Single Burner Folding Stove - 50002

I love this little stove! I have used this stove from camping, to a hot lunch on a remote jobsite in the mountains of Colorado. Couple this stove with an inexpensive mess kit, a can opener and some canned foods, and you have a backpack-able solution to your food cooking problems. The design of this stove must surely date back to the 1930's, or even before, yet the functionality cannot be surpassed. Sure, a WhisperLite is trendy, and might heat water and food a little more quickly than sterno, but the tradeout is carrying around those bulky gas canisters, which are only useful for the stove itself. Sterno, on the other hand, has many other uses while outward bound, and much easier to tote around with you than those canisters, believe me. I originally purchased my first Sterno stove in 1995 when I learned to flyfish after moving to Colorado. I needed something inexpensive, and easy to backpack, as I used to take off and spend two to three days fishing different rivers throughout the state. My whole system was easy enough to use to prepare some hot food after braving a frigid river on a November morning was a great morale booster. Whipping this out at a jobsite 10 miles from the closest Wendy's, Subway or any food outlet made my fellow workers envious as I enjoyed a can of hot chili and crackers while they mulled through their bologna sandwiches or other such lunchfare. I was asked numerous times where I had purchased my stove, and after returning to work over the next few days, noticed a few other little stoves had popped up on the site. I gave it away to a couple of hippie kids who were 'traveling' through Colorado one day, and, can only imagine that once they landed on their feet, that little stove has been passed on to another soul who can put it to good use. I am back to buy another to stick in my "Grab and Go" bag, just in case I ever need to head for the hills, due to some sort of disaster.

Haven’t cooked on it yet, but did assemble it. Easy enough. Seemed pretty sturdy. Giving it 5 stars for quality build.

Durability: It’s an ok stove. It didn’t do well when it was left overnight outside in light rain. It had little rust spots all over the black metal frame pieces. Performance: The Sterno takes a long time to heat water up (I’d guess about 15 minutes). It’s awkward to put the fuel into the holding area, and saving the Sterno for later is difficult. My fuel dried out and was unusable a few months after resealing, so that was a shame. Reliability: I think this stove is more reliable than a wood-burning stove for cooking because you don’t need to rely on finding dry kindling and wood that will stay hot enough to burn and cook with. Overall: Overall, I guess this would make an ok emergency stove, since the fuel and stove are pretty light. They take up I’d say an average amount of space for a stove. I have a bunch of different stoves.

I bought this so that I would have a way to make coffee or heat soup etc. during a power outage. Living in the Northeast, blizzards and winter storms have been known to cause widespread power outages. I love the simple sturdy design. I tested it using some chafing dish fuel that I had in the house. (I'm not sure of the brand but it uses a wick instead of lighting the gel) and the Granite Ware 6006-1 3-Quart Coffee Boiler. Assembly is simple and it makes a sturdy stand to rest a pot on. I filled the pot about half full with cold water (1 1/2 quarts) and set it on the burner. It took a little better than 25 minutes to heat the water to a low boil. This setup is not going to work as well as your kitchen stove. If you expect that you will be disappointed. It will boil water or heat soup etc. in an emergency. It is a safe and effective design. When you are in an emergency situation you want to conserve your fuel so only heat as much water as you need at one time. (This is why I tested it with the pot half full) I also use the wick type chafing fuel because it has a much longer burn time than the type where you light the gel. You get more usable heat in a smaller storage space that way. You can pick up a case of fuel at a big box store for under $30 and you will have enough to see you through most emergencies. Bottom line, I think this little sterno stove can be a lifesaver and I'll be buying a few more to keep in the trunk of the car and to give as gifts to family members.

Great product. Folds up nice and small. Excellent customer service. Highly recommended.

It was simple to fold and hassle free Wish it came with the fuel, but still works well and can be used indoor.