Roughing it easy: Alcohol Stove (Evernew TI DX set)

Pros

Lightweight
Pot stand
Wind screen
Fluid level markings
Cold temperature configuration
Compact, stove nest in stand

Cons

Stability, especially with large diameter pot
Wind screen performance
No way to conserve fuel from burn to burn
No obvious method to snuff stove

The Evernew TI is made from titanium. The pot stand/wind screen is also made from titanium. Total package weight is 3.2 ounces (90 g). Since I already have a MSR Titan kettle I did not purchase the Evernew pot that is part of the Appalachian set.

One of the first things you will notice about the Evernew stove is that it has two rings of burner holes. When the stove is first lit, before the bloom, the flame burns from the large center hole, then jumps to the upper ring of holes, and immediately jumps down to the lower ring. While burning, the upper ring of hole appear to not have any flame coming from them. They appear to simply facilitate the bloom.

The time to boil 2 cups (~500ml) of water in the MSR Titan kettle was about 41/2 minutes. This is faster than any of the Trangia stoves that I tested. I also noted that the Evernew spirit burner used, by weight, the same amount of fuel as the Trangia stoves that I have tested.

One thing that I missed with the Evernew burner, was the ability to snuff out the stove. In a separate test, without the stand, I was able to place a pot over the stove and snuff it out.

Since there is not a lid for the Evernew spirit burner, the remaining fuel either needs to be poured out, or left to burn off. The two level nature of the burner made reclaiming the alcohol nearly impossible without a wide mouth jar or funnel to capture the liquid as it pours from two locations. Burning the fuel off seems a better solution than reclamation. You will burn more fuel, than the Trangia, since you cannot conserve fuel from one use to the next. I have found that predicting the fuel needed is also difficult since fuel use varies with wind and temperature.

The cold weather screen stores under the burner, and when in use is between the burner and the pot. The screen reflects heat back to the burner help maintain a good burn, plus radiates heat to the pot. I found that the screen adds about 30 seconds to the burn, at the same temperature as the test without the screen. The screen also upped the fuel consumption.

On really odd thing to me, was the warning about refilling a hot stove. This warning is stamped into the bottom of the stove and can only be read if you invert the stove. The one place you cannot see if the stove is hot!

One other note. I also purchased the Ti Cross Stand. That was a major disappointment. While small, light weight, and has a larger pot bearing surface, the boil times increased by about one minute. I suspect it has to do with the distance above the stove that the pot is at, and the cross stand has the pot too close to the stove. I have include pictures of the cross stand.

Note: The stove and stand are a dull silver/gray out of the box. The blue you see in the photos is what happens to titanium when heated and then allowed to cool. Adds a nice look, but does not effect the stoves performance. Probably messes with the metal hardness, but I have not looked into the science of it, since I have not noticed any softening of the stove or stand.