Socrates fire rocket stove

Anybody know anything about these? Or how they compare to a regular rocket stove? The portability factor is appealing, but will it burn itself up after a dozen uses?. I tried searching for any mention on the forums but came up dry, and that surprised me.

Hi Sandra! Welcome to permies!

I'm not sure about this product, but I think that knowing how to make a dakota fire pit with a garden trowel or shovel might be cheaper and more multifunctional than a single-purpose rocket stove.

Thanks, I finally came out of lurking.

What is it that you are looking for or want?

Because, I think that there might be alternatives that we could help you find that better suite your needs, last longer, and perhaps be cheaper.

Hi Sandra,    Is this the unit you are referring to?  Socrates fire

Can't say I've ever seen it before but as Dave mentioned, if can give us more info perhaps we can point you in the direction that can best suit your needs.

My feeling is that this may be a good product for someone who wants to keep it stashed in a vehicle for immediate use while traveling, but $300 is a lot of money. Unless you need the collapsible factor, you could build one just as good for a few bucks and a couple of hours with hand tools. If you want the function while traveling light, you would be better served by learning to make a Dakota pit stove.

The unit looks to be sturdy stainless steel, and the hinge seams which would be slightly leaky are probably tight enough for the purpose. Many of the claims of superiority are not valid against typical rocket stoves; I am not sure exactly what they are comparing it to for these claims. I think it would operate exactly as well as any other rocket stove built to good dimensions. If used for serious cooking for a long time, the metal would probably start to warp if not corrode. Based on the promotional text, there will be no real user reviews as it has not been produced in commercial quantities yet.

I think another cheap DIY option that is also pretty portable is making a tin-can rocket stove

There are several commercially made rocket stoves on the market.  There is no way I'd spend almost $300 on one, no matter how portable.

Part of the fun of rocket stoves (for cooking) is learning how to make an effective unit on your own.  A couple dozen firebrick splits (half-thickness) and a tube of fireplace mortar is all it takes to make a very effective and reasonably portable rocket stove.

I have a Stovetec rocket stove. It lives in the garage most of the time, but gets packed out for family camping trips, or outings to the woods. I know from past experience that with the family I will be pitching camp near the car, so carry the extra weight isn't too difficult. And the convenience is great.

Price is a LOT better than the one you are looking at too.

http://stovetecstore.net/product/2-door-deluxe-biomass-and-charcoal-cookstove-reserve/

Thanks for all the great suggestions, several interesting things for me to check out. What I really want to do is learn to build a rocket stove, but while I’m trying to find time for that I thought it would be nice to have something to stash at our get away place or something for long term power outages at home. It doesn’t sound like this is it, I agree it’s too expensive for something that I can’t be sure is going to hold up for a really long time.

From looking at the original ad, it seems like it would last a long time, but it would be far more expensive than I could justify for use such as yours. Building one from tin cans would likely work fine for occasional use, and be easy to replace if it doesn't last.