Biolite, are they worth it?

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jackcbr

Native
Sep 25, 2008
1,561
0
50
Gatwick, UK
www.pickleimages.co.uk
Well I've got a big number birthday coming up and someone has asked if I would like one of those biolite burner/USB charger things.

im still undecided, does anyone have any experience who can offer an opinion.
 

ADz-1983

Native
Oct 4, 2012
1,603
11
Hull / East Yorkshire
Well I've got a big number birthday coming up and someone has asked if I would like one of those biolite burner/USB charger things.

im still undecided, does anyone have any experience who can offer an opinion.

No experience in actual hands on with biolite but...

I love buying/trying new gadgets but honestly do no see point of the biolight. Its just a bulky gimmick.

A wild stove and a USB power bank are a much better lighter alternative for wood burner and charging source and take up far less space in pack. Plus you can charge any time you want without burning.



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widu13

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Feb 9, 2008
2,334
19
Ubique Quo Fas Et Gloria Ducunt
Nearly 50 Jack? :p

You've seen my solar bank and I've another non solar one which charges my smart phone 2-3 times and is the size of two small matchboxes.

Reading the reviews on the Biolite is seems that a lot of burning (and feeding) is required for little charge output.

On the plus side, think of all the sausages you could cook!
 

Stamp

Forager
Aug 26, 2010
132
0
Swindon
They are a waste of time, check the out put of them, I believe its very low. I have a veho peble, holds its charge well and they will charge your phone up a number of times depending on the modle you get. Can pick them up on ebay for as little as £15 I believe but spend a little more for more charges.
 

tenderfoot

Nomad
May 17, 2008
281
0
north west uk
ii like mine, its heavy but puts out a lot of heat when the blower is turned on and renders everthing down to fine white ash. the thing to remember is it charges its own fan not just other items, which is just an added bonus for me. they have two new accessories now. a barbie type grill plate and a pot/kettle. the stove will fit in the pot.
 

ADz-1983

Native
Oct 4, 2012
1,603
11
Hull / East Yorkshire
See post #3

That looks like a cheap clone of the powerseed. You can get the 15000 on Amazon for £90 but every so often the go down to 35 which what I bought mine at.

Those cheap ones may work at first but I wouldn't really put trust in it in long run as I would be paranoid it failed during trip. It's like buying generic battery's for phones. Some are great but sone are bad, false size etc.

How may times you used it?


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HantsScooter

Member
Aug 1, 2013
14
1
Hampshire
I have a biolite stove and really like it. It does take a lot of burn time to charge my phone but that is more to do with the battery requirements of current smartphones than anything else. As a stove it can sometimes be a little hard to control heating rate whilst cooking but that seems to be common with a lot of stoves. When I need a slower cooking rate I'm happy moving the pot on or off the stove and this allow access to add more fuel.

Is it worth the current price, possibly not but I don't regret getting one.

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rik_uk3

Banned
Jun 10, 2006
13,320
24
69
south wales
That looks like a cheap clone of the powerseed. You can get the 15000 on Amazon for £90 but every so often the go down to 35 which what I bought mine at.

Those cheap ones may work at first but I wouldn't really put trust in it in long run as I would be paranoid it failed during trip. It's like buying generic battery's for phones. Some are great but some are bad, false size etc.

How may times you used it?


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Before I took it on a trip I ran an android tablet on it at home for about a dozen charge cycles without problem. The two I have are rated 30,000 and 50,000mAh the powerseed is only 6000mAh so just does not have the power I need.
 
May 23, 2009
1
0
71
Florida
Hello
first post be kind to me, I do have the biolite stove, it works for me, your burning time will and can vary with the wood you burn, the better the wood,hardwoods, the longer the burn, I have found that you don't always need to burn on high unless you need more output or to get dampish wood burning, the fan on low works fine for me, I cook and heat everything I want for myself, before you judge the biolite by someone else who hasn't tried or used, read and look at reviews, I will tell you that I am disappointed in their kettle pot, it takes to long to boil compared to my pots it makes a nice contained fire that is contained for cooking, their specs claim up to 19,000 btu,which I believe, and the usb charger does work,up to the stated milliamperes they claim, but that is just a plus in my book, nice that it's there but not the selling point, the concentrated burn, set it down unfold it , a little twigs and sticks takes you to hot food, thanks for your time, I do have other stoves, I'm not a light weight camper, I have mini,25 and 27 versions of the trangia,can't beat them, other various alochol burners, and propane burners, and like everything not one stove is suited for everyone, cheers
 

Andy BB

Full Member
Apr 19, 2010
3,290
1
Hampshire
If you're looking for a fan-assisted woodstove, it'd be worth looking at the Vital stove. Yes, it needs 2xAA batteries, but they last for a long, long time - haven't actually changed mine yet - over 50 hours of burn-time on it so far. THe flame is very controllable, not only with a high-low setting on the fan, but with an additional airflow damper. No USB charger with it, but I use the ebay 30,000 and 50,000 mah battery packs off ebay, like Rik, and they do the job for my phones/tablets etc on extended trips.

ps - for snow melting, its ace. Says it puts out 19,000BTU, and it was melting snow almost as fast as I could shovel it into a Trangia 4.5 litre billy:) Because of the adjustable pan supports, it'll take everything from a small mug to a large billy with no problem.
 
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farfoodle

Forager
May 2, 2013
132
0
Oxfordshire
I too have a biolite, and it is quite a nice gadget. As a stove it works really well, and on a good burn can put 10% charge on an iPhone in almost as many minutes. In hindsight, I'd say you're better off with a power pack of some sort, as others on he the thread have suggested.
 

BigMonster

Full Member
Sep 6, 2011
1,322
220
Manchester
Fan assisted stove - oh yes please.
Stove charger - my phone takes 2 hours to charge from MAINS, imagine running your stove for even an hour just to top up your mobile...
 
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is powered by this...

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A mug full of cat litter gives a burn time of an hour... easy to start with a couple of softwood kindle flowers and waxed paper!

And it keeps the power brick topped up that in turn charges the phone... I am getting to like the Biolite more!

:D
 

tenderfoot

Nomad
May 17, 2008
281
0
north west uk
Fan assisted stove - oh yes please.
Stove charger - my phone takes 2 hours to charge from MAINS, imagine running your stove for even an hour just to top up your mobile...

Yae to fan assisted stove.
Charging:- the stove has its own built in power pack you can charge at home. this will charge a phone.you dont need the stove burning but any time you do it tops up the internal battery or you can plug into the usb port to grab a bit of charge.
 

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