Honey Stove - what's the verdict?

[bilmo-p5]

Should i buy one?

There's no avoiding the fact that they're serious eye-candy, but are they any good with anything other than a merry blaze; w/ a trangia burner say... any practical experience?
They look to me like they'd be not much fun to assemble in gloves, in cold weather, or even w/ cold fingers... any ideas?

what does the Honey stove offer that an E10can & churchkey doesn't, ... except the loss of £30?

 

[JonathanD]

The only thing that I didn't like was the assembly and disassembly of blackened parts as it was messy and took extra time cleaning it and myself. Apart from that, they are very good bits of kit. Never used it with a trangia though.

 

[J4C3]

Great bit of kit imo,deffo worth a go.

 

[Elines]

Very good piece of kit - especially with the hive extension - I don't bother cleaning it though.

I am an infrequent camper/user if that makes any difference

 

[decorum]

Have a look here.
Some find it fiddly to assemble while wearing gloves/mitts or when their hands are cold (I don't, but I thought it best to mention in the interest of fairness to the OP)
Works fine with a trangia burner .

 

[Andy2112]

Have a look here.
Some find it fiddly to assemble while wearing gloves/mitts or when their hands are cold (I don't, but I thought it best to mention in the interest of fairness to the OP)
Works fine with a trangia burner .

Which burner Dec? civvie or mil? I'm bringing one to try out at RC.

 

[Neumo]

I like mine, especially with the Hive 8 sided option. Sure it is a bit fiddly to assemble but that is the price you pay for it being able to fold down flat. I used to use a home made hobo before I got my honney & while that worked fine it took up a lot more space. The main thing is that it makes me smile every time I use it. I use a bit of thin 8"x6" ally to put the stove on that lets you make a fire without leaving a trace, as burning bits cant fall to the ground or out of the door. It's a very neat, pretty light versatile stove, why is why IO like mine so much.

 

[bilmo-p5]

I like mine, especially with the Hive 8 sided option. Sure it is a bit fiddly to assemble but that is the price you pay for it being able to fold down flat.

I'm not sure that's a valid point as I routinely backpack a rigid 5ltr pail (roughly the same size as the Honey Hive option) and it doesn't cause me any packing/stowage problems

 

[decorum]

Which burner Dec? civvie or mil? I'm bringing one to try out at RC.

Civvie - iirc the other one's too wide to fit.

Remember, the simmer ring is your friend . I'm not sure whether or not the simmer ring can be used 'fully and properly' in the 4 side configuration - I can't say for sure because I have a 2008 honey stove and the mod to use it 4 sided came with the 2009 (??bees knees??) mod.

 

[Andy2112]

Civvie - iirc the other one's too wide to fit.

Remember, the simmer ring is your friend . I'm not sure whether or not the simmer ring can be used 'fully and properly' in the 4 side configuration - I can't say for sure because I have a 2008 honey stove and the mod to use it 4 sided came with the 2009 (??bees knees??) mod.

Don't know which year it is mate, it's coming next week so you can have a look-see. Gotto find a replacement O ring now so i'll pop in the local hardware store and find something suitable.

 

[bilmo-p5]

Remember, the simmer ring is your friend . I'm not sure whether or not the simmer ring can be used 'fully and properly' in the 4 side configuration....

Looking at it; it doesn't look like the simmer ring can be used in the 4-sided setup in anything but the most basic way, which is a pity because careful use of the sr can give you 90+minutes of low simmering on a single filling.

 

[littlebiglane]

I am finding it a great purchase. I normally use it as a wood burning option that is really quite efficient and easy to maintain a fire. I have the upgrade kit and the jury is still out for that. The extra panels seem to stress the joints/slits a bit to the extent (on mine) that they are bending and I have had to straighten them each time I use it. I am wondering how long this will continue until one of the little tabs breaks. The larger base on mine came a little warped and has warped a little more. Overall these are two small issues on otherwise a pretty cool stove - the smaller (normal) design is great. The hive upgrade is a good idea that works but has a couple of niggles on mine. I am now wondering about spares for back-up.

I would give this 4 out of 5 based on the fact that I have used a significant range of stoves that are currently in use (about 30 - gas, alcohol, wood, petrol). The honey with hive upgrade I currently use gor cooking for groups.