swedish army trangia mess set: aluminium vs stainless steel.

[Mike8472]

I've just bought myself a stainless steel version of the cookset and it was nearly £5 more expensive than the aluminium version.
Is this purley because they are much harder to find than the alu version or is the steel version better?

I have been wondering about this for a while, which is better?
Am i better using the alu version and keeping the steel version locked away as it will be worth lots in years to come?

 

[mountainm]

You can boil the steel one dry for longer than the alu one, you can also cook acidic fruit in it.

 

[Everything Mac]

I have no idea - but I will be watching the thread with interest!

 

[Nohoval_Turrets]

Steel will be heavier, but more resistant to corrosion. That might be a consideration if you camp by the sea a lot for example (salt), or use it to collect food (acid from berries etc.).

I've had alu pots get badly corroded, but only when I've forgotten to clean and dry them after a trip.

 

[millie-mail]

I agree with most of the above, I think the main differences for me is the steel version can take an awful lot of bashing around and general abuse, crush resistance over a long period of time, also the steel has advantages in a situation where it is being used long term over a camp fire. The alu version is damn good mind!
It all depends how weight concious your set up is I suppose. Remembering that some of the sets on sale are approaching 50 years old is testament to the original design.

Dave

 

[peaks]

Hi,
Would you mind sharing where you got the ss version from? - I've got a hankering for one!
Thanks in anticipation

 

[rik_uk3]

Aluminium conducts heat far better than stainless steel so from a cooking point of view the aluminium is the better setup, neither are good stoves, just good pots for a fire with a meths burner as back up.

Hoods sell them on ebay for £15
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Swedish-Army-...Collectables_Militaria_LE&hash=item3a656a8d45

 

[Mike8472]

I got it from military mart, they also have an ebay shop. I have bought stuff from them a few times before and had very good service. no connection etc just happy customer.

When i was chatting to the manager on the phone he said he had 4 stainless ones left in stock in unissued condition and a box full of the alu ones brand new in the factory brown paper wrapping. He said he had container loads full of both in varying degrees of nice to battered condition.

Heres a link:-
http://www.militarymart.co.uk/Stainless-Steal-Swedish-Army-Trangia-Stove/prod_392.html

 

[Mike8472]

Rik you just beat me to it, that is their ebay shop.

 

[hiho]

hoods uk is military mart...

which is where i got my alu one from a couple of weeks ago, but they forgot to include the kuska I asked for
quick 2 Min phone call and I had it the next day

 

[ged]

If you're going to treat them reasonably well the aluminium ones make sense for the lighter weight. Although as Richard rightly says stainless is a poorer conductor than aluminium the thermal properties (apart from the melting point!) don't have a big effect on cooking because the metal is fairly thin in both cases. If you want to do an objective test, fill one with boiling water and very gingerly try to hold it in your hands. You might even say you're less likely to burn things in a stainless pot but I wouldn't count on it. I prefer stainless pans because I never really know how much I'm going to abuse them. If you burn something on an aluminium pot you'll have a tough time getting it back into good condition, and an abrasive pad will take a lot of metal off, but with a stainless pot you can scour it with a stainless steel wire scouring pad until your fingers bleed and it will just shine it up a bit.

 

[magic53]

i know its an old post, but if anyone is reading it still. get the stainless for health reasons.
regards
tony

 

[vestlenning]

i know its an old post, but if anyone is reading it still. get the stainless for health reasons.

Nah, I bet there is a lot worse things to be worried about...

 

[rik_uk3]

i know its an old post, but if anyone is reading it still. get the stainless for health reasons.
regards
tony

As a retired nurse I'd love to see evidence for using stainless over aluminium for health reasons.

 

[magic53]

look for toxicity of aluminium, to many against aluminium for my liking. stainless cleans up well to boot.
regards
tony

 

[widu13]

look for toxicity of aluminium, to many against aluminium for my liking. stainless cleans up well to boot.
regards
tony

What toxicity is that then?

 

[Johnnyboy1971]

Best stop buying soft drinks then and beer in cans until they put them in stainless cans.

 

[vestlenning]

Best stop buying soft drinks then and beer in cans until they put them in stainless cans.

Ha ha - you nailed it!

 

[demographic]

look for toxicity of aluminium, to many against aluminium for my liking. stainless cleans up well to boot.
regards
tony

Got any peer reviewed evidence to back that up?

 

[rik_uk3]

look for toxicity of aluminium, to many against aluminium for my liking. stainless cleans up well to boot.
regards
tony

Its utter quackery, nonsense and I thought we'd buried this crapola by now. I'm happy to look at peer reviewed evidence though from reputable sources .