fiddling with my honey... stove

[Dr.Gonzo]

I've been using one of these recently and i'm curious on other peoples experience with them...

I'll start with the good points..
It packs down flat, It's fairly light, once put together it's design allows for good air flow to feed the flames..

Now, the major bad point I've found with it is...
Putting the bas**rd together!! It's so fiddly and frustrating as hell when you've got cold hands and it's getting dark, i really can't be arsed to make sure all 20+ slots are alligned until 'crap!' it's come undone!...:togo:

I bought the Hive expansion with it and if you're happy lugging around twice the weight, that's fine, but all those sheets of steel certainly add up..

So £30+ later and i'm re-thinking my options..

Ok, i'm done ranting.. phew!

 

[woof]

The price is not bad when you think of the design and original work that went in to it. But a stove should be able to be put together while your wearing mittens, and should work in different configurements if pieces go missing. i Designed one that does just that, at the moment its a little bit heavier than i would like, but due to domestic issues i've not been able to give it the time needed to improve it.

Rob

 

[Melonfish]

I've literally just bought one of these off Beachlover and i'm quite looking forward to using it. also with the hive expansion which i reckon for slightly shorter trips it'll make a nice bbq setup for cooking some of the heavier and tastier food you pack on days out
i like that its multi fuel, i've come from primarily using Military Trangs (borrowed my sisters civ one a while back and that was good too) so pure meths cooking. but i like using fire to cook and recently i built a hobo stove.
its fun but i can't get one big enough for a 12cm billy and the 10cm is just damned small...

either way the standard honey & 12cm zeb is WAY lighter then my mil trang even with the meths burner included! so that can't be bad.
Pete

 

[Shewie]

I've not really had any problems with mine, I tend to assemble three sides with the two plates slotted in, hold that in one hand and then just slide on the last three side pieces.

I like the Honey though, it's not the most efficient wood burner out there but the packability a versatility make it worth carrying for me. Add and Trangia or tatonka burner and you've got a rig for all eventualities.

 

[DV...]

It gets easier with practise Also add a kiwi boot polish lid, it fits the trangia hole and if used in the middle slot is great for hexi and if used in the upper slot works with greensnot. Truly a multi fuel stove...

 

[Dr.Gonzo]

All good points, especially the Kiwi boot polish tin! Nice one DV.
I'll agree on it being a good multi fuel burner, which is one of the main reasons i narrowed my choices to buying it, but there's a part of me that clings to simple designs as being the best designs at the end of the day.. having to devise techniques of putting kit together can get frustrating. On my camp with Wolfcrafter last week, halfway through putting it together, my exact words were 'i'll be selling this!'.... (and i wasn't even wearing mittens lol)

I'll give shewie's idea a try..
Does anyone know of similar designs out there??

 

[Dreadhead]

i once made the mistake of pouring water over the embers inside to put out my small fire not realising the plates would instantly bend out of shape and warp! after half an hour bending plates back roughly it still works perfectly lesson learned...

got my eyes on that expansion kit. looks fab.

 

[Dr.Gonzo]

Mine warped after cooling down even without water.. really thinking about selling it at this point.... but gotta find an alternative...

 

[Shewie]

Mine warped after cooling down even without water.. really thinking about selling it at this point.... but gotta find an alternative...

Have you seen the Vargo titanium stove ....

http://www.backpackinglight.co.uk/product497.asp?PageID=118


Chris Randall makes some lovely ones too ..

http://www.canoepaddler.me.uk/Products.php


Have you thought about having a go at one yourself ? Google nimblewell stoves and you should get plenty of ideas. Stainless is fairly cheap to pick up too, I got a 500x500mm sheet of 0.9mm for just under £18 from metalsupermarket not so long ago.

 

[ged]

Until now the only negative comment I'd heard was that the Honey stove tends to burn wood a bit too fast. Yesterday I put in an offer for a Honey (stove) which, as it turned out, had already been sold. Now I'm starting to wonder if I've had better luck there than I'd thought...

 

[Asa Samuel]

Not had any problems fitting mine together, I love it! I remember someone on here did a test where they wore big mitts to try and simulate cold/numb hands and they managed to put it together without much difficulty.

 

[Bigfoot]

I've had no problems assembling it (although haven't had to do so wearing mittens!). I like its versitility and its small pack size. I'll probably add a burner as an extra option although I prefer wood burning if I get the chance. I also had a bit of warping after a long burn but the plates knock back into shape OK.

 

[Shewie]

Until now the only negative comment I'd heard was that the Honey stove tends to burn wood a bit too fast.

It does get through fuel quick Ged but half the problem is the fact that you can only get so much in to start with, after that's away it requires constant tending to keep it going. Not a bad thing though as we're all happy to do that anyway The fact that it's a small light package is also it's downfall, a bit like those nasty folding pocket stoves that did the rounds a few years ago. I've not tried the Hive extension yet but maybe that helps to get more fuel in for a longer burn ? Like I said though I do like mine and it gets plenty of use, but now I've got a Bushcooker I think it's days are numbered

 

[Dr.Gonzo]

The Ti burners are a lovely item, waiting to hear from Wolfcrafter how his one works out.
Looks like i better get the tin snips out, Nimblewill design looks a winner.. might modify it more like the canoepaddler one

Thanks for the links Shewie! much appreciated!

 

[Shewie]

This is my Ti Yukon on it's first ever outing to Loch Sheil...

The loose poles on the top can very a bit annoying sometimes but I've got an idea or two to improve them at some point.

 

[gsfgaz]

I love ma honey stove , but i have to agree it's a fiddley cu-- to set up ... i would like to get a hold of a bushbuddy ...

 

[Dr.Gonzo]

That's looks like the nuts! Hmmm.... ideas brewing....

 

[Dr.Gonzo]

Looks pretty thin steel, did it warp??

This is my Ti Yukon on it's first ever outing to Loch Sheil...

The loose poles on the top can very a bit annoying sometimes but I've got an idea or two to improve them at some point.

 

[Shewie]

Looks pretty thin steel, did it warp??

It's the titanium one, 0.9mm I think

Not shown any signs of warping yet but it has turned an amazing colour of blue

 

[Dr.Gonzo]

By the time i've usually assembled the thing, i turn around and find everyone else lying in their hammocks wondering what the hell i've been doing for the past 15 minutes...

I love ma honey stove , but i have to agree it's a fiddley cu-- to set up ... i would like to get a hold of a bushbuddy ...