I'm new to starting fires and biomass stoves. I've been dying to try this since it arrived but first it was rainy then windy. Still windy today but not as bad and I just couldn't wait any longer. First I tried it with some tree balls and leaves and twigs with instafire. Fire kept going out. Then I added more twigs but still no luck...the wind kept knocking it down before I could get it rolling. Then I added a pick of dryer lint...success! That got this rocking to the point where I could start the fan and really get it going. I did let it burn itself out because I was just testing it. Everything burned except the Instafire (separate review for that coming soon). Once you figure it out, it's easy to use even for a novice like me.
UPDATED: have used this several times now and even my husband, who rolled his eyes at first, finds this thing cool. Quick and easy smores without setting up the whole fire pit. I do recommend wrapping the wire from the battery pack in heatproof tape where it can hit the bottom of the heater. Mine melted a little...still works though.

Blown away by this concept. Using biofuel with efficiency is a challenge for anyone that camps or goes off grid. This product more than solves this problem. Takes AA or AAA batteries for the temp control.

Made my coffee this morning on a press and I had boiling water in a matter of minutes using nothing but a few pieces of cardboard and twigs I found on the ground.

Only concern is durability. It seems like it could be more durable and that it would break if toppled over of dropped. So as long as you take good care of it....you can rely on starting a fire from scratch in a matter of seconds. Too bad Tom Hank's character didn't have it in Cast Away 😂

Managed to boil water in less than a minute once fully lit. Burns hot so be careful that don't melt your mug. Cools quick and works great after about a dozen burns. Also i would bring a bigger battery pack for a longer run time as this thing can substitute for a campfire if your willing to feed it.

I always found it hard to cook directly over a fire when camping because its hard to regulate the heat and get to the pan. While camping I set this guy up away from the main campfire and was able to boil water in a few minutes using just a few small pieces of wood for fuel. Because of the tube shape even though it was windy the flame didn't go out once. The bonus is the built-in fan that is run by 4 aa batteries - it keeps the air circulating and pushes the flame up like a flamethrower. Its got a cool bag that it comes with and will stay with the rest of my camping gear here on out.

This stove was great while camping! It heated up fast allowing us to make hot chocolate and oatmeal in the morning! I loved that it can use pinecones as fuel. It is small, light weight and easily portable! What a great find!