EcoZoom Versa, High-Efficiency, Wood-Burning, 14.25 lbs Portable Rocket Stove for Outdoor Cooking

My wife and I live in a hurricane zone and have been affected by bruiser storms like Rita, Ike, Harvey. So we usually do something every year to increase our readiness. This year we added this stove. So I break it out of the box and decided to try to cook with it. An hour and a half later I got a fire going. I felt I should donate my camping gear and tear up my Eagle Scout card. Needless to say I was doing something way wrong. I was overloading the combustion chamber keeping air from flowing through it. Two days later I decided try again. This time I figured I need to go smaller, so I bought a bag of pecan wood to use as secondary kindling. I took one piece of pecan wood and used a hatchet to cut it into small pieces about the size of my pinky. I put a cotton ball with petroleum jelly on it into the chamber and carefully put my pecan wood pieces on top of the cotton ball (about 6). I lit the cotton ball and less than 5 minutes later I had fire. I placed 2 pieces of lump charcoal on it and now had a cooking fire. I took a medium skillet and made bacon and eggs for the family in about the same time it would take on the range (once the fire is lit). So as an effective stove replacement, so far it passes the test. Some observations: When you build a fire, think very small campire, not charcoal chimney. The only fire you will produce packing this thing full and lighting it are the flames of hatred that scorch your soul and nothing else. After the initial lighting, there is no smoke produced that I could see. There was no soot on the bottom of my stainless steel skillet. I only used 4 pieces of charcoal to cook breakfast and still had plenty of heat left over. The stove seemed to produce a steady, stable heat. It was like cooking on a range. I didn't have to tend the fire to often. I only had to add two pieces of charcoal. The sides got hot, but not enough to burn you. The handles make it easy to move. It is also light enough to not be cumbersome but heavy enough to be stable. It is too heavy to backpack with unless you have a mule with you. Cleanup is easy once it cools down. I honestly think it is better to let the fire burn out then empty it rather than close the doors and let it smother. It just seems just slow the burn when you do that, making you wait longer until you can clean it. I am sure if you got creative, you could use a fire steel to light it, but it would a little more complicated. Overall this is a great and efficient camping stove that should be part of your emergency preparedness kit. Also if you do a lot of camping, this stove would be ideal as it pretty much is an outdoor hot plate. There is something about cooking outside that is very peaceful. Definitely worth it.

Absolutely amazing! Without question I recommend this product. I bought one. Loved it so much I bought another. I'm a chef. 25 years in a professional kitchen. I'm finding a need to downsize my life and move me more towards simplicity and nature. I bought these for me, but as an banquet chef I'm already thinking about ways to incorporate these into live cooking demos and action stations for guests. - they are what they say they are. -the efficiency is astounding. -heat/preheat rapidly. -heat, sear, and boil rapidly with little fuel. -I've used yard waste, wood and charcoal and found them all quite capable. Charcoal though was the hardest. You just have to play around a bit. But once fully ignited, it works great. -it's astounding how so little fuel can work so efficiently. Other than charcoal, the fuels I use light really quickly. I was thinking of making a small charcoal chimney out of a can to get the coals really going before adding them to the stove. But it probably just takes practice. -it takes some practice to get the feed rate right and you learn to control the damper door to keep air at the right levels. But it's wonderful and it connects you to the actual process. It's like the difference between driving an automatic or a manual transmission. You actually have to be aware and participate. But it's awesome and sexy and relaxing. -I bought the pot skirts later, and they are absolutely worth it. They change in the forced heat intensity is amazing and turns dying embers into a hot spot warm enough to continue cooking. There is this PBS cooking show: New Scandinavian cooking. Where the guy takes his portable kitchen out to the most astoundingly beautiful places and cooks on site... I see how a person could do that with these. I look forward to the places I'm going to take them. I'm so excited at the prospect of finding spots here in Colorado like that and cooking under the open skies. Buy it! You won't be disappointed! Prepper! Chef! Outdoorsman/outdoorswoman! Or just backyard BBQ. They are worth every penny and it's nice to know I have a way to cook and boil water in an emergency.

I love it! It is easy to carry, very durable and good quality. Love to cook on this one. It is worth the money I pay for!

I used this stove twice to test it. Both test performed the same (Test 2. note the temp was 80 and it took 17 min. to boil the water). The ambient air temperature was 94 F humidity was about 8% I used the branches from a silver maple tree that had fallen on to my lawn. They were about half an inch in diameter. I broke them with my hands into six inch long pieces and put 6 of them in the stove trough the side opening. I then found some dead redwood tree leafs that had fallen and put a hand full of then down the top of the stove. I struck a wooden match and put it down the top hole to light the fire, I had to do this twice to get it started. All the fuel was very dry and old. The fuel started burning and and I placed a 15 Lt. Cabalas Dutch oven on top of the stove, it was filled with 10 to 13 liters of water. The water was brought to fast fast boil in 15 minutes. I had to add three hand full's of twigs during the test. It burns hot and fast. The best part is that it uses the twigs that fall from the trees that I have to remove before I mow the lawn, now I can save them in my wood shed and use them for the stove if needed. I hope this explains the stove it is worth the price and a practical stove for home use. It is not a back packing stove, but would work fine for car camping. The stove is heavy and well made. I have it stored in a safe dry place in case, I need it. review Oct 2012

I have purchased products from BIOLITE before and am familiar with their products and recent company aquirements.They continue to expand and provide useful,quality products and customer service.This jet stove offers the versatility of using bio matter or charcoal for your cooking needs ,with its two tiered fuel deck and doors.With most,you only have the option of burning wood,twigs,leaves,pinecones.etc.It heats up quickly and distributes that heats upward with its ceramic interior walls.The design provides a high efficiency burn that results in minimal smoke I also purchased a round 10" grate to use on top of it and an adjustable wind block ring for those windy days.The ring helps the top of flame to retain and control the heat loss providing for an easier cooking experience.Its size makes it portable and I store mine in a 20# propane tank carrying bag which has excess room for all of my accessories.

Great little rocket stove. Well built. Easy to use. Takes a variety of fuels. Controlling temp will take some practice with airflow and fuel type, unless you prefer everything burnt. I take mine car-camping, but just as good at a cookout as a extra grill, tailgating, at the beach, or even disasters. Be sure to pick up the carrying case too (which really should have been included at this price). Makes transport super easy. PS. Please learn how to operate the stove properly, shoving it full of green sticks and then saying "it won't light, it sucks" is your fault and not the stove.

Came highly recommended. It is heavy-duty, built better than I thought.

Heavier than you think, but works great

De x ele té construcción y calidad. Resistente y muy efectiva en el consumo de material combustible. Ideal para su uso en caso de emergencia. No es tan portátil, es una estufa para tenerse en una cabaña o traerla en el vehículo.

Fonctionne très bien avec très peu de combustible. Très satisfait du produit.

Excellent, works well and we'll be using it again this winter.

I havd used DIY rocket stove before. Really like the idea using kindling as fuel. This commercial rocket stove is very easy to start the fire and using only a small amount of wood or use charcoal. Good for backyard cooking or camping. Built soild, outer body is not too hot when burning, it is actually ok to touch. Burn very efficiently. With some practice almost like using gas stove.

Wer kommt auf den Gedanken, sich so ein Teil zu kaufen ? Gedacht, und auch zumeist gebraucht, für Regionen der Welt ohne Gas und Strom und, da dort nur wenig Holz oder holziges Feuermaterial zur Verfügung steht, ausgerichtet auf einen möglichst geringen Verbrauch. Daher liegt der Hauptmarkt wohl in Afrika. Ich lebe in Bayern, grille gerne, habe also keine Schwierigkeiten mit offenem Feuer und lebe auf dem Land. Meine Erkenntnis nach zwei massiven Hochwassern in den letzten Jahren, die für einen länger dauernden Stromausfall sorgten, waren, ich brauch ein Notstromaggregat um Pumpen in Betrieb zu halten, und eine Kochstelle. Punkt eins war schnell abgehakt und bei Punkt zwei kam ich auf dieses Gerät, das ausgezeichnet arbeitet, Holz und Holzkohle unproblematisch verarbeitet, den Brand durch die Luftklappe gut reulieren lässt, und auch, zugegeben ein wenig Spielzeug ist. Ich habe bisher nur Hartholz verwendet, das in nicht zu großen Teilen eingeführt werden sollte, also spalten mit Beil oder entsprechendem Messer,ein guß- oder-schmiede-eisernes Teil ( Pfanne oder Topf ) aufgesetzt, und man hat eine Kochstelle, die nur wenig vom Wind oder Nieselregen beeinträchtigt wird, und durch den Abbrand in einem geschlossenen Behälter auch praktisch keine Gefahr für einen Flächenbrand im Gelände verursacht. Ich mag das Teil ,beim Abend auf der Terasse oder beim Fischen, auch beim draus'd kocha ( heute outdoor cooking ), es braucht Erfahrung bezüglich der Brennstoffe, aber das kommt mit der Zeit.