TrangiaSpirit burner for storm cooker

This little thing works like a charm. For $14, you get a literally idiot proof alcohol burner that I find perfect for most canteen cooking systems (except the BCB Crusader system, although simplr modifications to the cooking base can make it fit).When I first got the thing, I peeled it out of the bag and read what little English was on the bag, as well as the English warning label on the lid. Basically, it's just reminders to be careful with flammable liquids, only use alcohol, and read the instructions.However, no instructions came with the unit. Not a problem, as it's pretty self explanatory: fill middle resovoir with alcohol, light alcohol in resovoir, burner burns.I filled mine 3/4 of an inch up, maybe a wee bit more. Before I lit the thing, I put the o-ring cap on and shook it around to check for leaks. I found none.Using a firesteel, and with one strike, I got the burner lit. Now, what I've gathered is the thing gets really hot and cooking when the small little holes at the top of the threads turn into little jets, which make it look like a gas stovetop. That took about a minute and a half at room temperature in my kitchen. I started my timer once the jets kicked on.27 minutes of hot, jetlike flame. The burner trickled for a minute before finally burning out, but I didn't count that as useable fire.So, within two minutes of owning this thing, I had it lit and burning. And with no instructions. I am no genius by any means, so that's got to show how idiot proof the thing is.As a boil test, using my pathfinder canteen cookset, I was able to boil 500ml of water in roughly 7 minutes. Not bad for a $14 burner, shipped free through bikeworldusa.I'm very satisfied with my purchase and would recommend this to anyone looking for a cheap, reliable heat source alternative to the clunky propane and white gas units. This thing works just fine, and gets even hotter than you'd think, and cooks very well. You can't go wrong with this little burner.

[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.

works great! actually burns for a fairly long time. I hadnt timed it but it is plenty long to bring to a boil 1 liter of water, which is 1 quart, which I believe is 4 cups. That is with the canister filled to the shoulders with denatured alcohol. if you are cooking a knors pack or a cup of rice with 2 cups water or similar, you would not need a full canister of fuel, maybe 1/2 or less.I actually wanted to test if it could boil 1.5 liters, so I filled my msr 1.6 liter seagul pot to within 1 inch or so if the rrim, and set it on a stand with the stove in the stand. It took a while but it did bring it to a boil, a soft boil with the lid off, but a rolling boil if I kept the lid on, so I would say that quantity or mass of water is about it;s limit for a boil. with 1 liter or less it is probably no problem having a stronger rolling boil. Anyways, if I needed to purify water, I would just use an open wood fire, but for a test it was pretty good. It still burned for maybe 5 or more minutes longer also.anyways, its a good item for simple heating and cooking a small meal with a no smoke no smell non fire method for backpacking type scenarios.