Quit knocking on yourself. For those of us without the money to test everything that comes out, you do a darn good job of giving us real and practical info on what's available. Thank you very much!
@@SurvivalOnPurpose A good review! I have been looking at one of these for years for the purpose of having a way to cook or boil water along with charging a phone when the electricity goes out. Your video helped me make a decision.
I now love my Campstove 2 because I discovered the secret sweet spot of using it !! When I first got it I was initially disappointed with how long you had heat before you had to add fuel and that you couldn't leave it alone too long or it went out and it seemed hard to cook on. I tried many types of wood and stuff and eventually got to try wood pellets and this was like striking GOLD !! Fill it to the heat probe with 6mm dry wood pellets, crumble a BBQ starter cube into 3 pieces and light that on the top and switch the fan to low. The bbq lighter cube smokes for about 2-4 mins and then you get a nice cooking flame which needs NO maintenance or attention and will burn for 45-55 mins which is more than enough for a full kettle of hot water for drinks or rice and plenty of time left for cooking meat and veg. I did steaks and chicken and rice for a family of 5 recently but used a frying pan rather than the grill for ease of cleaning. If you switch over to using wood pellets you will never go back to other fuels unless that is not available. I would even take wood pellets with me on a trip as they are sooo good !!! Make the switch and let us know the results :)
Matthew Hunter biolite sells bags of wood pellets for these, just double checked their web site, looks like the only difference in the pellets they sell is the price$$$$I always run mine on pellets, cheap wood stove ones!!
H B Yep, I have only been using their pellets for over a year. I used to get them for really cheap from a website here in Canada but due to the pandemic, there is a shortage of the Biolite brand of pellets. I found another brand on Amazon, huge bag that will last me a very long time and was only about $25. I use my other fire wood logs for the Biolite Fire pit during the winter months.
i am in france now for my work. (i am from the netherlands so it was an 12hour drive to there) and i saw a big bag of 15kg wood pellets for about 6$ and i thought ill give it a try and honestly its waaaaaay easier to cook with. it burns cleaner altho i still have black residu on all my pans. but that could be from bad quality wood pellets. but overall works a treat. and 1 fill lasts enough to cook everything i need. so yeah great recommendation. also orderd the grill last week so when i get home ill also give that a try with some woodpallets/wood
Use it a lot. Took it on a bicycle tour from Germany to the Normandy beaches in France. It did not fail on me. I left the clumsy, bulky grill at home. Allthough not the best option regarding weight an size (compared to lightweight stoves), it is reliable and very easy to use.
I have been researching small stoves for a long holiday next summer on my motorcycle and was settled on a liquid fuel MSR stove until I found this one. And if I find that using wood pellets is best I can put what I need for pellets into a dry sack and strap them on in front of my top case. Don't need to worry about a liquid fuel leaking either that way.
4:00 when its smoking like this you can just hold a lighter in the smoke and the smoke will catch on fire and you biolite will light.. thick smoke is flammable.. :) mine did the same
Essentially a portable furnace. Cool that it can use any wood available. Glad you included mishaps to show what can go wrong. Sausages look stinkin' good!
The knife is an MSK1 from Ultimate Survival Tips. There's a comment with link to his video review, WAY down in the comments ( about 130, says Captain Morgan something)
I have the biolite 2 for camping in center FL. I have had good results with it but takes some use to get good at cooking with it. Burns a lot of wood and burns out fast so you have to constantly watch. Found best not to use fatwood or any pine wood ,resin makes a mess and lots of smoke. Pine in it does work good as a bug repellent . Fire takes hours to charge internal battery so have a backup charger. The kit is heavy and bulky but you don't have to carry fuel so close to wash when backpack canping. Around Christmas the package in this video goes on sale for about 160
Your video is beautiful but people in our country don't have the money to buy one. I love it biolite camp stove 2 I wish you to make such a beautiful video
One thing I MUST add... BioLite has THE BEST CUSTOMER SERVICE I HAVE EVER EXPERIENCED! I mean they STAND behind their products! they will ALWAYS help their customers by going TOTALLY OUT OF THEIR WAY if anything is wrong! AWESOME COMPANY!
Wow I am so glad you didnt cheat using store bought fire starter. I wanted to see it used using natural items provided by nature. I may even at times use a magnifying glass to start the fire. Thank you for providing a tutorial on starting a natural fire using the BioLite CampStove 2+.
Great video Brian. I have the original BioLite with the same setup and absolutely love it. You do have to keep adding fuel but I’ve never seen any other wood stove that burns so efficiently. I’m actually thinking about getting another set for my wife’s BOB. Thanks for sharing.
YES, your mistake DID help me because I had the same problem. Thanks also to comments from others re: wood pellets. Especially valuable was when you mentioned “top down” fire function. Most of us that start fires, like you, are used to “bottom up.” Thanks again for the video. Really appreciate your humility and know that your humor and mistakes taught me a lot!!
Based on the specs and assuming the fans do not change the power output... it would take about 193+ minutes of burning to recharge the internal battery. The device basically has a USB output of 5V @ 0.6A that probably becomes basically 5V @ 0.5A output... also known as old school USB 1.0 power output that will probably be detected as 'low power charger', but it's getting better with every release. The battery pack is 2600 mAh
Love both of my Biolite 2s. I bought a second one so I could cook on the grill or have two cast iron skillets going at the same time. I’ve been using the Biolite 2 for over a year now and I’ve never charged the battery once. The fire from one 3/4 wood burn keeps the battery charged to full every single time. I often cook for 3 to 5 people in my family. I’m looking at this one guy in Japan who makes a Trangia triangle to put on top of the Biolite 2 so that your Dutch over or a frying pan sits a bit higher above the flame so that it’s not so intense in the middle of the pan.
Excellent review man. This is the type of review I love. Just picked one of these up on sale on Amazon. Can't wait and thanks for the deep dive! AWESOME work
@@seikoskx You sure did get lucky! For that price I was a thinking it could be hot, and not because it had fire in it. LOL. That was a great opportunity.
Uses a peltier diode to generate electricity. They use a 3.7v ½ amp battery for storage and fan power. Where do you get FREE diodes ? When you find discarded 12V Coleman fridge,or a wine chiller/ warmer.
When it goes out just blow into it and it relights.this thing runs on vapors/fume.i just picked one of these up with the grill attachment at a pawn shop for 75.00 dollars.
Loved watching les stroud growing up. Particularly in the winter for some reason... I would cover up with a blanket and It was like going to a different world.
Tip: If you live in an area where hard woods are hard to find (like me), smoker pellets work well on steaks, pork chops, chicken and such. Not as efficient as an actual smoker but it can be done. Cheers.
I just fill my hopper till just bellow the top air holes with hardwood pellets, and put a single match in the center and stuff it down, if its windy I use a coleman firestarter, but let the top pellets catch and then turn the fan on low only, and she'll take off good and hot for about 30 minutes
Great video dude, i just recently ordered this kit with rhe grill and the kettle, im excited to get it! Thanks for the review! Dang them sausages look delicious!
Bryan, you crack me up. Love your channel and great reviews as well as as ideas. Thanks for showing off that cool stove. Have a great weekend brother. 👍👍👍
I’ve had the first generation backpacking since 2012 n have added the implements n addition. Yes it is a top/down burner n always used the fan.. I have used the electrical charger part since it became available... I use my I-phone as a camera n allows me power for my week to 10 days of camping n high country photography.
This is really cool keep up the great videos I got a buddy going on a self guided elk hunt and he's going tobe camping I'm going to suggest this to him
Definitely looking into this as it can recharge my gear. I opt to carry rechargeable lights. I do carry a firearm with a wml in the field and edc a light. Looked into solar chargers so while on the move or not I could charge a power bank.... BUT you almost always have a fire going. “2 is 1 & 1 is none”
When the fire gets hot enough, the fan will turn on automatically (I assume when it starts to generate power). That seems to be what works best for me.
I almost bought one of these yesterday. Used. But watching several reviews, it looks too finicky. The main thing is the noise of the fan would drive me nuts. Good in an emergency when you need to charge your phone when all else fails. But other reviews show it takes ages to fully recharge a phone. Good on you to do this video Brian.
been researching videos on this and 2 or 3 cups of wood pellets will burn for like 3 hours so if you want burn time that's the way to go. Plus they burn to a fine ash.
As my original is the 2012 version I plan on buying the newer upgraded model biolite 2 version soon. I have the light accessory too. It works perfect once you understand the unit n I do use backpacking too so I don’t use or need fuel bottles.
I have the first version of the BioLite Stove and I’ve had it for 3 years, it definitely is a great stove but you gotta keep lots of processed wood or sticks readily available to keep feeding the stove.
Love the video. I like it when you have hiccups. It let's me the viewer know that sometimes things don't work. Keep trying and it worked great. That dedication tells me you really are looking at the product and giving the best information. As always brain thank you for another great video.
It supplies the same watts a wall charger but from experience of using one for several years, this will KEEP your phone charged, you simply plug your phone/device in while you're cooking, an activity you'd be doing regardless. To think of this as a power pack is not really true so the advertising is somewhat misleading. It WILL charge your phone from dead, but it takes hours.
First of all great video. In my opinion this unit seems a bit complicated and bulky. I have a Firebox stove and I am happy with it. Did you ever check it out? I prolly get a UCO Grilliput too. This is something you might keep in a garage as a backup. I dunno gimmicky. And there is way better out there for tailgating. But in an in emergency anything is better than nothing.
To be exact it is a Wood Fire Gassification type stove, and yes they need constant feeding of fuel, and hard wood is best. I live at 6200 feet above sea level, no hard wood, so not a very good stove for where I live. But an interesting idea non the less.
I have the BioLite Campstove 2 and have ordered the grill adaption. I find that the best start-up procedure is to use kindling of pine and some silver birch bark as a firelighter. Put the pine twigs into the fuel chamber so it's fairly full up to an inch below the air vents at the top and then plenty of silver birch bark strips on top. Then light a piece of silver birch and drop it in. Fairly quickly the pine twigs will set, and you'll start to get some heat. Don't put the fan on manually and you'll find that when the heat goes above a certain level the fan will come onto the lowest level automatically. Once this has happened, you're ready to use your primary fuel. I tend to use short sections of one-inch thick silver birch branches but that may well be to do with availability where I get my firewood. Once you've got the larger pieces of wood in, you can turn your fan up. For maximum heat, e.g. for bringing cold water to the boil, keeping the stove as full as possible with fuel and the fan on max (level 4) will lead to the best results. I'd recommend having a mixture of pieces of fuel that are up to 7-8 inches long which can slot down into the stove chamber plus some shorter pieces that you can place in on top of burning coals but when you can't fit a larger piece in. This is particularly necessary if you're boiling water and can't have any sticks poking too far out the top. Don't let the flames die down as this can lead to the smoke emission. If your flames do go out and the stove starts smoking a lot, I find you can turn the fan down to the lowest level, blow gently across the top of the stove and it will probably catch on fire. If you just want some power for light or charging a device, then you can keep the fan on level 1 or 2 and just keep putting enough fuel in to prevent the flames going out. When shutting down, if you're in a hurry, simply stop refuelling and turn the fan up to max. Once the heat goes below a certain level, the device will go into shutdown mode so the fan will change to the lowest level until you just have some glowing coals at the bottom. At this point, you can simply tip the coals out (holding the yellow power unit only!!) and extinguish them on the ground with some water. This may lead to a depletion of your battery so if battery life is more important, stop refuelling and turn the device off with a long press of the power button. A few seconds later the fan will come onto the lowest setting and the device will automatically shut off when the heat goes down, as above. Finally, have fun! It's a great device!
When there's bad mosquitoes.... I put green leaves in the biolite, I crank the fan on full and walk around the campsite and smoke out the area. Honestly works great.
A few friends of mine use it but not for me. I prefer the Firebox and Nano stoves both twig stoves as well. Just much simpler and way more packable. I use battery banks to charge the phone and when that dies out well I’ll just watch cowboy TV.
I had the original Biolite 1, and just bought the new 2+. They're super cool, but I feel like they really missed the mark. The internal TEG/Peltier module is said to produce around 3W. That's just not enough power to be useful, especially when you consider the load of the fan. In my testing, I was able to pull about 7Wh charging a device @ ~4W (avg ~4.8V / 800mA), and recharging the internal battery with fire took about 3 hours. That means if you wanted to charge the average phone every day, you'd need a good solid fire for 4.. 5.. hours? No one is bringing a biolite as an ultralight option, so I don't think weight or size are actually *that* important. However, if it had, say, a 4x18650 receiver, 4x (larger) peltier modules, USB-C in/out, and a slightly larger burn chamber, it could be an incredibly useful group device, especially in the winter. Even if it was, say, 3-4lb, you might be able to justify it. 4x18650 @ 3500mAh (~50+Wh), fully rechargeable in 2-3 hours would make it quite competitive with solar, and an excellent group cooking station. They do sell a "basecamp" version but it's enormous (18lb) and *still* has no significant power generating ability.
The problem with the Biolite is it is neither fish nor fowl. It is totally too big and heavy for backpacking, and, really, too small for car camping. Maybe for canoe camping. It also is not a good charger. I have had the Biolite I for about three years now. I played with it, once again hopeful, in the back yard last week. Once again, disappointment. I kept it going HOT for an hour and managed an 8% increase in my phone's charge. I believe the fan takes most of what the battery can do. I had to feed it constantly and keep it HOT or it would not charge. After an hour, I got tired of it. It smoked like a Rocky Mountain steam engine when starting and every time (about once every two minutes) fuel was added. I used Biolite pellets at $6.00/bag just to be sure there was no issue with the fuel to give the stove its best chance. The accessory light works fine. I got one liter of water to boil in 13 minutes. I got tired of fooling with it after an hour of constant attention and nearly the who bag of fuel. I don't think on a car camp you will want to break twigs and feed this thing to charge your phone all evening while your buds are sitting around the fire having a good time. You want to charge your phone with no power? Turn on your car, plug it in, or use a battery bank while backpacking. There are way better wood burning stoves out there. I bought a Sierra Stove back in the 90s and it is a way better forced air stove running on a penlight battery, actually small and light enough for backpacking. do a review on that one! When you drill down a little on the glowing reviews on other channels it turns out they got free product for their "honest" reviews -- they're shills. Anybody want my whole Biolite set up with stove, boiler, light, twig breaker, firestarter and pellets? Come by my place in Newnan GA and I'll let you have it all for three Mountain House Meals. The idea of using fire to charge is sexy, but a no go with this product. That's why the battery on the Biolite 2 has a micro-usb port on it.
My stove has hot spots, too. The right side is always warmer. I tried putting a broken pizza stone on it to more evenly disperse the heat. It takes a while to heat up and it works well, but it's best for making toast and keeping things warm.
I have this camp stove, and I can say you almost NEVER have to have the fan that high. Use the lower / mid range fan speeds and you will be set! Plus you can slow cook your food. Just get the initial fire nice and hot and then add bigger sticks as you go on. 👍🏽
Quit knocking on yourself. For those of us without the money to test everything that comes out, you do a darn good job of giving us real and practical info on what's available. Thank you very much!
Thanks. I appreciate it.
@@SurvivalOnPurpose A good review! I have been looking at one of these for years for the purpose of having a way to cook or boil water along with charging a phone when the electricity goes out. Your video helped me make a decision.
I now love my Campstove 2 because I discovered the secret sweet spot of using it !! When I first got it I was initially disappointed with how long you had heat before you had to add fuel and that you couldn't leave it alone too long or it went out and it seemed hard to cook on. I tried many types of wood and stuff and eventually got to try wood pellets and this was like striking GOLD !! Fill it to the heat probe with 6mm dry wood pellets, crumble a BBQ starter cube into 3 pieces and light that on the top and switch the fan to low. The bbq lighter cube smokes for about 2-4 mins and then you get a nice cooking flame which needs NO maintenance or attention and will burn for 45-55 mins which is more than enough for a full kettle of hot water for drinks or rice and plenty of time left for cooking meat and veg. I did steaks and chicken and rice for a family of 5 recently but used a frying pan rather than the grill for ease of cleaning. If you switch over to using wood pellets you will never go back to other fuels unless that is not available. I would even take wood pellets with me on a trip as they are sooo good !!! Make the switch and let us know the results :)
I will have to check that out.
It explicitly tells you not to use wood pellets
Matthew Hunter biolite sells bags of wood pellets for these, just double checked their web site, looks like the only difference in the pellets they sell is the price$$$$I always run mine on pellets, cheap wood stove ones!!
H B Yep, I have only been using their pellets for over a year. I used to get them for really cheap from a website here in Canada but due to the pandemic, there is a shortage of the Biolite brand of pellets. I found another brand on Amazon, huge bag that will last me a very long time and was only about $25. I use my other fire wood logs for the Biolite Fire pit during the winter months.
i am in france now for my work. (i am from the netherlands so it was an 12hour drive to there) and i saw a big bag of 15kg wood pellets for about 6$ and i thought ill give it a try and honestly its waaaaaay easier to cook with. it burns cleaner altho i still have black residu on all my pans. but that could be from bad quality wood pellets. but overall works a treat. and 1 fill lasts enough to cook everything i need. so yeah great recommendation. also orderd the grill last week so when i get home ill also give that a try with some woodpallets/wood
Use it a lot. Took it on a bicycle tour from Germany to the Normandy beaches in France. It did not fail on me. I left the clumsy, bulky grill at home. Allthough not the best option regarding weight an size (compared to lightweight stoves), it is reliable and very easy to use.
Good to know!
I just bought one for camping and will be in a lot of my videos up and coming. Looks really ideal for me since I’m overnighting from my motorcycle
I have been researching small stoves for a long holiday next summer on my motorcycle and was settled on a liquid fuel MSR stove until I found this one. And if I find that using wood pellets is best I can put what I need for pellets into a dry sack and strap them on in front of my top case. Don't need to worry about a liquid fuel leaking either that way.
4:00 when its smoking like this you can just hold a lighter in the smoke and the smoke will catch on fire and you biolite will light..
thick smoke is flammable.. :)
mine did the same
Essentially a portable furnace. Cool that it can use any wood available. Glad you included mishaps to show what can go wrong. Sausages look stinkin' good!
they were
wet wood is an absolute nogo tho. it almost wont make any heat and keep smoking like a smoke machine xD ask my neighbors.
The knife is an MSK1 from Ultimate Survival Tips. There's a comment with link to his video review, WAY down in the comments ( about 130, says Captain Morgan something)
I have the biolite 2 for camping in center FL. I have had good results with it but takes some use to get good at cooking with it. Burns a lot of wood and burns out fast so you have to constantly watch. Found best not to use fatwood or any pine wood ,resin makes a mess and lots of smoke. Pine in it does work good as a bug repellent . Fire takes hours to charge internal battery so have a backup charger. The kit is heavy and bulky but you don't have to carry fuel so close to wash when backpack canping. Around Christmas the package in this video goes on sale for about 160
$160 ???
@@brianmccann666 ya the bundle is normally 200.00
Got mine at Lowes with pot and grill for $112.
Your video is beautiful but people in our country don't have the money to buy one. I love it biolite camp stove 2 I wish you to make such a beautiful video
One thing I MUST add... BioLite has THE BEST CUSTOMER SERVICE I HAVE EVER EXPERIENCED! I mean they STAND behind their products! they will ALWAYS help their customers by going TOTALLY OUT OF THEIR WAY if anything is wrong! AWESOME COMPANY!
Wow I am so glad you didnt cheat using store bought fire starter. I wanted to see it used using natural items provided by nature. I may even at times use a magnifying glass to start the fire. Thank you for providing a tutorial on starting a natural fire using the BioLite CampStove 2+.
Thanks. Although I don't have anything against "store bought" firestarters. In fact, I absolutely recommend carrying some in yoru emergency kit.
Great video Brian. I have the original BioLite with the same setup and absolutely love it. You do have to keep adding fuel but I’ve never seen any other wood stove that burns so efficiently. I’m actually thinking about getting another set for my wife’s BOB. Thanks for sharing.
YES, your mistake DID help me because I had the same problem. Thanks also to comments from others re: wood pellets. Especially valuable was when you mentioned “top down” fire function. Most of us that start fires, like you, are used to “bottom up.” Thanks again for the video. Really appreciate your humility and know that your humor and mistakes taught me a lot!!
Thanks
What knife is that you are using ??
I really wanted to know how the battery pack is. How fast it charges mainly. This was a good videon though a lot of information in it.
Based on the specs and assuming the fans do not change the power output... it would take about 193+ minutes of burning to recharge the internal battery. The device basically has a USB output of 5V @ 0.6A that probably becomes basically 5V @ 0.5A output... also known as old school USB 1.0 power output that will probably be detected as 'low power charger', but it's getting better with every release. The battery pack is 2600 mAh
This was the exact demo video I was looking for. Covered all the bases and was a great tutorial before a trip out with it.
Love both of my Biolite 2s. I bought a second one so I could cook on the grill or have two cast iron skillets going at the same time. I’ve been using the Biolite 2 for over a year now and I’ve never charged the battery once. The fire from one 3/4 wood burn keeps the battery charged to full every single time. I often cook for 3 to 5 people in my family. I’m looking at this one guy in Japan who makes a Trangia triangle to put on top of the Biolite 2 so that your Dutch over or a frying pan sits a bit higher above the flame so that it’s not so intense in the middle of the pan.
Sturdy-looking FB knife, is this "Little Ricky" from Schrade? Where can I get one?
Excellent review man. This is the type of review I love. Just picked one of these up on sale on Amazon. Can't wait and thanks for the deep dive! AWESOME work
Glad I could help!
This is genius. If I can find this for a more reasonable price I'll be picking one or two up for sure
Awesome tutorial!! Loved this review. Super informative but not too long. Convinced me it’s worth the money :).
Have tried it it was awesome 👌, got it fir 60 bucks with the grill and plate glad i pulled the trigger 😀
Where did you ever get this for $60.00? I was just looking at the whole setup that has a pot/coffee press and the grill with it and it's $300.00!
@@myronhorvathsk i got lucky a guy was getting rid of the whole setup lol 60 well spent 👏
@@seikoskx You sure did get lucky! For that price I was a thinking it could be hot, and not because it had fire in it. LOL. That was a great opportunity.
I would like to know if you need to clean this or any other proper maintenance. Thank you
How can I get that wood knife your using?
Uses a peltier diode to generate electricity. They use a 3.7v ½ amp battery for storage and fan power.
Where do you get FREE diodes ? When you find discarded 12V Coleman fridge,or a wine chiller/ warmer.
When it goes out just blow into it and it relights.this thing runs on vapors/fume.i just picked one of these up with the grill attachment at a pawn shop for 75.00 dollars.
Loved watching les stroud growing up. Particularly in the winter for some reason... I would cover up with a blanket and It was like going to a different world.
Les is cool
Tip: If you live in an area where hard woods are hard to find (like me), smoker pellets work well on steaks, pork chops, chicken and such. Not as efficient as an actual smoker but it can be done. Cheers.
Cool
What knife is that with the orange scales?
It's you being you that these videos enjoyable. Keep up the good work . Thanks.
Aw shucks. You are too kind.
Thanks, Words are important "but honest words come from the heart and soul "I have your words to come from there.
I just fill my hopper till just bellow the top air holes with hardwood pellets, and put a single match in the center and stuff it down, if its windy I use a coleman firestarter, but let the top pellets catch and then turn the fan on low only, and she'll take off good and hot for about 30 minutes
Great video dude, i just recently ordered this kit with rhe grill and the kettle, im excited to get it! Thanks for the review! Dang them sausages look delicious!
these fit perfectly in the maxpedition large water bottle carrier. It will fit your pot/ cup on top and your cutlery in the side with your fire kit.
How about the battery and charging? This would be the only reason I’d buy it. I have plenty of wood stoves that work well
Could you use the "powerbank" even though it's turned off? If the powerbank is charged of course.
Good question.
Yes you can. It's a battery. You can charge it from the wall or use the fire.
Bio lite is a water boiler grill and a portable charger that doesn’t ever need to be plugged in now that’s amazing
Can you tell me more about the knife kit you pulled out thanks
ua-cam.com/video/rct74cVV9zI/v-deo.html
Thank you Sir! Wood pellets work great. Semper Fi
Does the battery and fan automatically turn on when you light a fire inside of it? Or do you need to turn it on manually?
Good question. I am pretty sure the fan comes on automatically. It did for me every time.
Bryan, you crack me up. Love your channel and great reviews as well as as ideas. Thanks for showing off that cool stove. Have a great weekend brother. 👍👍👍
You too
I like that knife my brother.. what is it? Do you have it on the link?
Thanks for the video! I'm going to be using this stove this weekend.
Have fun!
I’ve had the first generation backpacking since 2012 n have added the implements n addition. Yes it is a top/down burner n always used the fan.. I have used the electrical charger part since it became available... I use my I-phone as a camera n allows me power for my week to 10 days of camping n high country photography.
Nice video!! I loved the Les shoutout!!
Looks kinda flimsy for regular cookware. Do you think you could use a full sized cast iron pan or should I get a different stove?
This is really cool keep up the great videos I got a buddy going on a self guided elk hunt and he's going tobe camping I'm going to suggest this to him
Thanks for the video Bryan my plumber brother and take care
What knife is that?
Definitely looking into this as it can recharge my gear. I opt to carry rechargeable lights. I do carry a firearm with a wml in the field and edc a light.
Looked into solar chargers so while on the move or not I could charge a power bank.... BUT you almost always have a fire going. “2 is 1 & 1 is none”
When the fire gets hot enough, the fan will turn on automatically (I assume when it starts to generate power). That seems to be what works best for me.
I almost bought one of these yesterday. Used. But watching several reviews, it looks too finicky. The main thing is the noise of the fan would drive me nuts. Good in an emergency when you need to charge your phone when all else fails. But other reviews show it takes ages to fully recharge a phone.
Good on you to do this video Brian.
Thanks
been researching videos on this and 2 or 3 cups of wood pellets will burn for like 3 hours so if you want burn time that's the way to go. Plus they burn to a fine ash.
Cool
What knife is that I love it
what knife is it???
David Evans after lots of research it’s a dumb expensive kick starter knife
@@PatrickBrokkr Gotcha. Thanks!
As my original is the 2012 version I plan on buying the newer upgraded model biolite 2 version soon. I have the light accessory too. It works perfect once you understand the unit n I do use backpacking too so I don’t use or need fuel bottles.
Hey did you review the knife in this video cause I can't find it.
What knife is that thanks
Excellent demo, thanks! It's a cool unit.
I've been trying to get a new power module but can't find one
I have the first version of the BioLite Stove and I’ve had it for 3 years, it definitely is a great stove but you gotta keep lots of processed wood or sticks readily available to keep feeding the stove.
Love the video. I like it when you have hiccups. It let's me the viewer know that sometimes things don't work. Keep trying and it worked great. That dedication tells me you really are looking at the product and giving the best information. As always brain thank you for another great video.
How long does it take to recharge your cell phone or a Garmin gps Thanks.
It will charge a fast as the fire is hot. But for practicalities sake, pretend it's a 2.5 watt charger.
It's be better to use it to charge a power bank. Or a powered down phone.
It supplies the same watts a wall charger but from experience of using one for several years, this will KEEP your phone charged, you simply plug your phone/device in while you're cooking, an activity you'd be doing regardless. To think of this as a power pack is not really true so the advertising is somewhat misleading. It WILL charge your phone from dead, but it takes hours.
It takes 4 hours to charge a GalaxyS phone. That's four solid hours of feeding fuel.
Nice knife what is it?
Les is a national treasure.
First of all great video. In my opinion this unit seems a bit complicated and bulky. I have a Firebox stove and I am happy with it. Did you ever check it out? I prolly get a UCO Grilliput too. This is something you might keep in a garage as a backup. I dunno gimmicky. And there is way better out there for tailgating. But in an in emergency anything is better than nothing.
Different strokes...
To be exact it is a Wood Fire Gassification type stove, and yes they need constant feeding of fuel, and hard wood is best. I live at 6200 feet above sea level, no hard wood, so not a very good stove for where I live. But an interesting idea non the less.
Thanks
Great video, thank you Brian
The great thing about those 3 Main Legs on it? Is that for extra peace of mind, you can use Metal Tent Pegs with them, for more stability.
Play around with the position of twigs inside the burn chamber. A lot of the smoke has to do with not enough airflow reaching the smoldering wood.
Thank you
Can you use charcoal briquets and are they a long lasting fuel? Thanks
My biolite says no charcoal also don't use pine or fatwood makes a sticky mess and lots of smoke.
( question) what happens if internal battery that operates fan it will go flat ? . thank you for awnser..
It uses a thermoelectric conversion unit that uses the heat from the fire to slowly charge the battery.
I have the BioLite Campstove 2 and have ordered the grill adaption. I find that the best start-up procedure is to use kindling of pine and some silver birch bark as a firelighter. Put the pine twigs into the fuel chamber so it's fairly full up to an inch below the air vents at the top and then plenty of silver birch bark strips on top. Then light a piece of silver birch and drop it in.
Fairly quickly the pine twigs will set, and you'll start to get some heat. Don't put the fan on manually and you'll find that when the heat goes above a certain level the fan will come onto the lowest level automatically. Once this has happened, you're ready to use your primary fuel. I tend to use short sections of one-inch thick silver birch branches but that may well be to do with availability where I get my firewood. Once you've got the larger pieces of wood in, you can turn your fan up. For maximum heat, e.g. for bringing cold water to the boil, keeping the stove as full as possible with fuel and the fan on max (level 4) will lead to the best results.
I'd recommend having a mixture of pieces of fuel that are up to 7-8 inches long which can slot down into the stove chamber plus some shorter pieces that you can place in on top of burning coals but when you can't fit a larger piece in. This is particularly necessary if you're boiling water and can't have any sticks poking too far out the top.
Don't let the flames die down as this can lead to the smoke emission. If your flames do go out and the stove starts smoking a lot, I find you can turn the fan down to the lowest level, blow gently across the top of the stove and it will probably catch on fire.
If you just want some power for light or charging a device, then you can keep the fan on level 1 or 2 and just keep putting enough fuel in to prevent the flames going out.
When shutting down, if you're in a hurry, simply stop refuelling and turn the fan up to max. Once the heat goes below a certain level, the device will go into shutdown mode so the fan will change to the lowest level until you just have some glowing coals at the bottom.
At this point, you can simply tip the coals out (holding the yellow power unit only!!) and extinguish them on the ground with some water. This may lead to a depletion of your battery so if battery life is more important, stop refuelling and turn the device off with a long press of the power button. A few seconds later the fan will come onto the lowest setting and the device will automatically shut off when the heat goes down, as above.
Finally, have fun! It's a great device!
It doesn't seem to be fanning out the heat to take up the whole space of the grill
Those sausages look great haha. I just ordered a set myself.
Hope you enjoy
How does I charge up normally?
USB
Mine has seen it all :D... From +30°c to Negative - 29°c...Snow, Rain... It just works
do you still preffer this or something like a firebox?
@@scottmurphy4946yes i still prefer the Biolite...i know its "Heavy" and a bit bulky, but it just works very well in my use
What kind of knife is that and we’re can I get one
This one : ua-cam.com/video/rct74cVV9zI/v-deo.html And he has lower priced versions now
ultimatesurvivaltips.com/pages/msk-1-knife
@@SurvivalOnPurpose thank you so much for getting back to me
When there's bad mosquitoes.... I put green leaves in the biolite, I crank the fan on full and walk around the campsite and smoke out the area. Honestly works great.
good idea
I think the best usage of this system is for a long-term grid-down scenario when you shelter in place if you live near some trees. :-)
Can this be used inside my van
it is a fire. Repeat, a fire.
Pretty damn good review. Thanks for sharing quality content on a really cool camp stove.
A few friends of mine use it but not for me. I prefer the Firebox and Nano stoves both twig stoves as well. Just much simpler and way more packable. I use battery banks to charge the phone and when that dies out well I’ll just watch cowboy TV.
Different strokes...
Thanks! Maybe time to move to Rumble, they will allow links to Sportsman's Guide
Do you still own the schrade Priscilla
yes
Really good review/demonstration
I had the original Biolite 1, and just bought the new 2+. They're super cool, but I feel like they really missed the mark.
The internal TEG/Peltier module is said to produce around 3W. That's just not enough power to be useful, especially when you consider the load of the fan. In my testing, I was able to pull about 7Wh charging a device @ ~4W (avg ~4.8V / 800mA), and recharging the internal battery with fire took about 3 hours. That means if you wanted to charge the average phone every day, you'd need a good solid fire for 4.. 5.. hours?
No one is bringing a biolite as an ultralight option, so I don't think weight or size are actually *that* important. However, if it had, say, a 4x18650 receiver, 4x (larger) peltier modules, USB-C in/out, and a slightly larger burn chamber, it could be an incredibly useful group device, especially in the winter. Even if it was, say, 3-4lb, you might be able to justify it. 4x18650 @ 3500mAh (~50+Wh), fully rechargeable in 2-3 hours would make it quite competitive with solar, and an excellent group cooking station.
They do sell a "basecamp" version but it's enormous (18lb) and *still* has no significant power generating ability.
New drinking game: take a shot every time that South Georgia man says “like so”
The problem with the Biolite is it is neither fish nor fowl. It is
totally too big and heavy for backpacking, and, really, too small for
car camping. Maybe for canoe camping. It also is not a good charger. I have had the Biolite I
for about three years now. I played with it, once again hopeful, in the
back yard last week. Once again, disappointment. I kept it going HOT
for an hour and managed an 8% increase in my phone's charge. I believe
the fan takes most of what the battery can do. I had to feed it
constantly and keep it HOT or it would not charge. After an hour, I got
tired of it. It smoked like a Rocky Mountain steam engine when
starting and every time (about once every two minutes) fuel was added. I
used Biolite pellets at $6.00/bag just to be sure there was no issue
with the fuel to give the stove its best chance. The accessory light
works fine. I got one liter of water to boil in 13 minutes. I got
tired of fooling with it after an hour of constant attention and nearly
the who bag of fuel. I don't think on a car camp you will want to break
twigs and feed this thing to charge your phone all evening while your
buds are sitting around the fire having a good time. You want to charge
your phone with no power? Turn on your car, plug it in, or use a
battery bank while backpacking. There are way better wood burning
stoves out there. I bought a Sierra Stove back in the 90s and it is a
way better forced air stove running on a penlight battery, actually
small and light enough for backpacking. do a review on that one!
When you drill down a little on the glowing reviews on other channels
it turns out they got free product for their "honest" reviews -- they're
shills. Anybody want my whole Biolite set up with stove, boiler,
light, twig breaker, firestarter and pellets? Come by my place in
Newnan GA and I'll let you have it all for three Mountain House Meals.
The idea of using fire to charge is sexy, but a no go with this product.
That's why the battery on the Biolite 2 has a micro-usb port on it.
Mine don't look so flashy any more covered in soot and black marks it's used not just sit around and looks pretty
Anyone know the name of the knife he was using
This one: ua-cam.com/video/rct74cVV9zI/v-deo.html (I swapped the handle scales to orange)
If you leave it alone the fan should kick on when it's ready to kick on. It's a safety feature. It will also slow down when it should.
Yep. It just doesn't turn off
Cant decide between this or Rocket Stove from SilverFire...same price...
How about the amount of charge produced. I get its a great 100$+ wood stove but i would buy it for the tech not the stove.
Biolite's Site rates it at ~3W, and the onboard battery holds 2600mAh
How much?
Check the link
Check the link
You're still using the $400 msk knife ?
You got any barks rivers yet ?
No
The best biolite stove my battery charging cellphone
What's the cost brother?
My stove has hot spots, too. The right side is always warmer. I tried putting a broken pizza stone on it to more evenly disperse the heat. It takes a while to heat up and it works well, but it's best for making toast and keeping things warm.
Thanks
I have this camp stove, and I can say you almost NEVER have to have the fan that high. Use the lower / mid range fan speeds and you will be set! Plus you can slow cook your food. Just get the initial fire nice and hot and then add bigger sticks as you go on. 👍🏽
Replacement parts just impossible to find
The cost here in NZ is about $380 just the stove