STARLYTE alcohol stove worlds lytest almost

[Scotto]

zelph I am interested in getting your modified Starlyte for my Caldara cone stove. I would like the ability to either easily snuff and recover the unused fuel or have it stored in stove without leaking or vaporizing away as I have not been happy about the standard caldara cone stove in that respect. Does your stove solve those issues?

Thanks

I'm not Zelph, but I do own a Starlyte for use with a Caldara ULC. I just pulled out my Starlyte that has about an ounce of fuel in it and turned it upside down and shook it. Not one drop came out. It has never leaked while in my backpack (I checked by weighing it). You can't recover the fuel, but it will be there in the stove waiting for you when you need to use it (even a month later).

[Starchild]

I'm not Zelph, but I do own a Starlyte for use with a Caldara ULC. I just pulled out my Starlyte that has about an ounce of fuel in it and turned it upside down and shook it. Not one drop came out. It has never leaked while in my backpack (I checked by weighing it). You can't recover the fuel, but it will be there in the stove waiting for you when you need to use it (even a month later).

Thanks, this goes a long way to having me order one, how do you feel it compares to the stove included with the caldara cone?

[zelph]

zelph I am interested in getting your modified Starlyte for my Caldara cone stove. I would like the ability to either easily snuff and recover the unused fuel or have it stored in stove without leaking or vaporizing away as I have not been happy about the standard caldara cone stove in that respect. Does your stove solve those issues?

Thanks

Yes, the StarLyte burners solve those problems. They come with a snap on cap that retains unused fuel. Just snuff out the burner with the lid of your pot or just flip it upside down on the ground. Wait 1/2 min for it to cool and then place the lid on. Fuel won't evaporate or leak out.

Thank you for your interest in the design.

Read what they are saying about the StarLyte Burners on backpackinglight.com

http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-...hread_id=73981

I'm not Zelph, but I do own a Starlyte for use with a Caldara ULC. I just pulled out my Starlyte that has about an ounce of fuel in it and turned it upside down and shook it. Not one drop came out. It has never leaked while in my backpack (I checked by weighing it). You can't recover the fuel, but it will be there in the stove waiting for you when you need to use it (even a month later).

Thank you Scotto for your comment. I'm glad to hear it's working for you.

[zelph]

Trail Designs Caldera Cones are popular because of the way they provide protection from the wind and how they support your pot.

The StarLyte burner portion of the original stove is being used to replace the 12-10 because of it's compactness and being so user friendly. You can see how Chad Poindexter uses a Modified StarLyte burner in his newly formed kit.

Visit Chad's blog site at SticksBlog

Watch Stick's latest video "TD Sidewinder Caldera Cone & the 0.9L Evernew "UL" Ti Cook Pot"

[zelph]

Lighting a StarLyte in cold weather.

[mxracer33x]

When are you going to have more of the Starlyte stoves in stock? Not the caldera Models but the standard ones with pot supports.

[zelph]

When are you going to have more of the Starlyte stoves in stock? Not the caldera Models but the standard ones with pot supports.

I'm finishing up a batch tonight.

Will be shipping back orders tomorrow.

Thank you mxracer33x for your interest in the StarLyte Stove.

[mxracer33x]

Thank You. Ill keep my eye on the Store!

[zelph]

It's not recommended you use a pot size larger than the 5 litre keg that you see used in the movie.

It is not recommended the StarLyte be used below minus -13 degrees below zero. I've tested it at that temperature in January up in St. Paul, MN. Used the burner to thaw out the grease in the door latches on my car. My daughter operated the camera as I did the thawing. Notice the wind whipping around the cars exhaust past the door. Wind had little effect on the burner. She directs the camera at the dash to show temperature gauge for outside air.

Someone in England had a question about the lighting of the StarLyte stove in windy conditions. I did a little search here at WB and found this thread that had a video of the stove being used on a windy -13 degree morning in Northern Minnesota. Thought you might like a little reminder of what winter has in store for us.

The other video shows how strong the pot supports are. That's 5 liters of water in that keg.

[zelph]

Something new has been added to the StarLyte line of burners. This one is made as a dedicated burner for simmering.

This thread at backpackinglight.com inspired me to design it:

http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-...hread_id=82210




The one one the right is for simmering. Works well in the Caldera Cones for small pots.




You can purchase a burner for simmering at zelphs-stoveworks http://www.woodgaz-stove.com/starlyt...r-with-lid.php
.

[Starchild]

zelph Thank you for the modification of the Starlyte to work in the Calarara cone. I do think you may be missing something here in your new simmer stove and I hate to say it, in your Caldara cone stove as well.

The issue I see with the current design is you made a stove to simmer. Practically this means bringing 2 stoves (normal and simmer).

In the Caldara cone design I did notice a pretty significant difference between the boil times of the 10-12 (12-10?) stove and the modified Starlyte, the Starlyte took longer and it was a quite noticeable time difference.

I do like the Starlyte a lot, I like the light weight, the no waisted fuel aspect, and especially the durability (the 10-12 sucks in this, it also blows in this, yes it sucks and blows at the same time). But the longer boil time has left me to want to yank the modification out and use it as a normal Starlyte.

Having a durable light weight alchy stove is a great idea, the ability to simmer is a great idea, the ability to use the Starlyte in a Caldara cone is also a great idea, having 3 separate stoves for this is not so much of a great idea.

Just a suggestion that if a single Starlyte could be designed to accommodate all 3 modes, normal, Caldara, simmer it may be a much more attractive option.

Peace
Starchild

[grateful 2]

zelph Thank you for the modification of the Starlyte to work in the Calarara cone. I do think you may be missing something here in your new simmer stove and I hate to say it, in your Caldara cone stove as well.

The issue I see with the current design is you made a stove to simmer. Practically this means bringing 2 stoves (normal and simmer).

In the Caldara cone design I did notice a pretty significant difference between the boil times of the 10-12 (12-10?) stove and the modified Starlyte, the Starlyte took longer and it was a quite noticeable time difference.

I do like the Starlyte a lot, I like the light weight, the no waisted fuel aspect, and especially the durability (the 10-12 sucks in this, it also blows in this, yes it sucks and blows at the same time). But the longer boil time has left me to want to yank the modification out and use it as a normal Starlyte.

Having a durable light weight alchy stove is a great idea, the ability to simmer is a great idea, the ability to use the Starlyte in a Caldara cone is also a great idea, having 3 separate stoves for this is not so much of a great idea.

Just a suggestion that if a single Starlyte could be designed to accommodate all 3 modes, normal, Caldara, simmer it may be a much more attractive option.

Peace
Starchild

I agree. (I own 4 starlets, BTW)

[grateful 2]

I agree. (I own 4 starlets, BTW)

That's Starlytes. My wife just wouldn't understand.

[zelph]

Starchild, one of the mods recently said people like to have options/choices. I'm here to please I listen to what people want and base my actions on what I hear. I give them what they want. Here are some quotes from the backpackinglight.com thread that I made reference to in my recent post(my emphasis in red):

James Marco, Re: 12-10 simmer ring ? on 09/28/2013 05:43:05 MDT

The simmer ring can easily be made from a piece of aluminum foil. Or, take a strip off a second can. The problem is, the holes are not as regular as on the Brasslite. So, you have to mark the stove and ring to make sure it goes on the same way. Simply mark the bottom of the strip for the location of the holes. Then, just nip off some "V" shaped notches opening each hole. Twisting the ring should cover the holes (mostly,) soo, they are fairly effective. But, between about 6:45 and 7:20 the change the burn time to 11:00-12:00 or not quite half. The reduction in heat is only about 1/3 and is actually too hot to do any real simmering with the Caldera Cone.

You would be better off following the design with a smaller center hole, and maybe 1/4-1/2" taller stove, compensating for the lower flame. A second stove at around 1/2oz is not that bad to carry and well worth it if you want to cook.

Daniel Collins, Simmer cap. on 09/28/2013 22:21:16 MDT

thanks Greg and J Mole.
That 12-10 stove looked beat up in the simmer ring blog . Looks like it was overheated.
The cap looks pretty simple. I will also look at Starlyte and see if they have a separate simmer stove that works well.
The idea of baking rather than frying trout is tempting.

Starchild, based on what they said, I made available the StarLyte for Simmering. It was an easy project. I had the materials on hand and the dies to cut the reduction ring.

The regular StarLyte works well in the Caldera Cone. I think it boils 2 cups using 1/2 ounce fuel in 8 min.
The Modified StarLyte in the Caldera Cone boils 2 cups using 1/2 ounce fuel in 12 min. and continues to burn for x? amount of min.
That's 4 minutes difference.
The regular burner is the burner of choice for you. Others prefer the modified. The modified is preferred 10 to 1 based on sales. The good news is, it only costs $1.00 more and as you noted it can easily be yanked out and pitched. It's all about options, like Mags said.

The StarLyte for simmering is for those that want to cook, as James Marco pointed out in his comment.

Thanks for your input Starchild

[zelph]

Something new has been added to the StarLyte line of burners. This one is made as a dedicated burner for simmering.

This thread at backpackinglight.com inspired me to design it:

http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-...hread_id=82210




The one one the right is for simmering. Works well in the Caldera Cones for small pots.




You can purchase a burner for simmering at zelphs-stoveworks http://www.woodgaz-stove.com/starlyt...r-with-lid.php
.

A couple of reviews have arrived on the SimmerLyte burner over at BPL where they were first introduced. One deals with the burner being used in a Caldera Cone. These are unsolicited.


http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-...Alcohol&cid=18

Quote:

Daniel Collins
( Diablo-V )
Starlyte Simmer stove on 10/11/2013 07:30:28 MDT Report Post Print
Rating: 5 / 5

I just got my newly debuted Starlyte simmer stove from Zelph. He was monitoring a forum thread here at BPL where we were discussing a need for something that would simmer in a Caldera Cone Tri-Ti. He decided to release this on the market as the thread was ongoing.

I have not had time to post a full technical review yet but this tiny featherweight stove will earn its weight in saved fuel by allowing me to reliably simmer with a Caldera Cone. The stove comes with the cap to save unused fuel, is convenient and safe with the carbon wool holding the unburned alcohol. This is a practical answer to spirit stove cooking as no stove does EVERYTHING well. This one gets slipped in when the food has reached boil- to replace the boil stove. It should simmer as long as anyone would need. I will post numbers when I get them. Bravo and thanks for this stove.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------------------------------------

Steve Martell
Eastern Washington
Simmerlyte: Slow but Efficient on 10/13/2013 17:52:10 MDT
Rating: 5 / 5

I concur with the above and I'm quite impressed on the efficiency of this stove. With my current cooking setup (prototype bottle/kettle) I've managed several 2 cup boils using 12 grams of 190 proof alcohol (Everclear). When used with SLX alcohol it only reached 200F with 14 grams. I've avoided burning high ethanol alcohol in the past due to carbon/soot deposits but this stove burns extremely clean. Now I can go back to Everclear and have a multi-use fuel.

Boil tests:
* 2 cups (473g water) at 39F
* Heating rate (with 190proof) about 10-12 degrees (F) per minute
* Boil time 15 to 17 minutes (500' above sea level)


The Simmerlyte holds about 39 grams which should equal three cold water boils--4 if the water is warmer. This is enough for a short trip w/o carrying extra fuel. Nice work Dan!

[zelph]

the StaLyte is now available to International countries.

http://www.woodgaz-stove.com/starlyte-stove.php

[zelph]

Mags recently mentioned that the StarLyte had a good review so I posted a copy here.

Quote from another thread:

The entire review that Mag's mentioned and others can be seen here:


http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-...Alcohol&cid=18

Zelph's Stoveworks SS Starlyte Ultralyte Alcohol Stove on 05/09/2009 00:36:15 MDT
Rating: 5 / 5
Technical review of Zelph's Stoveworks SS Starlyte Ultralyte Alcohol Stove and E-Z fold windscreen.


Stove type

The stove is a wickerized open top alcohol stove with a built in pot stand.

First impressions

I am a machinist and a have a strong interest in designing and making BP stoves and I am very critical of the manufacturing quality of other MYOG stoves. When I unpacked the Starlyte stove I noticed that it is well made and presented, the stove came with a well made E-Z fold windscreen, the quality of the Starlyte actually impressed me.

Construction and materials

The stove is made from a small aluminum tin with the top cutout and filled with fiberglass with a stainless steel cover to hold the fiberglass in, four holes have been drilled equal spaced around the edge where the integrated pot stand was then place, the pot stand is made from two pieces of stainless steel wire which have been spot welded together and then bent to fit into the holes. The windscreen is made of aluminum which has been crinkled, the clip that came with the screen is a hanger from a curtain.

Specifications

Weights as measured on my scales
Stove: 14.8 grams (this is as advertised)
The E-Z fold windscreen: 21.2 grams
Clip that came with the windscreen to hold it together: 3.4 grams
Measuring cup: 3.4 grams
Total of 42.8 grams

Diameter of stove: 55 mm
Height of stove and pot stand: 44 mm

Testing

Test condition was in my garage at 600 meters elevation, the ambient temperature was around 170C, I used Australian denatured alcohol 95% ethanol content. In each test I place 20 grams of fuel in the stove and after reaching 950C as quickly as possible I placed a tin over the stove to put the flame out, this was the same for all tests.

I ran four tests on the starlyte stove (heating rates can be seen in graph below) in each test I heated 0.5 liters of water from tap temperature to 950C and then normalized the results to grams used to heat water 800C (g/800C). As the stove was sitting directly on my test bench and the test surface was warming up between tests I placed a cooled piece of 3 mm ply under the stove before each new test.

Results

1/ 14.0 g/800C
2/ 16.0 g/800C
3/ 13.1 g/800C
4/ 12.3 g/800C

Average of test 1,3 &4 = 13.1 grams or about 16.4 mls

Note test 2: while doing the test I noticed that the pot was not central on the stove, I must have knocked the stove off center while placing the pot on it, I decided to leave this incorrect placement until the end of the test, this non central placement showed more fuel being used than the other tests.

Notes test 1&3: in these tests the windshield was left slightly open so I could look at the flame, I suspect this might have some effect on the efficiency.

Notes test 4: in this test I had the windshield full closed, as can be seen in the results this was the most efficient test.


Discussion of results

When used correctly the Starlyte stove used similar amount of fuel to my Trangia 27-1 which I consider a standard amongst alcohol stove this is very impressive as the Starlyte system is much lighter than the Trangia


Testing the no spilling claim.

I filled the stove with 20 grams of alcohol, lit the stove and then tipped the stove over on my testing bench to try and see what would happen, surprisingly as can be seen in the photo no fuel spilled out of the stove, the flame just stayed coming out of the stove.
Attachment 30958

Trying to spill fuel from the Starlyte stove (CAUTION DO NOT TRY THIS WITH OTHER ALCOHOL STOVES)

Conclusion

I found the Starlyte very easy to use, I had no problems with the filling of fuel, the fiberglass wick filling had no problems absorbing the fuel. The stove ignited very easy, it only took a touch of the lighter that I was using.

The windscreen was easy to unroll and rollup and to setup around the pot, the clip that was supplied was also easy to put on and the clip was useful in removing the windscreen after the water had reached the desired test temperature.



The stove pot is supported by 4 legs these where not perfectly leveled and the pot had a very small amount of rocking but with a little bit of adjustment this can be easily fixed.

I have not used this stove in the field as yet and if I like to cook gourmet meals and for this reason I prefer Canister stoves, but I have ran a lot of tests on many different alcohol stoves and I really enjoyed using this stove.

Tony

[zelph]

I came across this video this morning on how Hiram Cook makes the StarLyte Stove simmer...interesting:

[zelph]

Some reviews for the StarLyte Stove found on Amazon.com today. Someone sent me an email directing me to the site and thought I’d share

http://www.amazon.com/Starlyte-Stove...=alcohol+stove

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful

Best of the best
By JuniperTrekker on January 27, 2012
I have owned and made many types of alcohol stoves (Pepsi, Cat, etc.) but by far this is one of the best and lightest. If you've been disappointed with other Alcohol stoves give this one a go--you will be impressed. Extremely quiet in use, no moving parts, alcohol doesn't spill if its knocked over, simple and failsafe--if you don't accidentally step on it!

Tips:

* Use a reflector (foil) below the stove
* Always use a wind screen around the stove
* Limit your use to boiling water (1-4 cups)
* Keep your meals simple and you won't be disappointed
*Best fuel: HEET (yellow bottle) or SLX denatured Alcohol. These burn very clean--no soot. Avoid High ethanol alcohols and rubbing alcohol (Isopropanol)--too much soot and flame size too large
*If you use HEET for your fuel, replace the bottle cap with a dispensing one from "Zelph's Stoveworks". Makes adding fuel much easier.


Starlyte Alcohol Stove
By Columbus on August 25, 2011
This stove is ultra lightweight and very dependable. Have used it for 80 plus days now and it works every time. Works best with denatured alcohol but heet (yellow bottle) is fine too. No need to take it apart: just pour alcohol in from the top and light. It even comes with a small shotglass sized plastic measuring cup so you know how much you are pouring into it. The only problem I have with it is that once it's lit you can't regulate it's burning time or it's intensity. Windscreen is a must on windy conditions. The small metal 4-pronged stand is very narrow so I suggest getting a wider aftermarket stand for stability.

Amazing stove
By Amazon Customer VINE VOICE on July 26, 2013
I have built alcohol stoves for years, and bought stoves from several stove builders Tinny, Smokeeater908, Zellph, Batchstovez, Intense Angler, etc.

This stove is AMAZING. it is very light weight, and very fuel efficient and could not be easier to use. Pour the alcohol in the stove and light. If you cook pot in a Titanium cup, Glacier cup, or GSI Minimalist; this stove has a perfect size flame pattern.

I have only used this stove a few times; so I am not sure it will give a fast boil but the fuel economy is GREAT. the only stove with the same fuel economy to the Starlyte stove is the MAHALO stove that I designed.

UPDATE: I used this stove for the third time, and this time I timed the test.

The Starlyte IS slower than my MAHALO stove. The MAHALO takes 6:30-7 minutes to boil. The Starlyte took a little more than 8 minutes: so my MAHALO is the clear winner for speed. I think the reason for the slower boil time is that the Starlyte is a wick stove, and the MAHALO is not.

I still think the Starlyte is as efficient and possibly more so because in optimum conditions 15 ml Heet boiled two cups tap water with some alcohol to spare. Next time I am going to try 12.5 ml alcohol to boil two cups.

If you are new to alcohol stoves; you cannot go wrong with the Starlyte.

Using the Starlyte could not be easier. Measure the alcohol in the plastic 1 OZ measuring cup. Pour the alcohol onto the screen. Set the pot on the built in pot stand. Light the stove and you are cooking immediately without dealing with priming pans, waiting for the stove to blossom. With the pot stand you NEVER have to worry about cold pot flame outs.

One last thing most alcohol stoves are good for cooking meals for 1 or 2 people. You will not be cooking a spaghetti dinner for 6 people.

As long as you have realistic expectations for the stove; alcohol stoves will serve you well.


Perfect
By Cheryl Madden on September 23, 2014
Verified Purchase
For as small and light as this little guy is, i still felt confident putting a pot with two cups of water on it. I cant imagine a way to improve the design, its just perfect.The fact that you dont need a seperate pot stand should make you order this thing right now. No fuss, no moving parts, simply perfect. Great for backpacking, or stashing in your survival kit. Just dont go stomping on it, cause it wont hold up to that! But packed carfully, you cant go wrong. And a shout out to Keri-Lynn at fours seasons survival for the outstanding costumer service.


quality
By C. Mcdowell Crook Jr. on November 7, 2013
This is an excellent ultralight stove. All of Dan's stoves are extremely well made and designed. If you are serious about lightening up your pack and using gear that will last, d yourself a favor and buy his stoves and pots. I've used his gear for the past 8 years and have never had a failure.

[zelph]

Something new created for the large StarLyteXL. Can be used in the Western States according to fire ban regulations.

Works really nice for making the stove burner "simmer"

I'm putting it through some vigorous testing