User Review: Vargo Titanium Decagon Stove

Vargo Titanium Decagon Stove
Above: The current Titanium Decagon Stove, which may differ slightly from the version reviewed.

Reviewed May 22, 2009 by JamesS

Rating:
Price Paid: $29

I really, really wanted this to work as I am constantly striving to cut weight and things that possibly could break but this stove failed in repeated tests in my basement laboratory under what should have been ideal conditions (no wind, moderate room temperature, and warmish tap water).

I did not have trouble lighting it and on the first attempt filled it just to the top of the fill hole in the center of the stove. It burned for approximately seven minutes and two cups of water didn't even come close to boiling - there were only small bubbles on the sides and bottom of a titanium pot).

So, back to the drawing boards; I filled it all the way to the top and relit. After nine minutes and thirty seconds it ran out of fuel and once again the water (two cups the typical requirement for freeze dried meals) had not even approached a boil. This is a product that I definitely will return to REI.

Hopefully they'll pull it off the shelves and quit selling it. One tester at REI said he got his to boil water in five minutes and thiry seconds. He must have been using rocket fuel; I used what the instructions required which is denatured alcohol and my results were less than dismal.

It's back to my titanium Snowpeak Gigapower in the summer and my MSR Dragonfly in the winter. The Dragonfly will melt a pot of snow in half the time this stove required to bring water to a lukewarm temperature.

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