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Thanks for the clarification N_n_F! I always thought that they were the same but a few years ago I had read something in a survival-oriented magazine about how esbit was an allegedly safer form of hexamine----safer to use around children and animals less ingestion hazard ( I guess nobody ever thought of teaching kids not to chew on the little white fuel tablets because they're not candy!?) and the fumes were supposed to be less toxic. About the only difference I ever found was that the fishy smell from the esbit seemed stronger the older the fuel was while the hexamine although I did not like the fumes had more of a chemical smell to me. Hard to describe but back to the point I would think that if there was a less- or even non-toxic fuel tablet someone would be selling them and charging an arm and a leg to help protect the environment and overly-curious young'ins. Of course any child or animal that would not mind the taste of something that smells as bad as either of those fuel tablets.....well.....ummmm.....

Well, I have used both hexamine and trioxane from different countries and are ok. I have used the new gel fuel used by the US military and works great.
Also the civilian greenheat and pryopac. Is good to have a diversity of methods to start a fire....

Thanks Housil,
I saw them ages ago but, could not quite get the name right for searches.
Hexi stoves work fairly well. The only esbit I have tried have been the ones that come with RCIR's and have found they work well too.

Yowie

housil wrote:Here are 5 on sale

Anybody on the board used these before? Are these to be paired up with the Swiss volcano water bottle set?

rationtin440 wrote:I forgot to mention this; I'm curious about the "shelf life" of the fuel bars themselves (esbit and hexamine) compared to the trioxane. I have used trioxane bars from 1982 withing the past 3 months and they seem to be fine----a bit crumbly though. And of course one will get a truely horrible taste on the tongue after handling the crumbles if one eats finger food without washing ones' hands thoroughly.....

Hexi blocks come in a waxed cardboard box and will outlast you or me. The Swiss stoves are on a par with Sterno stoves = not very good.

Norton wrote:

housil wrote:Here are 5 on sale

Anybody on the board used these before? Are these to be paired up with the Swiss volcano water bottle set?

I do. It's a convenient way to warm some water in the field. It's ok for about 2 rounds of 1 liter each. For convenience is better than fuel tabs, which leave a nasty, tar-like residue on the bottom of the cooking pot.

Or you can light a camp fire with it, but Esbit fuel tabs or a piece of rubber is better for this.

Esbit smells like old fish...but lasts forever if stored properly.

Triox has no smell, and will last forever also, AS LONG AS THE WRAPPER ISN'T PUNCTURED!
If there is a hole, Triox will evaporate...

Esbit makes a stove kit that uses either.

dirtbag wrote:Esbit smells like old fish...but lasts forever if stored properly.

You just solved a weird ration cabinet smell issue I've been trying to figure out! Thank you!

Could be Esbit, could be old dead fish...
We had a bad smell in our pantry, took us forever to figure out what it was.
A ring top can of fishy cat food had it's pull top seam cracked, just enough to start rotting, but invisible to the eye (but NOT the nose!!!)

BTW, that Esbit kit also comes with a alcohol burner, ala Trangia..