liquid stove fuels...

[Jenna]

this is a bit of a follow on from the trangia thread here and a thread over on XRV.

I have been looking into liquid stove fuels trying to work out the most cost effective fuels, the most accesable, the highest output in relation to weight and in relation to physical size.

the list;

multifuil burners: optimus nova, msr wisperlight, primus omnifuel etc

petrol (works but not advised) .................................................£ 1.12/ltr
diesel (works but is hard to get going) ...................................... £1.14/ltr
paraffin/kero/heating oil (burns but can leave a smell) ..................£1.50/ltr*
AvGas (avaition fuel)............................................. ..................£1.60/ltr
veg cooking oil (not tried this yet, but it will work)...................... £0.93/ltr*
Aspen 4T petrol (high heat and clean) .......................................£2.95/ltr*
white spirit (works but not advised) ..........................................£3/ltr*
panel wipe (naptha base)............................................. ............£4/ltr*
meths (works but is inefficent)....................................... ...........£6/ltr*
vodka (alcohol)......................................... .............................£10 .50/ltr
coleman fuel (naptha base) .................................................. ...£12/ltr
Black Grouse............................................ ............................. £21.10/ltr (but Kymmy drank it)

* cheaper if bought in larger quantity. (prices found locally)

you can add red diesel in there too but i dont have a clue on what it costs these days.

over the next month I will try and do a burn time test for each (except for the booze and coleman fuel) with the omnifuel and 0.5ltr of water (from frozen).

[Jenna]

just a follow up.

Primus sell what they call 'powerfuel', in real terms this is the same as coleman fuel, ASpen 4T being 'white gas' or naphtha

In the UK by law they can only sell the stuff in 500ml specifically made metal tin... result is that its only marginally cheaper than coleman at £5.50ish per 1/2ltr. (who also have to abide by the same HSE rules)

As always were being being nannied to death in the UK and these silly rules do not apply in the rest of Europe so you can buy the same Primas 'powerfuel' in a 2.5ltr plastic can for the silly price of just the equivilant of £6. awww it almost makes you feel proud to be British.. screwed by the government yet again

so next time your in france remember you can get this 'ideal' stove fuel for around £2.40 per ltr in most camping stores!

[Austin]

you have probably found this already but Aspen 4T seems to be stocked in garden centres and in larger bottles that 500ml

Aspen Stockists - clean fuels,environmental and green fuels, petrol and bio diesel in the uk

There's a stockist literally up the road from me; I will try at the weekend and see what volume and price it is.

[Jenna]

Yes, when I left school I worked for a large horticultural/forestry dealers selling 2 stoke equipment (chainsaws, strimmers, mowers etc) and we used to sell the predecessor to Aspen... problem is most of Aspens dealers don’t or wont stock 4T as they want a 2 stroke premix fuel only like the 2T.

Nearest supplier to us is a 3 hour round trip if the traffic is good... chances are it would be cheaper to buy it mail order which makes it twice the price and a not very economic fuel...

Not sure if I should post this but I have found a UK source for Primus powerfuel in the 1ltr plastic bottles (I guess its meant for the US market), it’s still not as cheap (@£5) as Aspen but its WAY cheaper than blacks/millets etc…

[Austin]

My local stockist of Aspen 4T charges £14.50 for 5 litres - that's £2.90 per litre. Still pricey compared to normal unleaded but if it's less smoky and less smelly I will be using it.

[stuart123456789]

My local stockist of Aspen 4T charges £14.50 for 5 litres - that's £2.90 per litre. Still pricey compared to normal unleaded but if it's less smoky and less smelly I will be using it.

have Horns closed or just moved?

[Austin]

Moved Stuart. Now at Horns yard in brock - near the land rover dealership.

[steveR]

My local stockist of Aspen 4T charges £14.50 for 5 litres - that's £2.90 per litre. Still pricey compared to normal unleaded but if it's less smoky and less smelly I will be using it.

It is neither smelly nor smokey in my experience! In fact it smells quite nice. I paid about that price last summer for 5l and have plenty still left for this year, if I am allowed off...

[Boris]

Up till recently I've been using panel wipe then I ran out and used petrol and I have just bought aspen and run the stove up with that and here are my findings.

Panel wipe
Less smelly than petrol when filling the stove and burns cleaner. After switching off the stove the stuff reeks a bit as it cools and I have to leave the stove outside. the tent.

Unleaded petrol
Stinks when filling but again pretty odourless when stove in full chat. Soots up a bit though especially when simmering. Smells (but not quite as bad as panel wipe) when stove cooling down.

Aspen 4t
Almost odourless when filling. Burns fine. No noticeable smell when cooling down.

So far aspen seems to win but it (and panel wipe) are nearly 3 times the price of petrol

[steveR]

Aspen 4t
Almost odourless when filling. Burns fine. No noticeable smell when cooling down.

So far aspen seems to win but it (and panel wipe) are nearly 3 times the price of petrol

I have seen a report, possibly from US, that some brands of panel wipe compound have some additives in the brew, not what you want in your cooking fuel...