BCB fire dragon folding stove. Initial review.

[@ClarkieBoy]

First time I've seen a weight test performed 👍

[@HiggsybearOutdoors]

Pretty decent bit of kit. 👌🏻

[@NewHampshireJack]

I have posed before these folding stoves are a family favorite. My Brother-in-law nailed two bags of Japanese-manufactured 30-gram fuel cubes at an auction he visits to purchase stock for his reselling business. What we learned after receiving the alcohol fuel cubes: They do not store well so we eliminated them as an emergency fuel. The alcohol evaporates and the cubes shrink. Storing the cubes in the refrigerator has slowed the evaporation. I see in the video that the fire dragon cubes are better packaged than the product we have. Question: Is there a lengthy shelf life with this fuel? We may stick with our bulk chaffing dish fuel and liquid alcohol burners mainly because all other fuels are imported and expensive after import taxes and transportation. It would be great to have some fuel such as what you demonstrated for a serious emergency, provided it will store long term.

[@srpeters]

I modified mine to hold a small puck stove to use alcohol. Used a Dremel to cut half way down the tray wide enough to snugly fit the puck stove. To reduce noise just carry the fuel in the stove.

[@HiggsybearOutdoors]

Thank you. Good tip.

[@awatt]

I too modified mine to accept a small trangia style burner I made. I've used puck stoves in them as well. I can get two small bottles of meths to fit in the stove which makes for a nice compact little unit. Some of these are shown on my channel

[@rhiconic]

To get the best of this stove by 2 they are cheap enough use the two windshield together on one stove but also use a foil windshield around it and your pot it will boil very quickly enough for a brew or enough for rehydration food.

[@HiggsybearOutdoors]

That’s a great tip. Thank you 🙏🏻

[@markstevens3789]

Just for info. This stove is currently £1.95 at Bushcraft Lab. I’ve got one and teamed up with a Crusader mug it’s and excellent brew kit stove.

[@HiggsybearOutdoors]

Excellent, thank you. It’s a great little bit of kit 👍🏻

[@shanerobinson6776]

Good little things aren't they used mine over a year now does the job cheap and cheerful 👍

[@HiggsybearOutdoors]

Yup, totally agree…It’s a fantastic bit of kit that’s been tried and tested over the years. 👍🏻

[@dougfields5798]

Do you think it would boil water more efficiently with two of those windshields one each side ?.

[@HiggsybearOutdoors]

I think it would. I've got another one so I may try that out later.

[@wombat1238marsupial]

For the price it's unbeatable for that initial camp brew. Great video

[@HiggsybearOutdoors]

Thank you. Nothing like a brew to lift the spirits.

[@robmontier3770]

How about a tea-light candle (maybe 2 ) as fuel?

[@HiggsybearOutdoors]

Good idea. I like this, thank you.

[@CherokeeTwilight]

Where is this stove made? I can’t find out where the stove is made. It seems to be a mystery on the web. Only the fuel is listed as being made in Wales.

[@HiggsybearOutdoors]

Hello, it’s made by BCB International. You can check out there website bcbin.com

[@alixhumbles3626]

any advice on how to clean out the residue left over? been struggling with mine!

[@HiggsybearOutdoors]

Me too, actually. I’ve been using it a lot recently and have noticed gunk building up. I wonder whether the pit needs to have some residual heat when trying to clean?! I’ll investigate and if I find a solution, promise to post back on here.

[@Dizzy.peaks1]

Leave it in water for about 15/20 minutes. Scrape with an old knife and wipe excess out with old cloth, if not satisfied repeat process.. trust me!

[@soldaatje9245]

How long will this last? And can i use sticks for the fire fuel aswell? Thanks!

[@HiggsybearOutdoors]

All depends on temperature, wind etc but I usually find that the gel blocks last around 5-8 mins - enough for boiling some water for a brew. This isn't really designed for sticks as fuel but would like to know if anyone has had experience with this. I've got a twig stove that I love.

[@amerh4190]

I tried mine out on a hike at the weekend but didn't get 600ml hot enough for a brew. I used one block and a short piece of kindling. Any tips?

[@HiggsybearOutdoors]

I want to do some further testing with different fuels but my feeling is that it performs better with extra wind protection (like other stoves you would use). The dragon fuel tabs are cleaner burning but they burn fast and hot so if it is particularly windy then you may need more fuel. On hikes or camps I’m probably going to use a smaller amount of water for a brew. I’ll do some more testing with fuels and produce a follow up video. Thanks for the comment. Take care

[@Dizzy.peaks1]

Buy some cheap 70-75%+ alcohol hand sanitizer and add it to your fuel block to keep the heat going. That’s all the blocks are made of really

[@jlo272]

Awesome

[@Helen-and-Katarin-Juska-law]

Biggest load of crap.....It is a rubbish fuel and the stove not much better. Just don't use the 'fire dragon' system...Helen and Katain Juska-Law with Terri and Robyn. (East Anglian marshlands UK)