making one. I will use the windscreen I currently use with my other alcohol stove.

Initial Impressions:

The stove I received looks exactly like the one on the website.   It is essentially an open, circular brass pan with a cover which has a .8 in (20 mm) hole in it. The stove has six holes measuring .25 in (6.3 mm) around the sides which can be covered by a rotating sleeve. The sleeve has a flap which sticks out for rotating the sleeve. The holes can be partially or fully covered depending on the cooking temperature desired. The sleeve fits rather snugly around the stove and will have to be loosened a bit if I am to adjust it on the trail. For home tests, I used a pair of needle nose pliers. The pot holder is attached to the top of the stove and is made of stainless steel wire cloth. My stove has extensions on the sides made of the same the same stainless steel wire cloth to allow for a slightly larger pot. The stove instructions claim it holds only one ounce (29.57 ml) of fuel. Indeed, when more than about an ounce (29.57 ml) of fuel is added the stove does spill over out of the simmer holes.

The instruction sheet was a bit complex for a “fill it up and light it” stove. The instruction sheet includes the usual cautions about overfilling and the invisible flame. Fortunately, I’ve used an alcohol stove for about a year and I am familiar with the idiosyncrasies of this type of stove. The Turbo II-F stove seems very sturdy and, with extensions, my 6 in (152 mm) diameter pot sat comfortably on the stove and was quite stable. The stove fits snugly inside my pot along with my windscreen.

The instructions suggest using an insulating layer under the stove in cold weather. They suggest a 0.5 in (12.7 mm) piece of fiberglass insulation plus heavy duty aluminum foil. In the past, I’ve used just foil as an insulating layer, but will have to try the fiberglass insulation and compare cooking times.

The stove was used once to cook a meal and involved only boiling water. The outside temperature was 59 degrees F (14.4 C) with a gusty wind. I filled the stove with 0.5 ounce (14.79 ml) of denatured alcohol and lit the stove. The boil time for 16 oz (0.24 l) in a 5 in (127 mm) diameter titanium pot with lid on was 5:04. I did use an aluminum foil for insulating layer. This is in line with the specifications that claim the stove can boil 16 oz (0.24 l) of water in 5 minutes.

Field Information:

I will test this stove on backpacking and hiking trips in Georgia, the Carolinas and Tennessee. The temperatures will range from 30-65 degrees F (-1.1 C to 18.3 C) during the day to 15-45 degrees F (-9.4 C to 7.2 C) at night. I look forward to testing this stove in cold and wet weather conditions to see how well it performs. I will be using my 6 inch (152 mm) titanium pot as my main pot but, may try a smaller 5 inch (127 mm) titanium cup as well. Most of my solo cooking is “add boiling water” so this stove should hopefully meet my needs. I do, however, enjoy cooked oatmeal on cold mornings so the simmer feature should be interesting to test.

Test Considerations:

1) Durability–Can the Turbo II-F stand up to repeated use and storage? Can the pot stand hold up a full pot of pasta without tipping or sagging? How well does the adjustment handle on the simmer sleeve stand up to repeated use? How stable is this single piece stove and pot stand?

2) Temperature Control–How much will the ports actually adjust the flame? Will I be able to simmer a rice dish or oatmeal or will I have to pass the pot over the flame repeatedly in “manual simmer mode”? How quickly will the stove bring various amounts of water to a boil and will this negate the simmer feature if it takes too long to boil? Do the boil times match those claimed by the manufacturer?

3) Cold Weather Use–Will the stove work well in colder temperatures? How much will the heat output be affected by temperatures in the 30's, 20's or even teens (below 0 C)? Will keeping the fuel/stove warm before use increase the cold weather efficiency?

4) Efficiency–Since the stove holds only one ounce (29.5 ml) of alcohol, will it be enough to boil water on cold, wet days? Will there be enough fuel left after boiling to actually simmer for any length of time?

Read more reviews of Brasslite gear
Read more gear reviews by Laurie Corbin

Reviews > Cook Gear > Stoves > Brasslite Turbo II-F > Laurie Corbin > Initial Report

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