PART II: I'm not a physician but I am a former EMT and I have a Master's in Epidemiology. DO NOT use alcohol on any open wound. The word "tincture" means alcohol-based so DO NOT use tincture of iodine, tincture of merthiolate, or mercurochrome on an open wound. They're okay for skin prep but not for wound treatment. When iodine is used in a modern clinical or surgical environment it's in a water solution. Alcohol will kill MOST bacteria. But it also KILLS and DEVITALIZES living tissue. Do you know what's one of the best growth media for bacteria? Dead or damaged human tissue. You dump on the alcohol, kill most of the bacteria, and simultaneously kill and damage tissue. Congratulations! You just established the perfect environment for the bugs you didn't kill to thrive and be happy! Avoid hydrogen peroxide for similar reasons. To treat open wounds irrigate with plenty of clean water, normal saline, or a weak water solution of iodine (Betadine). This hasn't much to do with stoves, but far too many comments mentioned the utility of alcohol in wound treatment. Bad practice.
Im Iranian and use to climb and spend some nights and days on summits, -35 to -40 Centigrade demands to warm my Tent but still have not found non-risky method, Alcoholic Stoves that are used in Labs are suitable or not? I know candle is Dangerous, but how about very small Alcoholic Stoves with a out let leads Gas out of the tent.
Good info. For iodine I use betadyne with glycerine. Good stuff, no burn, no alcohol. I'm thinking about just using the water based polar pure iodine for wounds because it is multipurpose for water purification.
Oh! What has it got to do with stoves? I could tell you that it is good to erase permanent marker, So what? It's got many, many recommended uses and as many not recomended. Out of topic!
If you have the time, you can make your own 99% alcohol from a cheaper solution. All you have to do is put it in a container, add salt, and shake well then let it sit for a few minutes. Salt bonds to water, but not alcohol, so it will make the water drop out of solution and sink to the bottom, leaving you with almost completely pure alcohol. And, you can save the saline solution for surface wound care.
@@YIO777 Dang, I'd forgotten about this video. XD If you try to pour it out normally, they will both probably come out together, because liquids tend to work like that. (Try putting water and oil in a container and pour off the oil while leaving the water) I recommend mixing the salt and alcohol in a clear plastic bottle with a lid that has a hole in it. Once it's shaken up, flip the bottle so the lid is pointing down and let the water settle, then unplug the hole and let the water drain out. You will be able to see the line separating the two liquids as the alcohol sits on top of the now-heavier water and salt solution, as the salt will make the water slightly cloudy, but won't affect the alcohol as it can't bond with it.
@@BlazingSun39 wow, thanks so much for the detailed and well thought answer! Often the solutions (pun intended) are simple. Great idea. Glad I got to remind you of an old video. An oldie, but a goodie.
So adding water to gasoline with ethanol mixed in, will cause the ethanol to mix/combine in a solution and drop out (one to one with the water), then add salt to the liquid that dropped out of the gas/water mix to separate the ethanol from the salt water... sounds easy enough.
Here's an important tip about using alcohol fuels, especially the HEET and methanol based fuels. Get yourself one of those good little metal liquid fuel bottles for backpackers and camping. Because once you break the foil seal on the HEET bottle, it starts pulling moisture from the air, and those bottles aren't made to reseal, they are made to use the whole contents, and throw the bottle away. If you live in a cold, wet place like I do, that fuel will be watery and weak in no time at all if you don't store it in a good tightly sealing fuel bottle. Same with the pharmacy and drugstore bottles of 91% and 99% isopropyl. They are made for rubdowns, light cleanings, etc. and their bottles aren't designed for keeping the moisture out of your stove fuel! It is very frustrating when it's -10F and the alcohol you bought a week ago, and only used a smidge of is already too weak to light your stove again!!! it has happened to me with that yellow HEET, it took forever to light, the fuel was noticeably weaker and there was an orange color to the flames as well...that means water got in it....grrr -should be pure blue flames with good, fresh alcohol.
The heat is used to dissipate water in you're glass tank. So how would it form water? Just doesn't make sense of what you're insinuating . I've left my heet in a plastic bottle for months and never experienced any such thing that you have mentioned. My heat in the yellow bottle lights first time every time and still burns with a blue flame . the heet in the red bottle is crap !
@@geneo3654 Hi and thanks for the reply! -I'm in North Dakota, USA and we have high humidity as well as sub zero temperatures here, which combine to make moisture attracted to just about anything that's hygroscopic. This is why HEET sells so well up here, because water condenses into people's fuel and brake fluid, etc. so easily. HEET is designed to grab that water and evaporate it away with the isopropyl alcohol it contains...and once that foil seal is broken on the bottle it begins vigorously doing it's job and it doesn't know the difference between that bottle it comes in and your brake lines or fuel lines, etc. I haven't had any issues with the SEALED new bottles, only ones I've opened the foil seal on then closed back up and stored for awhile. YES it WILL still usually light right up if there's water contaminating it, but the quality of the flame goes down and so does the heat output. My penny stoves will burn more orange sometimes sputter with HEET that's pulled water from the atmosphere. I don't know where you are located but just the other day for example here it was around -20F and 100% humidity. There was ice fog everywhere, too cold to evaporate it or even let it get away from the ground very much so it just hangs there. I hope this helps explain, thanks again. Peace
@@geneo3654 And YES the HEET in the red bottle IS crap! I think there's some kind of a proprietary lubricant or wax in it or something? I just know left a residue in one of my stoves that baked on hard as a rock and made a sizzling sound when the stove got nearly empty. I'm really glad I didn't use it in my old antique Mark Turm backpacker's stove from the 1950's that my dad gave to me, I'm sure it would've clogged it up and required a tear down to clean it all out...
@@econoroller What about using a large plastic ziplock type bag, push out the air best you can, and then using one of those small compact bag sealers? Could also try saving up some of those silica moisture things that are in vitamins and such, and putting that in the bag before sealing. Not sure if the plastic would have moisture on the inside once sealed after it's been opened. Just some other ideas that may work??
By far the best test I've seen. Comprehensive and thorough as possible without going to a laboratory setting. TY for the time and effort that you folks put into this comparison.
Fantastic demonstration comparing 6 different fuels for the Trangia stove. You broke it down to both cost and time elements and showed that overall, the yellow Heet was the winner, with 99% Isopropyl alcohol coming in a close 2nd. Well done, guys!
WOW! This is by far one of the best comparison vids I've ever seen. I made it thru the entire 17+ minutes which means I found it interesting. Thanks for your time and effort. Great video! :-)
Great test guys! It seems the denatured burned the cleanest. Personally, I trade a minute or two of boil time to save a minute or five of cleaning soot, but that's just me. Thanks again. I definitely learned something.
Nice video! Here in Brazil we can buy 97% Ethanol at any gas station for less than a dolar per liter, as it is widely used since the 70's as car fuels. The cars that works with gasoline or alcohol or both are very common. I did some tests and found that it works very nice with alcohol stoves. Just hope this information helps someone else.
You're lucky to live in the land of the free. The US government doesn't trust us with ethanol. You need to document having an approved industrial use for it, then you can apply for a license that costs a few hundred dollars a year that will let you buy it.
This test is EXACTLY what I was looking for. Very glad you did this test, not just of the boiling times but also the price per ounce comparison along with the price to boil comparison too! A great informative test that saves me from buying all of this and doing it myself. You guys doing this test and posting it here on RU-vid has me looking into your product to buy. Job well done!!
I really like the accuracy you were able to achieve with the control of variability. One bottle per pot, exact weight of the fuel, this really allowed for an accurate test and that's something I think is really important, thanks for uploading this comparison! Very helpful guys.
Everclear is the obvious winner. A little for the stove, a little for the person watching the stove boil water. Win-Win! Should have tried 70% iso, has been said it works better than the 91 or 99
All of the fuel reviews were great. Thankyou for taking the time. The location of your fuel supply stock behind the open flames was a suspense thriller! :) Great little stoves.
No question. 91% wins. Based on price vs. rationalizing all other factors. SIX CENTS. Also considering you can buy 91% most everywhere including the dollar store, it makes a better emergency choice.
Great video with solid methods. For me, cost and time to boil are not that important (they were all adequate). What matters most to me is weight. I want to carry less fuel weight, so I want the fuel that can do the job with least weight. While the yellow Heet bottle was the fastest, it needed 1.1 oz of fuel to boil the water in the first test. The 99% isopropyl alcohol used only 0.6oz to boil the water in the first test (tied for first place with the Ever Clear, and second fastest to boot). Therefore, the winner for me is the 99% isopropyl alcohol. If you need to boil 2 cups of water 3 times a day for a week long trip (21 boils), you need 23.1oz of yellow Heet, and only 12.6oz of 99% isopropyl alcohol. That means using the 99% isopropyl alcohol over the yellow Heet saves a pack weight of 10.5 oz, more than 1/2 pound!
Agreed, priority is: Safety, Energy-density, Cost. Safest is: Everclear (Ethanol), Isopropyl, Methanol. Highest Energy-density: Isopropyl-26, Ethanol-23, Methanol-18. But, alcohols are hygroscopic, they suck moisture out of the air and once opened, quickly gain non-energetic weight. Data is scarce, but 10% may be typical? While one might purchase 99%, it becomes 91% before the second meal's cooked? (more...) It's been suggested 10% camp-fuel (38-energy) added to 90% alcohol might produce the highest energy density at an acceptable safety-level? Regardless, Isopropyl seems like the clear winner?
Haven't read all the comments but your video didn't mention that although EverClear was most expensive to purchase it is the only one suited for human consumption. Handy for a late nite toddy. Great video! Very useful!
Despite being 6 years late to the party, I wanted to say this is a great video which clearly demonstrates the differences between these fuels! 5 stars.
I bought some denatured alcohol today at Home Depot. The quart was $7.50 and the gallon was $15. If you buy it by the gallon it would cut the price per ounce down to $0.11.
I've been dealing with this for years in the Marine alcohol stove in my sailboat. For convenience I've got several quart cans that I fill from gallon cans I buy. It's just easier to fill the stove from the quart cans than the gallon. To this day the cost is cut in half by doing so.
I'm assuming you're using an Origo 3000, right? Which fuel do you think is best? I don't want to buy bulk and find out it spots up my pants or stinks up the main cabin. :)
Thanks for the comparison, guys! Even though Everclear costs more, it is my choice because it doesn't contain cancer-causing ingredients, like Heet does. I wouldn't worry too much if some spilled in my pack because it would just evaporate. It can also be used for cleaning wounds, just like isopropyl alcohol. And unlike any other fuel, you can use it for mixing an after-dinner cocktail, if you'd like :)
🙏THANK YOU Sir!! I’m going to get that Firebox stove. Young people today are lost without people like you to help us. My daddy died but he always take care of this stuff. At least now I won’t blow myself up. Daddy always had the answers to my questions and I could always count on him. RIP Daddy.🙏😭😢 Thank you for helping us daddy-less daughters out here!! 🤗💞🤗
With my early trials making penny stoves etc I used 99% iso alcohol which was way too sooty for my liking. Now I use a Trangia 27 kit with denatured alcohol and it is perfect. Denatured from wally world does a fast and clean job. Really great video, best on youtube for this topic, thanks.
I tested heet and dn alcohol last night. Same temp of water same exact canteen cup. Used heavy foil for a lid. 8oz of water straight from the tap. Boil time was right at 7 mins. For the both of them. (Used crown brand dn alc.) Still have my sterno folding stove but this takes first place. Only been having it for a week and its one of the best things I ever bought. Great video guys.
Worth it to note that the Yellow Heet and Denatured alcohol burn a lot cleaner than the others. Certainly worth more to me when I'm packing my cook pot away. Surprised that the Yellow Heet was consistently faster than the rest...it ran away with it.
Another thought to consider with HEET vs. EVERCLEAR is contamination. If the bottle was to rupture in your pack which one would you prefer? I would think the EVERCLEAR would be better especially if it was spilled on my food bag. Just another “pro” to add to the EVERCLEAR column IMO.
The reason your last test (for fuel burned) was better for the yellow heet is that it continued to burn after you put it out through the hole in the lid. It probably wasn't visible in person, but it definitely was visible in the video. If you watch the hole at 6:23 you can see it still burning. It continues to burn with a tiny flame until you blow out the isopropol 91% around 6:47.
I found this video really useful. Also, It was short and to the point without a bunch of useless banter just to stretch it out. Thank you very much for taking the time to do this experiment. I make penny can stoves for my friends and from now on I will be directing them to your website for actual camping/prepping stoves. Well done & thanks again.
Ultralight Backpacking Stove Review by Living Survival of the Firebox Nano with mention of the Emberlit Fire Ant : ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-zJCgCNQIP7U.html
Thanks for the righteous comparison! It answered a question I have asked myself for some time now. HEET Yellow is what I've been using for years. Must have been intuition and experience .... now confirmed. Home distilled grain alcohol is next in line for emergencies. Homemade is cheaper than store bought btw.
thanks for the FYI. But I would have moved the bottles in the back much further away from the flame. And I was told never use the Red bottle of HEET. just wondering what about oil lamp for these stoves??
Personally, I prefer to use the grain alcohol, Ever Clear in your test. It is more expensive, but not near as poisonous as any of the other options. My border collies are most often with me, so I go for the grain alcohol. I figure they wouldn't have the opportunity imbibe enough to kill them. Plus, it isn't toxic via your, or their, skin contact. Another option for the grain alcohol is that since I haven't have a drink of alcohol since 1981, but if the catching away happened and I was left behind it might come in handy to have a snort or two available.
+OlTrailDog The hairs on your head are numbered by God. You will not get left behind. Our God Reigns. He is the Good Shepard and will leave the 99 to go out and find the one sheep that was lost.
+OlTrailDog as a man who stopped drinking 20 years ago, I'd add that another benefit of the grain alcohol in a WROL context is that it will be valuable for barter.
Have a look at "ventless fireplace fuel". It's 100% ethanol with a bittering agent to prevent people from drinking it, and only about $7/liter in quantities more than 6 liter.
One thing to consider is fuel to air mixtures. If something is burning very dirty and yellow like the red heat to me that demonstrates that the fuel is more energetic and needs a stove setup that provides more oxygen. With the proper set up those more energetic and dirty burning fuels could boil water quicker and burn cleanly giving enough air. For example if you burn kerosene in a stove that was design for a less energetic fuel it would burn dirty and poorly but has the potential for a much quicker boil Thank you
@@ruserious9577 Not necessarily. Air flow was restricted by both the box around the burner and the burner itself. I think even just removing the box would cause an increase in available oxygen and a cleaner burn for the fuels that burned yellow or orange and adding vent holes into the side of the burner would also help but would eliminate the utility since it would reduce fuel capacity and make it more prone to leakage. Think about actual camp fires or fire pits. When you blow air to where the fire is consuming the wood or onto hot coals it usually will burn better/hotter/light up momentarily. Commercially available fire pits almost always have mesh around the sides for just this reason. Better air flow means a better and more complete burn. If you block off the sides you also reduce air flow which in turn results in less available oxygen for the fire to burn. I also don't know what elevation they are at in this video which will also effect available oxygen.
Another consideration is to limit the available fuel in a setup and achieve a more efficient burn when oxygen flow cannot be increased. Much of the heat was flowing around the pot and being lost.
For cooking, I can agree with your choice of winner, but it might be wise to take the isopropyl as part of a first aid kit instead of peroxide. Dual use equals weight savings, as long as you can wait an extra minute or two for your coffee. Great video!
Ever clear would have been my #1 pick because of its versatility. Sadly my nanny state of Maryland bans it from sale. 91% works for me. Not sutty and can be used as an antiseptic, easier to find than 99% too.
Have a look at "ventless fireplace fuel". It's 100% ethanol with a bittering agent to prevent people from drinking it, and only about $7/liter in quantities more than 6 liter.
Really great test but I noticed on the second run the yellow heet was contaminated with one of the other fuels. I only use yellow heet in my Trangia and it always burns only blue. At any rate great video. Thanks for comparing the fuels
I have used ‘‘this system for years. I carry almost 6 or 8 bottles of yellow heat. Let me tell you guys. If this is your major source of cooking you are on your last resort. I use it the night I’m setting up my base camp. Maybe the cecond night. After that I’ve got a proper cook fire going on it I can cook anything from a stuffed rabbit to a full set of deer trips.
Excellent video, very thorough, thanks! You guys did a great job eliminating variables, but it was also interesting to see how slight changes in conditions could affect performance.
Five stars for effort. Despite my minor complaints, I agree that the yellow Heet is the best fuel. I deleted the 412 word perspective that I wrote to help, because I am a retired MR&D lab rat. I made my living doing well, sort of what you did here. If you are interested, let me know and I will re-insert it as a comment so you can see what I recommended. Peace out.
Pretty interesting test. Four concerns though - Can you eat food directly cooked over each one of these? It seems that the "looks like its boiling to me" results are not quite so reliable as actual temperature of the water. The wind and direction skewed results. Lastly....as a Firefighter and common sense kind of guy - GOOD LORD, don't ever have that stuff so close to open flame!!!!! Some yahoo is going to try to recreate this and burn their house down. Great idea for a test but I say redoo - zero breeze, temp based boil instead of looks, water on at the same time, caution with the open flame. Thanks
Yes, thermal probes in each pot, and a separate Timer per pot. The Grain Alcohol had a 10 second late start in both of it's tests. Not saying that made a huge difference. But it would make for a more accurate comparison. The difference in Burner could also play a role. So while it would take 3 times longer. Use the exact same burner and Pot for each test. eliminate all the variables.
Everclear wins every time because it has multiple very, very important uses. I wish I could find it in plastic bottles, I hate having to decant it into different bottles for the trip. Don't want to be schlepping heavy breakable glass. I appreciate how you put time into helping us with these videos and it's not all about selling stuff. Very cool.
in a survival situation where you are hoofing it you want lighter and more efficient fuel weight and fuel efficiency are more important than volume however it would affect the cost analysis somewhat the effect is not going to be that significant as they are all alcohol based products I would have liked to see a fuel efficiency ranking as well but the information you need to figure it out has been presented in this video.
I love home science. Nicely done. Probably all of these alcohols could be burned indoors. I always use the yellow bottle HEET based on my research and personal experience so I was gratified to see your results. I mostly motorcycle camp now that I'm old, and the yellow HEET is readily available at gas stations, etc.
what is a little bit unusual is the boil time difference between the Everclear and the denatured alcohol, because chemically, they are essentially the same with the only difference being the rather small amount of chemical to denature it. This should not amount to a 2min boil time difference. Yellow heet is methanol, a toxic substance that is not easily available in many countries. You should use gloves handling it ;) I go with the Everclear - multi use. Cheers, chris
Denatured alcohol is not mostly ever clear. The different manufacturers of denatured alcohol mixes from 10% up to 50% methanol into various batches. And is not a fixed proprietary blend. They buy ethanol and methanol on the open market at the cheapest price available at any given time and mix batches according to availability. You could buy a can at 2 different locations, the same brand, and it will most likely not be the same percentage of each. That being said Heet in the yellow bottle is pure methanol every time, it never changes, and is the most high performance fuel I have ever used. Yes it is poisonous, so don't drink it or use it as after shave and you will be just fine.
+dmith smith the point is, in many countries like Germany, you can't even buy methanol easily. the purest ist everclear. all ethanol. any grain alcohol will do. denatured here ist ethanol as well, very predictable. very cheap. cheers. chris
+TheLicewine And then in some countries like Canada, everclear and denatured alcohol are both nearly impossible to buy, yet methanol is available for $10/4L in every hardware store in the country.
Part III: Yes, pure (actually 95%) ethanol does have an essential, critical role in outdoor (and prepping) activities. Plus you can use it for stove fuel. But if you take that alcohol and add approximately 10% methanol to poison it, you have "denatured alcohol," also used as stove fuel. Therefore there should be no noticeable performance difference between Everclear and denatured alcohol since they're 90% the same. As an aside, there's a potable grain alcohol brand around called "Diesel," not to be confused with the hydrocarbon of the same name. I like mine with powdered Hawaiian Punch (the alcohol, not the hydrocarbon). Anyway, HEET isn't readily available this far south. For decades I simply used Boat Stove (denatured) Alcohol with a small lacquered aluminum bottle of Everclear for entertainment and backup fuel...alcohol doesn't get along well with raw aluminum. Finally, I'm amused by those who complain about the cost of Everclear as fuel. I'd understand if someone used it three times per day, every day. But a total of a few weeks each year? I find it humorous that someone who would plunk down $60 for a teacup-sized titanium pot would scream like a cheated prostitute over $10 worth of dual use stove juice. In any case I've switched to hexamine fuel tablets. Mindless operation and nothing to spill. Anyone want to buy a Trangia?
Ethyl alcohol that is meant for consumption is always good to have as a backup to ethyl/methyl alcohol that is poisoned and used for fuel or cleaning. Ethanol made for consumption can also be used as a pain reliever, as well as fuel and antiseptic.
I was surprised by the performance of the denatured alcohol. I use it in a tuna can with small 1/4 inch metal mesh over the top as a catalyst, and it performs great for me with little soot. The flames are almost invisible (which is actually a little scarey). I have used the 91% Iso in it, and it was VERY sooty. I had heard about the yellow Heet, now I may need to try it.
I wouldn't recommend the brand I used in the video. It seemed substandard compared to other brands of de-natured alcohol I've used. Thanks for the feedback!
I've been using yellow Heet as my go-to. I've been told that pure ethanol (grain alcohol) has more energy by mass than methanol, but it's the most expensive thanks to liquor taxes. Denatured alcohol with the most ethanol and least methanol is preferred, but Heet is generally the most cost-efficient. Isopropanol is just too sooty for me.
+paul rogers Thanks Paul. I have been using Yellow HEET also for my alcohol Stove projects. I buy the 4 bottle pak at Walmart for $5.87 and i have never seen it reduced in price at different time of the year. Where have you been finding yours at such great prices?
Besides the results (thanks for doing all this setup), what I appreciated about this test was also showing which had most visibility, which appeals to me.
Yeah, never see booze in anyone's pack list. Also works well for cleaning wounds. A little nipper at the end of the day, puts a nice warm fuzzy feeling for a cold night on the trail.
Note to others: 180 proof everclear is not readily available in some jurisdictions. Just because you see Everclear or grain alcohol, that doesn't mean it is 180 proof. In my state, liquor stores only carry up to 151 proof (I think), which is not really suitable for a stove. I've never seen 99% isopropyl here, either. Another tip: Heet (icluding the yellow bottle) often goes on sale/clearance in the Spring, because it sells best as a Fall/Winter item.
Fuels which produced soot: Isopropyl alcohol 91% and 99%, Iso-HEET (Red, worst sooting). Fuels which did NOT produce soot: HEET (Yellow), grain alcohol, denatured alcohol.
I was surprised by how much soot was produced, even by the 99% Isopropyl, which that amount knocks those out of the running for me. Too much cleaning involved each time and less heat produced per unit.
Stoves that burn vapor, burn cleaner. The stoves used here are open mouthed. Is there away to close them of so only the small holes will produce jets of flame?
@@GreenJeepAdventures If you search on RU-vid for "How to make an Arizona penny can alcohol stove", you'll find how to make one with just the holes around the rim. Don't know if it will burn, or as well. Maybe worth a try.
They all burn vapor, liquids don't burn. Ever. The difference is as you say, the orifice, making the efficiency of the burn variable. Different fuels will be better or worse with different burner types. This video is less about which fuel is best overall, and more about which fuel is best in that particular application.
LoL, I just noticed my video in the suggestion box to the right of your view counter. Good luck with business and keep the videos coming, I'll keep sharing them. Godspeed
Great video guys. I'm looking at picking up my first alcohol stove and I declare everclear for the win! It might be the most expensive, but it is also the most multi-functional. It's the only one you can imbibe should the need arise. I can buy it in Texas where the HEET products aren't available as readily as in northern states. The rubbing alcohols are cheaper but evaporate more quickly.
YES, I love it too! When fixing our washing machine I found a step by step video that made the job a breeze! Great community too! Thanks for the comment.
This was great!! I would put a great deal of emphasis on the carbonization/efficiency of the fuels. Also the containment of the flame more than speed (not crazy about those wild flames on some of the burners. )
I'm a newbe to alcohol stoves and just received my first one in the mail from Amazon. It's a Tangia just like you tested with. I was surfing RU-vid for info on best fuel options and found your video... Awesome testing methods! Thanks for your great efforts.... And, I'm adding your stoves to my future purchases list!!
Very good informative video . No obnoxious music or long winded narration . To the point . I recently started experimenting with alcohol stoves and was wondering about the efficiency of different fuels . This video explained it all . Thanks .
Awesome test. You just saved me some hassle on figuring out which one to buy. Thumbs up. I'm going to have to put that big firebox of yours in my wish list. Thanks again.
My local Walmart has been selling the Yellow HEET for $1 per 12oz bottle lately. Its 99% menthol alcohol too. I bought a bunch up at that price. That's around .08¢ an oz roughly. Great deal. No sooting bonus. Usable indoors bonus. Can be used to rehydrate Sterno gel since its a menthol based alcohol gel. Bonus.
Thank you so much for this information I really like the comparisons of price and effectiveness of each of the fuels I really like the 91 percent for cost and as a wound cleaner and all purpose sterilization out in the woods my esbit stove recommended denatured alcohol but doesn't have as many applications once again thank you
I don't think a few seconds difference in time to boil is critical, but if one creates a lot of soot and another creates none, then that is a significant benefit. In the UK I use Methylated Spirit which is denatured alcohol, (Ethanol with 10% Methanol added to ensure it cannot be consumed, and usually dyed with methyl violet), I can confirm that I have no issue using this indoors, although I have to add 5-8% water to stop sooting. If it matters to anyone... the brand I use is Barrettine, and it comes in around $20 for 5 litres.
I used to sell hardware and lumber and matter of fuels. One thing on thermometers is the backyard types only buy one out of a batch of them on display. You buy the one that will show an average temperature of the lot. I don't know much about non-contact thermometers, but I suspect there may be some variances in the quality of readings from one to another of the same type and brand. Also when the thermometer was run from one sample to another the reading gradually rose which might be from exposure time to heated materials. The boiling is probably more accurate. Very informative, thank you.
Thanks for the comparison. I just heard about using Everclear this summer and thought it was a great idea since I have a three year old at home and hate the thought of having poison in my pack. Not to mention that the ocd-me always feels like washing my hands when ever I use heat. Although it is the most expensive, it seemed to work just as well as the others. Well worth it IMO to not be taking poison to the woods. I do like the fact that it could be used for medicinal purposes and really appreciate the comment about not using alcohol on open wounds - I will just take it internally from now on.
Great vid thank you. I'm partial to the Everclear. It's a little more expensive but it's non-toxic, you can use it as an antiseptic, and of course you can use it for its intended purpose. Just don't drink all your fuel away. Cheers!
Thanks for your feedback Pete, I too use Everclear quite a bit depending on the situation. In a medical emergency it may make the difference between getting Gangrene or not. A serious injury could stretch a day trip into two or three, plenty of time for an infection to set in.
Have a look at "ventless fireplace fuel". It's 100% ethanol with a bittering agent to prevent people from drinking it, and only about $7/liter in quantities more than 6 liter.
What really matters for hikers is BTU per unit weight and the ability to light the stuff in cold temps. Depending on conditions, one may matter more than the others. Personally, I'm carrying the stuff based on volume, not weight. And the difference in weight of, say, 8 oz of fuel will be nigh on negligible. So it comes down to BTU content per unit volume and lightability. If one assumes all else is equal then BTU density and vapor pressure are the two most important properties - for heat content and lightability, respectively. When comparing alcohols, isopropyl has about 13,000 BTU/lb vs 11,500 and 8400 BTU/lb, respectively, for ethyl and methyl. So assuming complete combustion across all three and ignoring "lightability" and assuming all else is equal, it makes perfect thermodynamic sense (is that a thing?) that 99% isopropyl would boil first. It's releasing more BTUs per ounce than the others. For ease of lighting, the higher the vapor pressure the more volatile the alcohol is and in that category methanol wins. Denatured alcohol is usually some unknowable mix of methyl and ethyl alcohols and other stuff. But get one gallon that works well and it will last you a very long time. Everclear is supposed to be close to 100% ethanol but is taxed, and thus quite expensive in the USA, and yellow heet is close to 100% methanol. Of all these, I think 100% isopropyl is probably the hardest to find in the USA. But if you can find it you don't require your alcohol to boil (as with a fancy feast wick stove) then isopro will pack the most heat per ounce.
Good points, all. I would stress that shoppers should look at the % alcohol to water, regardless of the chemical type. 50% might just barely burn with a cool yellow sooty flame, 70% might sputter and smoke as it burns with a medium warm flame, 90% or higher burns with a blue hot flame.
"HEET contains a 'special' additive", which is not otherwise specified on the packaging label and is therefor NOT an alcohol stove fuel but is, however, a flammable methanol solution designed for combustion when mixed with gasoline. The 'special' additive in HEET may be tailor made for a cleaner burn to comply with emission standards when properly used. (ie. when mixed into gasoline). Denatured alcohol is definitely the appropriate choice for the alcohol stove.
Denatured alcohol contains additives that are intended to make the alcohol unfit/unsafe for consumption, the chemicals used vary by brand and the additives in some brands cause the alcohol to burn sooty.
One thing too that I like about the yellow heat, is it's spout. Pouring it into my little stove made it much less of a mess. Less waist and conserves on time spent useing a funnel for the dentured alcohal that I began with originally! Thank you for sharing this video. It just confirmed my choice !
dN doesnt leave soot! Well, Never has for me, and dN also is designed for marine stoves, duh, indoors on a sealed up boat.....Just buy the gallon sized cans of it, save money and dont huff it. Anything with water in it will leave soot, MESSY!!! JUST BUY DENATURED ALCOHOL MARINE STOVE FUEL. I pay like 14 dollars after tax in Seattle (one of the highest priced cities in the lower 48) for a gallon of it, just shop aroumd all the paint stores as they will vary wildly in costs....
I not being one to use alcohol for fuel in my outings was surprised at how dirty the alcohol burned. Back in my High School days I had a time to remember thanks to Everclear.
Idea a small alcohol rocket stove made out of titanium that Will glow red hot that has a cooking surface with the ability to stack rocks around it to absorb the heat generated by the stove that has a air intake vent you can place under ground to draw air from outside a shelter with an exhaust flute to vent spent toxic air out of shelter leaving fresh warmed air within a shelter? How does this idea sound?