Brasslite Turbo F ("Feather") Alcohol Stove

Overview

The Brasslite Turbo F (F = "Feather") is designed to be as light as possible for those hikers that are concerned about every gram they carry. The integrated pot stand makes the Brasslite Turbo F a bit lighter than many home-made beverage can stove and pot stand units, but it remains significantly more durable - and guaranteed not to fail with normal use.

Consider the Brasslite Turbo F if you are sure you want "only the lightest gear", and are skilled enough to properly care for lightweight gear. The Brasslite Turbo F has a fuel capacity of 1 US fluid ounce (30 ml) and a 10 minute burn time so it will not boil more than 1 liter of water without refueling. It's designed to be used with minimalist pots ranging from 20 oz (600 ml) to 33 oz (1 liter) capacity.

BackpackingLight.com Comments

Our members have long been asking us to put together an ultralight cook system for sale in our store. After reviewing several options of alcohol stoves, the decision to bring in the Brasslite Turbo F was a no-brainer.

The Brasslite Turbo F offers several advantages over other commercially available alcohol stoves:

• Superior construction quality. The Brasslite Turbo F is made to exacting specifications with rigorous quality control. Every stove that comes off the production line is a true gem. Unlike soda can type alcohol stoves, the Brasslite Turbo F is a durable product that, properly cared for, should provide years of reliable use.
• Outstanding Performance. We've tested every alcohol stove on the market, as well as quite a few do-it-yourself designs. Warm and cold temperatures, wind and no wind, and with various pots. The Brasslite Turbo F consistently outperforms other alcohol stoves in terms of both boil time and fuel efficiency. We validated the manufacturer's claimed boil time of 4 minutes 30 seconds (room temp water and environment, no wind), and it's right on the money.
• Compact Package. The Brasslite Turbo F combines the stove and pot stand into a single integrated unit with no moving parts. It stows anywhere - even in a 10 ounce titanium cup, for the truly minimalist cook set.
• Lightweight. At a weight of 0.85 oz (validated on BackpackingLight.com scales), the Brasslite Turbo F is one of the lightest stove-pot support packages available.

Specifications

Construction Materials

• Body: 32 ga. brass shim (0.008 in / 0.203 mm)
• Stand: 0.5 in stainless steel wire cloth
• Solder: Medium grade jeweler's silver solder (melting point 1275 deg F / 690 deg C)

Dimensions

• Width of chamber and stand: 2.0 in (50 mm)
• Height of chamber: 1.38 in (35 mm)
• Overall height: 2.4 in (60 mm)

Weight

• 0.85 oz / 24 g (validated on NIST-certified BackpackingLight.com scales)

Fuel Capacity

• 1.0 fluid ounces (30 ml)

Performance Specifications

• Total burn time: 9 minutes, 30 seconds using 1.0 fluid ounces of methanol*
• Time to boil: 4 minutes, 30 seconds for 16 oz (475 ml) of water**

Specifications Footnotes

* Tested in windless and light wind conditions, warm and cold temperatures. The average was taken. Burn time may be affected by environmental factors such as temperature, wind and conservation of heat inside the windscreen. Field tests have shown that wrapping a windscreen too close to the stove while using a pot with less than 5 in (13 cm) diameter base may dramatically reduce burn time.

** Stove trials involved three test burns, and the average time is posted. Cookpot used: Evernew 0.9 liter titanium pot. Starting water temp: 50 degrees F (10 C). Interior environment was used. Room and fuel temps: 70 degrees F (22 C). Elevation: 80 ft. No simulated wind. No windscreen, or heat reflector. Stove sitting on plywood surface. Starting fuel amount used: 1US fluid oz. (30 ml), plus 2 ml preheat. The Turbo F consistently brought 16 US fluid oz. (500 ml.) to a rolling boil in an average time of 4 minutes 30 seconds. Larger pot sizes, metal type and thickness, wind conditions, windscreen position, lower starting temperature of water, lower outside air temperature, and elevation may all increase field boil times.

BackpackingLight.com Application Notes

We recommend using either a Brasslite Turbo F or a Vargo Triad Titanium Stove as a standard component of an ultralight cook kit. This cook kit is optimized primarily for packability (low volume, easy stowage) and light weight, recognizing that our choice of cook pot in this particular kit will sacrifice a few seconds of boil time.

Cold Water Test: Using the same test we used to assess the performance of the Vargo Triad Titanium Stove, we found the Turbo F to boil 16 oz of 40 °F water in 7:00 (m:ss) and consume 0.53 oz fuel.

Results of BackpackingLight.com Boil Tests

Description of Test: We used an Antigravity Gear 1L cookpot with lid, a double-layer aluminum foil (standard weight Reynolds kitchen type) wind screen that left 1/2" of clearance around the pot perimeter and encased the pot height to within 1/2" of its top, with 1/2" triangular cutouts in the bottom spaced at 1" intervals, for oxygen intake. After adding 1.00 (+/- 0.05 oz) of alcohol (100% ethanol) to the Brasslite, we immediately lit the stove, started the timer at 0:00 (m:ss), placed the pot on it, and encased the pot with the wind screen, a process that took about 10-15 seconds. Conditions: no wind, ambient temperature: 66 °F, elevation 4,750', water temperature 40 °F. Boil time was calculated as the time at which steam was pouring out of the pot at the lid perimeter - i.e., a heavy, rolling boil. The stove was immediately extinguished (by blocking out oxygen by placing a large pot over it, and reweighed to calculate fuel consumption.

Results:

Vargo Triad Titanium Stove:

• Boil Time, 16 oz of 40 °F water: 7 min 45 sec
• Fuel Consumed: 0.65 oz

Compare to (using the same test) Brasslite Turbo F Alcohol Stove

• Boil Time, 16 oz of 40 °F water: 7 min 00 sec
• Fuel Consumed: 0.53 oz

Summary comparison of Brasslite Turbo F Alcohol Stove to Vargo Triad Titanium Stove:

Both of these stoves are solid performers for bringing cold water to a boil. Both require the use of a wind screen to maximize their performance. Both stoves are compact and very well made. The primary differences between the two stoves are that (1) the Brasslite Turbo F Alcohol Stove is more efficient, and (2) the Vargo Triad Titanium Stove is more stable.

Which one to choose?

The Brasslite Turbo F Titanium Stove is lighter, and based on our standard boil test, it is both more efficient and brings water to boil faster.

The Vargo Triad Titanium Stove is more stable with pots greater than 4" in diameter, a significant amount of the unused fuel can be expelled from the stove and returned to the fuel bottle easier than with the Turbo F.

So, to answer the question "Which one to choose?" simply and concisely, here is our simple answer:

• You don't need either of these stoves. Build a fire.
• You need both of these stoves: they're really cool pieces of lightweight gear that perform exceptionally well, considering that they each weigh more than 80%-200% less than a Trangia Alcohol Stove setup.

The Ultralight Cook Kit

The components of our recommended ultralight cook kit include:

• Brasslite Turbo F stove (0.85 oz) or Vargo Triad Titanium Stove
• Snow Peak 600 Mug (2.80 oz) with heavy duty aluminum foil lid (0.1 oz)
• Heavy duty aluminum foil wind screen (0.3 oz)
• Vargo Titanium Spork (0.5 oz)
• Platypus Lil' Nipper for fuel storage (0.7 oz)

Total weight: 5.35 oz

For those that would rather enjoy optimum performance for the stove, we recommend replacing the Snow Peak 600 Mug with an Evernew 0.9L Titanium Pot (Uncoated), which will add a few ounces to the weight of the setup.

Windscreen Notes: The Brasslite Turbo F should be used with a windscreen, which will not only improve stove performance in even the slightest winds, but will improve heat transfer from the alcohol flame to the cookpot bottom and sides. The windscreen need only be made using readily available materials, such as heavy duty aluminum foil or aluminum flashing (available at a hardware store). The optimum windscreen will rise nearly to the top of the cookpot lip, provide for 1/4" to 1/2" of space around the perimeter of the cookpot (to promote the chimney effect that allows combustion gases to escape and not reduce the flame quality), and have a series of 1/4" (paper-punch size) holes around the bottom to bring fresh air into the flame.

Pot Size Recommendations

Pot choice is important to maximize fuel efficiency and cooking performance. A tight-fitting lid and properly used windscreen are essential for successfully operating any alcohol stove. The Brasslite Turbo F provides a stable base for small pots up to 1 liter in size, including the MSR Titan and Evernew 0.9 Liter Titanium Pot.

Pots with a base diameter of less than 4 inches ("cups") such as the Snow Peak 600 titanium cup and "sierra"-type cups may be used successfully with the Brasslite Turbo F, but a minimum base of 4 inches (10.5 cm) is optimal to maximize heat transfer with the type of flame the comes out of this stove.

Pots larger than 1 liter are not recommended with the Brasslite Turbo F because of possible stability problems. If the Brasslite Turbo F is used with a small pot, it is recommended that the windscreen be set up with a minimum 5 inch (13 cm) opening to prevent oxygen starvation under the pot.