You can't go wrong with the Notkocher71 . As it was introduced in 1971 and still in service in the Swiss Army, it is really reliable. I used it from 1990 to 2007 in Swiss Mountain Infantry, and now for outdoor. Simply and effective. Greets from Switzerland :-)
easily beats the esbit stove in practicality! not quite as sleek and tiny, but it' a lot more powerful, the fuel doesnt stink, wont emit toxic fumes, and it works just fine on any burning spiritus (denatured alcohol) that you can find anywhere on this planet. and the re-sealable container is .. just practical. with a better indefinate shelf life, than hygroscopic hexamine fuel tablets. and it comes with free matches!
Hi - Great video - except you might find it safer to extinguish the flame using the lid inverted so that the rubberised seal doesn't catch fire. (Similar to a Trangia). Also, you can make life easier by just cutting a large 'X' in the aluminium seal. You can just bend the wings up before lighting, to be used as a way of controlling burn time and flame size, and then bent down before extinguishing. Helps stops spillage too. They are a great little stove, especially if you have a decent wind barrier. As you say, they are completely re-useable with Hex tabs or fire gels after the original fuel has been used. I carry the pot support inside my metal mug with a few Hexamine tablets, a small vial of ethanol and a source of ignition - dead handy! Keep up the videos, nice to see someone else using these! :) Cheers, Dave.
For the writing in the match, it mostly just said you will find that mini stove in a pharmacy or a specialized shop under Fire king brand. So it is useful only if you need them in Switzerland.
Hi my name is Nicholas. I live in Canada sk, and I just wanted to say that I think it is awesome that you are a person that love, and appreciates nature and the outdoors as much as I do. Generally you don't see that very often which is to bad, people just don't know what they are missing. I am also getting into backpacking and am trying to get my pack together so I am going to work this summer to get the pack itself, the sleeping bag, tent, cooking supplies, etc, I can't wait! I have liked your Facebook page, I follow your website, and I subscribed to your UA-cam channel about a month ago and have been recommending it to people I know. Thank you for your in depth vidoes, I have been watching them all the time and have gathered a lot of useful information from them. Thanks again! sincerely, Nicholas.
They are easy refillable with any burning gel, I use mine since several Years. You can also use it as burner in the swiss army Volcano Stove, that will increase efficiency.
The text on the matches is german: You can purchase this mini stove under the name/label "fire king" at grocery stores and speciality shops. The text beneath means the same, but is in french .. :D Its not realy important but i guessed someone would be interessted.. these things look better than anything else in terms of ready to go stove systems.. better than esbit and trangia i would say (less messing around) :D you can find them pretty cheap (5€) over here aswell ! Thanks for the nice Video Luke :) I think these deserve more exposure
I was curious about this stove and have been buying many outdoors items lately needing reviews. I started this video and the moment I saw the name and the music kicked up I subscribed. I hope you guys don't make me regret it. THe music is awesome.
recently acquired a redcamp trangia style stove set. also found a can of the sterno camp fuel (6hr can). playing around with both, as a subsitute for the swiss 71. take the redcamp stove stand, turn it upside down. now the redcamp will fit over the can of sterno camp fuel. haven't fired it up yet as i am still playing with other alcohol / solid stoves.
I have the same one in my car emerg supplies. Never used it yet but did watch a video that you can top up the last wee bit of gel with alcohol and mix it up and it sets again. Showed my grown up daughter your video to let her see your enthusium for the outdoors and the comment she made made me laugh. Starbucks, what happened to drinking pine needle tea! No point in roughing it!! Cheers Mary
Hi, thanks for the great Video! These cookers are really great! I make some scrambled eggs (7pcs.) in a little pan on this cooker! they were great :) (The esbit folding-stove and esbit cooking set was not able to do this, neither the canadian cooker).. This swiss cooker rocks!!!!! regards Steffen
Steffen K. I'd liked to know what a "Canadian cooker" might be, I've never seen nor been issued it We usually use a Coleman stove and a frying pan, and I'm 100% certain it will cook almost everything
definitelly better than Sterno. but the big drawbacks of gel fuels, compared to alcohol or gas stoves, are the huge amount of soot and the low heat output. I think the M71 is great for emergencies or to put in the car just in case. But for backpacking, an esbit/trangia or a gas stove are better options. Thanks Luke ;) -Jeffrey
Very cool item and website...Love Military surplus stuff...Question I want to sew trail patches on my pack. Do you think it will jeopardize the water resistance characteristics of my pack?
I think you will be just fine Michael. Most packs aren't waterproof anyways but if you are concerned about it, you could put some seam sealer down first then sew it. - Luke
Luke Great video and useful information. Do you happen to know the total burn time of one of the fuel canisters? Would be useful to know in trip planning if someone is planning a trip and needed to know how many to take. Thanks!
I happened to win one of these and as you know the directions are not in English lol So i founf this old review you did. I am going to try this on tomorrows hunt. Mine did not come with the matches...
you can get real ground coffee in tea bag form from Maxwell house , folgers , and colmen makes a product they call dunkers . ok so they might be a little heavier then the instant but I for one am willing to carry a few extra ounces to get a GOOD cup of coffee
Hey BB, I've had no issues with the ring in regards to melting with this stove or other variants. I would never count on any seal being 100% after it has been opened though. Murphy's Law... - Luke
I don't think I would like it for back packing but I really do like the idea of having one in the cars and in the house for emergency purposes. Thank for sharing. Jason
Hey Andrew, when it comes to safety you're going to be fine with either stove. When it comes to performance they are VERY VERY DIFFERENT! A canister stove will heat much, much quicker but they tend to be more expensive. - Luke
Hey luke! I'm a huge fan of ur vids. Do you think you could see if there are any mugs/cups that you could nest this stove in? I'm a pretty new, and these stoves seem like a very sensible option, and they're cheap! Thanks for the great review
Hi Drew Maggio, just saw your question and maybe I can help you: I use a normal 500ml stanless steel Cup with measurements height 8,5 cm, Ø 9 cm. This works good, so you have 1cm "room" on side where you can put in some tea- or coffee-bags, sugar and so on) and on top or under the cooker you can put some soup-cubes or -packs regards Steffen
I got one and I use it to make some cup of coffee for 2 or 3 times,then I forgot to close the can.I woke up in the morning and found it dry and kinda useless. T T
Aha, very cool, I've used similar army surplus alcohol gel stoves before, and quite liked them, they're a lot less smelly than the crack open hexamine mil surp cookers. I far prefer alcohol gel to liquid fuel too, as I'm always concerned liquid fuels will leak. Cool it comes with a book of matches, I always used to keep a book of matches in my wallet, but they are really hard to find now.
Quick and dirty translation of the text inside the matchbox: You´ll be able to find this mini stove known as "fire king" in drugstore´s and speciality shops
Thanks Luke! I'm new to your channel and really dig it and your great attitude always puts a smile on my face and your videos get me pumped for my next trip into the woods!!! Jim in Michigan
You can't go wrong with the Notkocher71 . As it was introduced in 1971 and still in service in the Swiss Army, it is really reliable. I used it from 1990 to 2007 in Swiss Mountain Infantry, and now for outdoor. Simply and effective. Greets from Switzerland :-)
easily beats the esbit stove in practicality! not quite as sleek and tiny, but it' a lot more powerful, the fuel doesnt stink, wont emit toxic fumes, and it works just fine on any burning spiritus (denatured alcohol) that you can find anywhere on this planet. and the re-sealable container is .. just practical. with a better indefinate shelf life, than hygroscopic hexamine fuel tablets. and it comes with free matches!
Hi - Great video - except you might find it safer to extinguish the flame using the lid inverted so that the rubberised seal doesn't catch fire. (Similar to a Trangia).
Also, you can make life easier by just cutting a large 'X' in the aluminium seal. You can just bend the wings up before lighting, to be used as a way of controlling burn time and flame size, and then bent down before extinguishing. Helps stops spillage too.
They are a great little stove, especially if you have a decent wind barrier. As you say, they are completely re-useable with Hex tabs or fire gels after the original fuel has been used.
I carry the pot support inside my metal mug with a few Hexamine tablets, a small vial of ethanol and a source of ignition - dead handy!
Keep up the videos, nice to see someone else using these! :)
Cheers,
Dave.
Cool little stoves mate, you know...when there almost empty you can fill them with regular alcohol and it turns to gel, awesome!
For the writing in the match, it mostly just said you will find that mini stove in a pharmacy or a specialized shop under Fire king brand. So it is useful only if you need them in Switzerland.
Hi my name is Nicholas. I live in Canada sk, and I just wanted to say that I think it is awesome that you are a person that love, and appreciates nature and the outdoors as much as I do. Generally you don't see that very often which is to bad, people just don't know what they are missing. I am also getting into backpacking and am trying to get my pack together so I am going to work this summer to get the pack itself, the sleeping bag, tent, cooking supplies, etc, I can't wait! I have liked your Facebook page, I follow your website, and I subscribed to your UA-cam channel about a month ago and have been recommending it to people I know. Thank you for your in depth vidoes, I have been watching them all the time and have gathered a lot of useful information from them. Thanks again! sincerely, Nicholas.
Thank you very much Nicholas!
Take care of yourself and be well.
- Luke
They are easy refillable with any burning gel, I use mine since several Years.
You can also use it as burner in the swiss army Volcano Stove, that will increase efficiency.
The inside of the matchbox simply reads:
You can find this mini-cooker going by the name of fire-king at your drugstore and specialized dealer.
The text on the matches is german: You can purchase this mini stove under the name/label "fire king" at grocery stores and speciality shops.
The text beneath means the same, but is in french .. :D
Its not realy important but i guessed someone would be interessted..
these things look better than anything else in terms of ready to go stove systems.. better than esbit and trangia i would say (less messing around) :D you can find them pretty cheap (5€) over here aswell !
Thanks for the nice Video Luke :) I think these deserve more exposure
Thanks for sharing brother.
- Luke
good looking little piece of kit. always like to see new things and thanks much for the upload . thanks so much from Kansas :)
Nice job Luke ! Always a pleasure to see your reviews
I was curious about this stove and have been buying many outdoors items lately needing reviews. I started this video and the moment I saw the name and the music kicked up I subscribed. I hope you guys don't make me regret it. THe music is awesome.
Sephael Lanidrac Enjoy the stove my friend.
These are terrific!
Cheers.
- Luke
I may just.
recently acquired a redcamp trangia style stove set. also found a can of the sterno camp fuel (6hr can). playing around with both, as a subsitute for the swiss 71. take the redcamp stove stand, turn it upside down. now the redcamp will fit over the can of sterno camp fuel. haven't fired it up yet as i am still playing with other alcohol / solid stoves.
Very good test !! I can see a use for these stoves off and one !!
Neat stove Luke, keep it coming brother. - Mohammed
Something I will defiantly get
I have the same one in my car emerg supplies. Never used it yet but did watch a video that you can top up the last wee bit of gel with alcohol and mix it up and it sets again. Showed my grown up daughter your video to let her see your enthusium for the outdoors and the comment she made made me laugh. Starbucks, what happened to drinking pine needle tea! No point in roughing it!! Cheers Mary
Hey there Mary,
I have heard that you can top them off with alcohol as well.
With your daughter, well what did she say? haha
Take care.
- Luke
Sweet deal. Good idea. Keep Shooting does have some good deals. Thanks.
Keep one M71 in your backpack its an excellent Firestarter in the Mountain, Snowshoing
Looks like a great deal thanks for sharing.
On the side of the notkocher it says: Do NOT blow the fire out.
Aha i was just looking at one of these and then i checked my subscriptions and bam! ;)
Hi,
thanks for the great Video!
These cookers are really great! I make some scrambled eggs (7pcs.) in a little pan on this cooker! they were great :) (The esbit folding-stove and esbit cooking set was not able to do this, neither the canadian cooker)..
This swiss cooker rocks!!!!!
regards
Steffen
I agree 100% with you Steffen.
- Luke
Steffen K.
I'd liked to know what a "Canadian cooker" might be, I've never seen nor been issued it
We usually use a Coleman stove and a frying pan, and I'm 100% certain it will cook almost everything
definitelly better than Sterno. but the big drawbacks of gel fuels, compared to alcohol or gas stoves, are the huge amount of soot and the low heat output. I think the M71 is great for emergencies or to put in the car just in case. But for backpacking, an esbit/trangia or a gas stove are better options.
Thanks Luke ;)
-Jeffrey
Great point there Jeffrey.
- Luke
Very nice option for a small stove. Thanks for the video
-Jacko
The empty stove can be filled with hand sanitizer or Swiss fire gel, both burn pretty clean. Swiss fire gel burns better and hotter
For those who don't read German, part of the instructions printed on the side reads, "Niemals ausblasen"... That means 'NEVER BLOW OUT'!! 😉
Thanks for the video, Looks like a really handy item, I think i'm going to have to get myself a couple.
Definitely nice to have around just in case.
- Luke
Seems like a good addition to my vehicle kits both car and boat.How waterproof is the package? Guess it'll be ok in an ammo box.
Those look like neat little stoves. I'll have to order some. Glad to see that you upgraded from "Taster's Nasty" to Starbucks!
You can call me "Upp-Gradde!
:)
- Luke
6 years on and keepshooting.com has joined the ranks of those selling them at $8/ea it looks like
Very cool item and website...Love Military surplus stuff...Question I want to sew trail patches on my pack. Do you think it will jeopardize the water resistance characteristics of my pack?
I think you will be just fine Michael. Most packs aren't waterproof anyways but if you are concerned about it, you could put some seam sealer down first then sew it.
- Luke
Thanks Luke
Luke
Great video and useful information. Do you happen to know the total burn time of one of the fuel canisters? Would be useful to know in trip planning if someone is planning a trip and needed to know how many to take.
Thanks!
Hey Edmund,
Sadly I don't know yet how long they will last.
With more testing, we should have an answer.
- Luke
great review. I use trangia. can you compare the two?
That's a pretty cool stove,
I happened to win one of these and as you know the directions are not in English lol So i founf this old review you did. I am going to try this on tomorrows hunt. Mine did not come with the matches...
How much of the gel did it take to bring that water to a boil?
I really don't know to be honest. Not enough for me to notice.
- Luke
How long does a cannister burn for, according to literature or your experience?
Not sure if I missed it, but how long of a burn time are they rated for?
Sadly I don't know of their estimated burn times. If I find out, I will pass that on.
- Luke
That mean, you are actually going to have GOOD instant coffee for once ;)
you can get real ground coffee in tea bag form from Maxwell house , folgers , and colmen makes a product they call dunkers . ok so they might be a little heavier then the instant but I for one am willing to carry a few extra ounces to get a GOOD cup of coffee
Thanks for the suggestion John.
- Luke
any time
Hi, that is a good review, thanx for that :)
As a matter of fact these are actually emergency stoves not really meant for camping/trekking/hiking etc. purposes.
FYI don't snuff with lid it will melt the o ring in the lid which keep the air tight seal :)
Hey BB,
I've had no issues with the ring in regards to melting with this stove or other variants.
I would never count on any seal being 100% after it has been opened though. Murphy's Law...
- Luke
2 hr burn time.
I don't think I would like it for back packing but I really do like the idea of having one in the cars and in the house for emergency purposes. Thank for sharing.
Jason
nice video. are these safer to carry in a backpack than alcohol or gas stoves? How do they compare?
Hey Andrew,
when it comes to safety you're going to be fine with either stove.
When it comes to performance they are VERY VERY DIFFERENT! A canister stove will heat much, much quicker but they tend to be more expensive.
- Luke
TheOutdoorGearReview thanks. bought a canister stove today. Ex display, so i got a good deal
Nice stove Good vids
Mixing a bit of methanol in the can will eliminate the soot.
Hey luke! I'm a huge fan of ur vids. Do you think you could see if there are any mugs/cups that you could nest this stove in? I'm a pretty new, and these stoves seem like a very sensible option, and they're cheap! Thanks for the great review
Hi Drew Maggio,
just saw your question and maybe I can help you:
I use a normal 500ml stanless steel Cup with measurements height 8,5 cm, Ø 9 cm. This works good, so you have 1cm "room" on side where you can put in some tea- or coffee-bags, sugar and so on) and on top or under the cooker you can put some soup-cubes or -packs
regards Steffen
Sure thing. I'll shoot a video for you.
- Luke
Thanks for helping Steffen.
- Luke
How long do they last I have a survival store close by and he is selling them for $ 2.00
DpKxREVO That is a good question and honestly I don't have an answer yet. I will update when I do.
Cheers.
- Luke
I got one and I use it to make some cup of coffee for 2 or 3 times,then I forgot to close the can.I woke up in the morning and found it dry and kinda useless. T T
Aha, very cool, I've used similar army surplus alcohol gel stoves before, and quite liked them, they're a lot less smelly than the crack open hexamine mil surp cookers. I far prefer alcohol gel to liquid fuel too, as I'm always concerned liquid fuels will leak. Cool it comes with a book of matches, I always used to keep a book of matches in my wallet, but they are really hard to find now.
Shipping charges were excessive. I'm looking elsewhere. The cost would have been $30 for four stoves.
About how long does a can last
That is a good question. Once I find out, I'll let you all know.
- Luke
Quick and dirty translation of the text inside the matchbox:
You´ll be able to find this mini stove known as "fire king" in drugstore´s and speciality shops
Thank you Tiger!
- Luke
yes do the challenge sterno vs. swiss m71!!!
Consider it done!
Coming soon.
- Luke
Thanks Luke! I'm new to your channel and really dig it and your great attitude always puts a smile on my face and your videos get me pumped for my next trip into the woods!!!
Jim in Michigan
TheOutdoorGearReview And you did ^^
der deckel muss verkehrt drauf die dichtung geht sonst kaputt
in germany these things cost 2 euros. stupid as I am I bought just one and now I have to watch youtube videos to see if and how it works.
billy mays of the outdoor gear review
thanks
Professor of the outdoors is a bit more accurate.
Billy Mays only tried to sell stuff. I educate.
Cheers.
- Luke
and liked the stove , too
Банка габаритная очень,хоть и многоразовая.печка бундесвера меньше и многоразовей,только таблетки покупай.
not M71, onli Notkocher 71
thank you my friend for the tip. bubba
Buck 110 😀
They make them reproduction now. I wonder if they come with waterproof matches🤣
How long does the gel last?
After lighting "LNT"
LOL ...Tasters' NASTY
Haha Want some?
Yeah me either...unless I have nothing else. :)
- Luke