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Review: Kovea Spider Stove

Re: Review: Kovea Spider Stove

Postby tenohfive » Sun Oct 27, 2013 8:04 pm

I thought the Primus canister might come up - from some limited digging it seems like a toss up between the Primus cans or the Jetboil ones.

I will at some point get a dedicated remote canister stove with preheat for winter camping but right now funds won't stretch, and the Pocket Rocket is about 1/3 of the weight of my existing stove - so it made sense to get one. I've got no problems leaving cans in the bottom of my sleeping bag - in fact I'd come to terms with the fact I'll have to, along with camera batteries and a couple of other bits.
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Re: Review: Kovea Spider Stove

Postby Rudolph » Sat Nov 02, 2013 11:06 pm

Not a lot of help to you now Tenohfive but I've a pocket rocket and Mrs Santa has a remote cansiter stove (MSR). We always take the remote stove - even in summer as it's far more stable, more convenient and efficient. I reckon the ability to use a wind shield with a remote stove saves a lot of gas over a couple of days. I haven't yet rigged up a wind shield with my pocket rocket that I trust. Even with a pre-warmed canister, the cooling effect of the vapourisation will mean that an upright cansiter will burn the volatiles first and so will become useless pretty quickly in winter.
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Re: Review: Kovea Spider Stove

Postby tenohfive » Sat Nov 02, 2013 11:36 pm

This years winter camp might have to go on hold now anyway - and if it doesn't I'll just have to muddle through - but I'll push the remote canister stove further up the wish list if it's that much easier for general wild camping, which is where it'll get more of it's use anyway.

Cheers Rudolph.
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Re: Review: Kovea Spider Stove

Postby Bis47 » Wed Jan 08, 2014 11:19 am

Hello,

I wonder that a very nice feature of this stove was not mentioned.

I mean : the shape of the burner, looking like a strawberry.
There is a well documented study on BPL (members only) showing that this kind of burner is producing 10 times less CO than a standard flat head burner like that of the Pocket Rocket.
The theory is that the flame, flowing out lateraly, has more time to finish the full combustion before cooling at the contact of the cold recipient.

The combustion, indeed happens in two phases:
2 C + 2 O2 => 2 CO + O2 => 2 CO2
The theory was confirmed by testing standard flat head burners using an elevated support : by rising the pot by half an inch, the production of CO dropped considerably.

A very important feature, imho, specially for a winter device that would eventually be used Inside a tent.

Best
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Re: Review: Kovea Spider Stove

Postby Ben Ime » Wed Feb 12, 2014 5:52 pm

BIS47 - I couldn't get into the BPL article, but a very good summary called "COHazard" which quotes from it is available on the Zenstoves website. It explains how carbon monoxide (CO) emissions vary with type and model of stove, type of fuel, and usage (high or low flame, wide or narrow pots, at altitude etc)

This is essential reading for any stove users. It seems to support what you say about the KOVEA Spider's CO emissions being low as a result of the shape of the burner head.

Why don't stove makers publish CO emission data? We have a right to know!

All the best

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