User Review: Vargo Titanium Triad XE Alcohol / Fuel Tab Stove
|
Rating: 
Price Paid: $30
Why pay $30 for something you can make out of an empty soda can and a penny? Here's why.
I wanted to give this stove a chance. After all, the titanium makes it just about the lightest thing out there, plus it's cool enough to pick up ten seconds after you blow it out.
The legs are incredibly convenient, and add about 0.2 ounces, and so I wanted to compare it to my trusty old penny stove that has already proven itself.
In order to keep this review as short as possible, I will omit all the advantages and disadvantages common to all alcohol stoves, namely their susceptibility to wind. You can also use a solid fuel tablet just as easily in the bottom of a penny stove, so that advantage, while nice, is canceled out. Make a shield with a long piece of foil folded over twice and taped at the ends, or buy one from MSR for $15.
The test involved using both stoves inside in a controlled environment and then outside just to see if they could boil water in 40 degree weather. Both could.
As for the controlled test, I wanted to see how long it took both stoves to get one pint of water from room temperature to a rolling boil with exactly one ounce of pure methanol. I use ethanol on the trail, but for the test I wanted to stretch out the times a little bit by using methanol (less BTUs). Also, I wanted to see how long the stoves burned on the fuel provided, because sometimes you want to make some rice and then throw in some veggies and meat and simmer for a bit longer.
The outcome:
Before I give actual numbers, I want to remind the reader that the Triad stove was sturdier and the tripod was extremely convenient. The wire pot stand I built for my penny stove is as far from sturdy as can be. If I step on any part of the penny stove I'll be eating granola for the rest of my trip. I'm not a huge fan of titanium cookware, but this stove was a rock. You could almost use it to hammer in stakes.
As far as lighting goes, the penny stove was a little easier to prime, since you pretty much just pour the fuel in and light it. The Triad has a small hole in the bottom where the alcohol is supposed to drain, but it does so slowly so if you don't pay attention you waste some of the fuel as it pours over the side. I actually did this almost every time, and so counted this as part of the 1 oz. of fuel used. If you pour fuel onto the counter of your kitchen, how are you going to do it right on a rock in the woods? With two or three practices this is down to a minimum, and priming is just as easy as the penny, which is still way easier than a petrol stove. And now for the numbers:
The penny brought the water to a rolling boil in about 5 minutes. The Triad took about 9. BUT, the penny stove burned out in about 9 minutes, while the Triad continued to burn for a solid 22 minutes. I do have a simmer ring for the penny stove, but even if you tossed it on just after the water started to boil in order to cook some veggies or meat, you still couldn't milk 22 minutes out of it.
So, in conclusion, both stoves have their benefits. The Triad is lighter, sturdier, and the built-in potholder is a huge plus. The penny stove boils water (slightly) faster, but is flimsy and doesn't burn for nearly as long. So, depending on your style of cooking, I could recommend either stove.
You could easily boil a nalgene-load of water with the Triad, so if you are cooking for two to four people I might consider the Triad. Personally, I usually just boil water and stir in freeze-dried dinner, so I will probably stick with my penny stove. For a 1 oz object the size of a hockey puck, however, I might consider taking both on a few multi-day trips, so I can cook some veggies or packages of pre-cooked chicken on a few nights. THE END.
Where to Buy
Buy Online We found the Titanium Triad XE Alcohol / Fuel Tab Stove at 4 online stores:
| Store | Product Description | Price |
 Altrec Outdoors | Titanium triad ex Alcohol Stove | $31.95 | Buy Now |
 REI | Triad XE Titanium Alcohol/Fuel Tab Stove | $32.95 | Buy Now |
 Gear for Adventure | Titanium Triad XE Alcohol Stove | $31.95 | Buy Now |
 Vargo Outdoors 2 purchase options: | Titanium Triad XE Alcohol / Fuel Tab Stove revised | $32.95 | Buy Now |
| Titanium Triad XE Alcohol / Fuel Tab Stove revised | $32.95 | Buy Now |
Similar Stoves
|
Compare |
Contribute |
Discuss |
Follow us on Twitter
Become a fan on Facebook