Solo Stove Lite & Pot 900 Set: Portable, Wood Burning Campstove + 900 ml Pot | Incl. Nylon Sack, For 1-2 People, 304 Stainless Steel, Compact (packed): 11,9 x 11,5 cm

I will admit, from the moment I had heard of rocket-stoves, I thought they were fascinating. However, the first one I had ever seen for actual sale was pushing 100-200+ Dollars and was not ideal, in the slightest, for backpacking.I heard about the Solo Stove from some blog/website about ideal Bug out Bag equipment. When I heard that it used the same basic set up as a rocket stove, I was pretty stoked. The idea behind a rocket stove (and the Solo Stove, of course) that makes it unique is secondary combustion. Without getting too technical (and I'll probably be wrong, so feel free to look up the terms and correct me on the specifics), secondary combustion and gasification is the process of burning a fuel (wood / twigs / pinecones) to release a gas. This gas/smoke is then channeled back into the burning chamber to burn/combust a second time. This results in a clean(er) burn, as though you are actually 'cooking' the smoke into an efficient heat.In fact, when I took this stove into my backyard and collected nothing more than a handful of fallen twigs off the ground, I was able to get a very, very serious and efficient flame. I was able to boil a little under four cups of water with VERY little fuel. And, I might be crazy, but both my friend and I swore we could smell an almost gas-like scent from the burning wood. The flame was very strong and it was actually a lot of fun to keep it fed with nothing but a few twigs every thirty seconds to a minute. It's really something to see. The holes drilled into the inner wall seem to channel air (Or the gas) back into the burning chamber directly below the pot and it almost looks like they are gas-burners. Like each hole channels flame back into the cooking chamber.As I said, it burned clean, it burned hot, and it burned VERY efficiently. The fact that the stove nests into the very adequately sized pot is just the icing on the cake. It's lightweight but I feel sturdy enough to last for a long time. It's a bit thin, which helps portability, I just hope that it will not rust with use.To summarize pros /cons:Pros:-Very easy, very fun, very foolproof wood-gas stove-Burns clean (less smoke), burns efficiently- Very compact and lightweight package. The way that everything fits and packs together is brilliant and so convenient.-Pot is sturdy with nice handles (that can get hot, watch out) and a nice lid.Cons:-Let's be honest, the price. I didn't like paying nearly 100 dollars for a stove, but I'd pack this over disposable non-reusable propane stoves any day of the week. If it lasts as long as I think it will, it's worth it definitely. There really is nothing like this stove for personal, backpacking use.-I did say it burned clean and it does. It doesn't produce as much smoke as any wood-burning stove I've ever used. BUT it will char your pot's bottom and get dirty in the burning chamber. The little pot holder that sits atop the stove itself gets real dirty and I wouldn't really dare to try and clean it roughly. It's very thin and has more than a couple protrusions.- The pot is built very sturdy, but there are definitely thin sheets of metal in the stove element. As I said above, the pot holder unit is VERY thin and lightweight. I feel like it could bend. And the stove element would be a pain to clean if you're into keeping everything carbon/char free. I, personally, am not one of these people.So is it worth the price? It depends what you're looking for. For me, to have a portable rocket stove, heck yes. Worth it and more. Time will tell of it's durability. I'll update in the future, one way or another.

Part of the reason that this device isn't competing in terms of ratings with other similar cooking tools is the all-in-one nature. It doesn't have to be flexible or multi-faceted. It has a pot and it has a heating element and that's all. You cook or boil water atop a custom heater.Note also that I haven't tested a lot of other options here and there are several I've seen at 10% of the price. I got this one because I wanted something I reliable from day one.PROS* Efficiency - Requires remarkably little fuel to get a full pot of boiling water. I'm frequently amazed by how efficient this devices is. Wood equivalent to a stick the size of your forearm could cook upwards of three meals, unlike just about every other method I have. All with no electricity or chemicals.* Fuel flexibility - If you have available flammable liquids such as rubbing alcohol, methanol, or kerosene, you could reasonably combine it with fallen wood to quickly light and burn faster.* Extremely lightweight and durable. Also the base doesn't seem to clog with ashes -- I just shake it a few times and it's clean.* Low impact - Mostly a small flame and some smoke would be the only evidence of cooking.* Low fire spread risk - Because it works with an intense, small flame, there aren't a lot of danger of spreading. I still recommend a bucket of water and placing on a large flat rock.CONS* Large wood is not workable. If somehow you only have large logs, you'll need to smash those up into smaller pieces, which is noisy and time consuming. Especially if you don't have effective tools handy.* Kettle cleaning - A whole LOT of soot ended up on my kettle. It's also not super easy to clean.* Inflexible - Not a lot of options in terms of cooking. You have the kettle and whatever you can put in the kettle. You can't for example grill or fry eggs, though you could probably poach them. (Not that I have not tested other pots and pans due to the soot issue.)* Heat - The housing gets exceptionally hot so if you have to move or accidentally knock over the container, you'll need a hot pad or similar to set it up.* Wind - Intense wind can hinder cooking unlike some targeted gas cooking options.OTHER NOTES* Fuel notes - If you spend some time looking for clean, dry/plain wood, it's mostly smokeless. If you have a lot of bark or moisture, you likely will lose it.* Heat source note - This is probably not a good option for staying warm in the cold. The fire is very small and concentrated and you have to monitor and keep adding fuel in small amounts. That said, I've noticed its' very calming to be around.

I bought this nearly 4 years ago (Dec 24, 2012) and I've used it quite a lot and feel qualified to leave a review at this time.Starting with the construction, it has not failed in any way thus far. People complain about it having tack welds that hold the three pot stands in place because they are afraid they will let go. Each leg has multiple tack welds and after 100+ uses none of mine have come apart. I have had no trouble with the wire grid in the bottom of the unit either. Those wires are nichrome by the way - the same stuff they use to make electric heater elements. It has one of the highest temperature ratings found in metals. Good stuff. The rest of the stove is made of stainless steel. I think the body consists of two pieces, one pressed in to the other. The fit is so good that I can't tell if it is welded or press fit. Either way, it has held up just fine.Usage: This is good for boiling a pot of liquid. Anything beyond that is going to get inconvenient. You can't really control the heat and you have to feed it fuel as you cook/heat. You can use dry or semi dry wood fuel in the stove. Dry fuel will give you a hot, short lived fire resulting in very few coals while damp fuel will burn cooler, slower and leave you lots of coals. I prefer dry fuel because it produces less smoke and the secondary combustion kicks in nicely. You don't get the secondary combustion so much with damp fuel if at all. Fuel you find on the ground is most likely a little damp whereas standing dead wood is dryer.I recommend this to anyone who is looking for a compact, efficient stove for heating liquids. You can cook some simple items with it but that's not what it does best.