Hey Jon, I finally bought some of this gel and have been playing around with it. Seem to be getting a slower boil time and taking more gel than I thought it would to bring up to a boil. But still, on the safety side, as we move into the '16 season and are probably going to have even more fire bans/restrictions, seeking alternative fuels is on my list of things to do. Love love love the safety aspects of this gel - super easy to blow out, and more importantly, does not flow all over the place if you tip over your stove.

@FlatCatGear

8 жыл бұрын

+John Abela (HikeLighter) The gels are typically 70% Ethanol so they do require more volume that straight up HEET. I agree that the beauty is in he safety factor, particular for first time alcohol users. Try Purcell hand sanitizer as it is also about 70% ethanol. Best regards

Nice video 👍. I C U standing Infront of a blue screen.

Thanks Jon. Good reasons to reconsider alcohol gel. -Knotty

it's a great fuel for safety in situations where spilling a container of burning liquid alcohol would be a big problem... i'm a long time trangia stormcooker user since the 1970's and have many different burners for my trangias of all types, i use the trangia gel burner which is just an aluminum cup with a lid that fits perfectly in a trangia windscreen when i go boating or even when traveling in a moving vehicle on a long road trip when someone else is driving because with gel fuel it's a very safe way to heat something up when the local environment is constantly in motion. as for the swiss gel costing $1 per ounce, the esbit freaks don't complain about the high cost of their dirty, sooty burning fuel cubes... at least the gel fuels burn very clean and don't coat your pots with toxic sludge. i don't use gel fuel all the time but i do have some for when i need it. i have heard that sterno also makes a gel fuel that is cheaper because it doesn't come from switzerland but i haven't found it for sale anywhere yet.

Here in Japan we just a product very similar to this as a BBQ charcoal starter. However Im not sure what the compound base is or how different it is to this gel because it does produce more of a yellow flame. Thank you for the video, because I often wondered about using the get in place of alcohol in a pinch!

Being shippable to a resupply point makes this an awesome choice.

Good point!

I remember getting a hand sanitizer that was 90ish percent Ethanol, and it used cellulose as the thickener. I always thought that a stove designed to burn the stuff would be awesome because cellulose has a better potential energy per weight than Meth or Ethanol, and Hand sanitizer is a nice multi-function piece of gear.

Interesting product. kind of expensive but might be great in snow or bad weather.

@FlatCatGear

6 жыл бұрын

As an alternative, I have also been using hand sanitizer (70% ethanol) on many International trips. Best regards.

Well, $1/ounce for Fire gel is expensive, however; if this is the only form of alcohol allowed in the National Forest (during fire season) then it isn't a bad price at all. That and if you have health concerns over using methanol, then ethanol (or isopropyl) are your other choices.

Is that stuff bending light like a cloak? lol

Thanks for the info. Do you think it would wick up a carbon felt wicking stove? I'm thinking no.

@FlatCatGear

7 жыл бұрын

Not a chance, the viscosity is too high. Stick with an open vessel stove

@sinfonianbarelytone9191

7 жыл бұрын

I've not been a fan of the open vessel varieties. I think it will soak in for my tinfoil and carbon felt survival stove. Thinking of switching from Heet to hand sanitizer for that application as hand sanitizer is more versitile. Will test it someday.

@geraldhenrickson7472

7 жыл бұрын

How did this gel work out in a wicking-type stove? Did it just sit in the center and not wick?

The sound volume is a bit too low. (compared to other You-Tube)

It's very similar to Liquid Match for wood stoves

Try using a gel type hand sanitizer with ethanol content of 70 to 80% .

Can gels be used in standard DIY penny stoves?

@FlatCatGear

5 жыл бұрын

I wouldnt know as I have never used a penny stove.

While it is marked as gel on the container it will still flow and is not spill resistant /proof. I feel it does not fit with the USFS reasons for banning open source liquid stoves in a high fire danger area. The terminology may fit legal rules but does the intent? KM

@FlatCatGear

6 жыл бұрын

I agree that the definition is vague at best and they are probably referring to Sterno is it is also a gelled alcohol. It does fit the letter of the law. The biggest concern is not the danger of using alcohol in the field, it is the improper and often cavalier approach that careless backpackers take to using stoves in the wilderness. I do believe that gelled alcohol is much safer than denatured alcohol as the amount of spread is far less when spilled. Gelled fuels are an excellent choice for beginners who have never used an alcohol stove..

I have not tested Swiss fire gel yet other brands vary immensely in the quality of the flame. Also, some smell pretty horrible. None seem much cheaper than this product. Thanks for the "tip on a good gel...

@FlatCatGear

7 жыл бұрын

Hand sanitizer works pretty well, it is 70% ethanol as well.

Rodney, I can hear the sound on the video. Maybe the sound is only coming from one channel. - Jon

How about this? Twice as much for the same price at Amazon Swissmar F65400 Fire Gel Refill, 33.8 oz $15

At about 1:20 when he holds the bottle up sideways it looks like you can see right through his hand.

I like this stuff, but not for cooking. I've never been anywhere that didn't allow alcohol stoves, even under a fire ban, as long as usage conditions were met, but alcohol is always my backup. Propane is number one with me. But gel is great for starting a wood fire with wet wood. As for alcohol fuel, I use straight grain alcohol. It won't kill or blind a child who accidentally drinks it. Or an adult, of course. And when alcohol is needed for a pain killer, you can mix it with water and drink it. At fourteen dollars a fifth, it is expensive, but, for me, the benefits far outweigh the cost.

1:42 : "... no safety cap ..." 1:47 If you have to "squeeze the lid" to open it, that's a safety cap.

@FlatCatGear

4 жыл бұрын

Agreed, there is a snpa lock on the lid to keep it from leaking. If this were a food item, there would need to be an anti-tampering seal on the lid.

@xenaguy01

4 жыл бұрын

@@FlatCatGear Good video, though. Thanks.

Does it produce carbon monoxide.

@FlatCatGear

5 жыл бұрын

Probably not. I say this because gel alcohols are used in indoor fireplaces as well. That being said, I am not an expert.

sir can you tell me formula and cost

@FlatCatGear

6 жыл бұрын

The formula is 70% ethanol with thickeners, the cost was about $16 for 2 cups

@irshadshaikh6082

6 жыл бұрын

FlatCatGear i need ur help as i want to start business of fuel gel in india. only ethenol or there are more integration.

@FlatCatGear

6 жыл бұрын

I have no idea how to do this. Sorry.

আমি কি ভাবে নিতে পারি ব্যাবসায়ের জন্য

A dollar a fluid ounce? Ouch!

Is it toxic?

@FlatCatGear

3 жыл бұрын

It’s composed of ethanol so it is safe

@BrendanRiley

3 жыл бұрын

@@FlatCatGear ingredients are ethanol (80%), water (15%), propan-2-ol

@FlatCatGear

3 жыл бұрын

@@BrendanRiley should be fine

Too expensive. You could get 4 times the amount of gel on Amazon.

Ok John where's the sound .