[at-l] My review of Whisperlite vs. Alcohol Stove

[Phil Heffington <phil.heffington@oc.edu>]

OK, it is a bit long, but here is my comparison of the the two
aforementioned cooking stoves:
Test conditions for both experiments: At home, in garage, on cold concrete
floor. Temperature was around 45-50 degrees in the garage. Used my Evolution
1.5 qt. pot with its lid, and surrounded by a windscreen. Cooled pot under
cold water before beginning each test. Used a cold stove and cold tap water
for each test.
Mini-Trangia 28 Alcohol Stove: Brought 3 cups of water to a boil with 2 oz.
of denatured alcohol in approx. 10 minutes. Fuel continued to burn for 18
minutes total at full flame, and then went out. The alcohol burned cool and
clean. Pot was as clean at the end as it was in the beginning. In subsequent
experiments I found no difference when using HEET, the fuel line dryer
available at auto parts stores and some gas stations. I paid 69 cents for 12
oz. of HEET, which figures out to about $7.36 per gallon. Denatured alcohol
can cost in excess of $16 per gallon ($4 per quart) at Wal-Mart.
Whisperlite International Stove: Brought 3 cups of water to a rolling boil
in about 3 minutes. My measurement was that the stove would use about a half
ounce of fuel to bring 3 cups of water to a boil and then simmer it for ten
more minutes (if you are skilled enough to simmer with the Whisperlite).
Stove is considered loud while the burner is on. The Dragonfly (which is 3
oz. heavier, but is made to simmer) sounds something like a jet engine
inside a shelter.
Conclusions: Whisperlite = hot (but hard to simmer), fast, efficient and
loud. Don't put the pot on before bringing the stove up past the priming
stage to a full burn or you will get a very dirty, sooty pot which is messy
and hard to clean. Pump and stove mechanism may get clogged after an
indeterminate amount of time and usage and need cleaning or part
replacement. Uses practically any type of gas. Lots of people list Coleman
by the ounce for sale on the trail. Coleman gas usually costs about $2.75 a
gallon.
Trangia = Slow burning "cool" flame resulting in longer cooking time, using
between 2 to 4 times the fuel which usually costs around 3 times that of
white gas per ounce. Burns very clean and quiet, and you could make a good
case for it being more environmentally friendly since alcohol is a renewable
resource. Weight of stove & metal holder is 5.9 oz. compared to 14 oz. for
that of the Whisperlite (not counting the weight of the fuel or the 1.8 oz.
windscreen used in both tests). No moving parts on the stove, so it is hard
to imagine how it could break. You must, however, be careful about screwing
the cap back on the burner after you have snuffed out the flames. If you put
it back on while it is too hot, then you will melt the rubber seal on the
cap, and it will not store the remaining fuel without leaking. With
experience you can find and use cheaper brands and types of alcohol (HEET
gas line dryer, for instance) than Wal-Mart denatured alcohol.

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