Bushbuddy Stove Vs Solo Stove Review

 

Less bulk and lower weights are critical for campers and hunters that are hiking in remote locations.

These design elements are a necessity for portable stoves that are used for heating food and water outdoors.

Bushbuddy Craftsmanship and Solo Stove Lite provide wood burning units that can use cones, twigs, and wood for fuel.

This review will compare the Bushbuddy vs. Solo Stove to see if one may be right for you.

Quick Comparison: Bushbuddy Stove Vs Solo Stove

Comparing Stove Designs

Each of these units can use wood scavenged from the ground cover as fuel.

This design is a big advantage for those looking to travel light as there isn’t a need to carry fuel in your pack. However, this can also pose potential problems with:

Cool Down

• Cool Down – it may take time before the stoves can be broken down and packed away

Wet Fuel

• Wet Fuel – the ground cover may offer fuel that will not burn, requiring the user to carry wood anyway
• 

Both stoves provide enough cooking power to effectively heat food and water for one or two people. This product review would be incomplete without mentioning that Solo Stove offers larger sized products capable of handling the needs of four or more campers.

Build Materials Used

Both portable products use stainless steel in construction. These materials are capable of handling the heat generated without breaking down or deforming.

The companies are U.S. based, a point that some users may consider critical when it comes to the build quality of these stoves.

Size and Weight

These stoves are 4 1/4-inches in diameter, with the Solo Stove providing nearly two additional inches in height.

That will make it less compact but will allow it to hold more fuel at one time. This extra length adds three ounces of weight but isn’t a deal breaker with a total weight coming in at 9.2 ounces.

Dual Wall Construction

Each stove uses a dual wall construction design which supplies air between the outer wall and the inner chamber. This design feature is critical as this air becomes heated and mixes with the gases released through wood burning.

That mixing and heating will supply more fuel for the flames to burn and provides a secondary combustion.

Dual wall construction will diminish the smoke generated while burning wood and increase the heat generated by the flame.

Remember that the two wall design acts as a dampener that limits the amount of oxygen reaching the flame from outside of the stove.

That promotes a more efficient burn that will consume fuels more slowly (roughly 14 ounces of fuel each hour for maximum heat).

It will provide faster cooking times as well when compared to compact stoves with single wall configurations.

Cooking Ring Design

The Bushbuddy and Solo Stove make use of a cooking ring that extends above the fuel chamber. This provides you with proper air circulation, especially with the additional vent holes that both products have spaced around the ring surface.

A feeder notch is located on both rings, which allows additional fuel to be added without having to remove the container being heated on the stove.

Both units make use of prongs bent at 90-degrees to provide a platform and extra balance for a variety of container sizes that can be used for heating.

The Bushbuddy has four of these and will offer a slightly more stable platform than the three prongs used by the Solo Stove.

Additional Features

The Bushbuddy and the Solo Stove use an interior grate that keeps unused fuel and ashes separated. Ashes and unspent fuel can be dumped from both stoves relatively easy, but cleaning access is a bit limited due to the smaller interior diameters of both products.

Additional heat shielding can found on the bottom of the Bushbuddy stove. This additional layer between the heat box and the ground helps to prevent scorching on wooden table surfaces.

The Solo Stove depends upon the ash pan to provide this extra shielding, a design element that may not be as effective.

Both cooking rings can be inverted when not in use, allowing both stoves to use less space and prevent snagging.

Things To Remember When Using Either Stove

• These products can struggle in windy conditions and may require a wind break for peak performance

• If used on the ground, make sure to clear the surrounding area of combustable materials

• If possible, use materials that are not found on the ground to avoid wet fuels

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Which Stove is Better?

Both of these portable stoves offer compactness and lighter weights for backpacking. Each provides similar heating temperatures and cooking times. These units are virtually identical to one another, except for a couple of design features.

The Bushbuddy does provide a slightly more stable cooking platform, due to the extra prong located on the cooking ring.

It also provides an additional heat shielding along the bottom of the unit that allows it to be used on tables without scorching them.

Both of these subtle differences will make the Bushbuddy a better portable wood burning stove when compared to the Solo Stove.