Expedition Solid Fuel - 40 XL Hexamine 1300-Degree Tablets in 10 Retail Packages - Rugged & Submersible Storage Trays for Camping Stoves and Fire Starting, Backpacking, Survival, and Bushcraft

I tested both brands under identical circumstances and found them to perform virtually identical. At the time of purchase the E.R. tablets cost $29.76 for 40 v.s. 36 Esbit tablits for $39.99. Performance and cost aside, I prefer the Expedition Research because it's packaging is better at hiding the smell of the tablets.Both tests were performed in a Snow Peak Trek 1400 Titanium pot. The test was performed on a titanium Clikstand T-2 with the titanium Windscreen T-2C. The insert to hold the tablet is the Trangia aluminum gel burner.I started with 1.75 cups of water as prescribed by my Mountain House Beef Stew. The ambient temperature was 57F. The starting temperature of the water was 66F. Test was performed against a wall sheltered from 9MPH wind. Soot was cleaned from the bottom of the pan in between tests.Figures are in minutes and seconds. (00:00)Esbitsimmered at 5:10boil at 5:37boiled until 10:11candle sized flame until 12:25Expedition Researchsimmered at 5:14boiled at 5:40boiled until 10:20candle sized flame until 12:30Conclusion: Performance was identical. E.R. tablets were cheaper and the packaging doesn't let the stink out.IMPORTANT CONSIDERATIONSI repeated this test with other pots and stands. I discovered pot size and distance from the flame is critical. With smaller diameter pots closer to the flame performance was significantly diminished. You should test your setup beforehand. Not every pot and stand combination will work well with hexamine solid fuel tablets.

I ordered these along with the titanium stove and grill from the same company. These tablets are well packaged, puncturing the plastic by accident would be a task for sure. You really need to cut to get the tablet out of the package, which is exactly what you want for long-term storage. Lighting the tablet with a match took less then 3 seconds and the whole tablet lit itself. The burn was even and hot. I have tried many of these types of fire tablets but this burned the cleanest I have ever seen. No residue was left on the stove.When I tested it, I did so in an empty parking lot that is built like a wind tunnel. A slight breeze feels like it could knock over a small child. I am unsure if it was because of the stove or these tablets, but the wind didn't seem to bother the flame at all.The one concern everyone has with these types of tablets is burn time. Generic ones get 10 minutes at best. The package for these said 15 minutes. When I timed it, even with the wind, it lasted 27 minutes for the first tab and 31 minutes for the second.If you are preparing to ever need an emergency fire starter that will light for sure with a good burn time, these are the top shelf tabs you want.

I could not recommend these enough, No, I have absolutely no affiliation with the company or the seller. What I do have is first hand knowledge of how these perform. I went on a week long wilderness hike about a year and a half ago,(I'm getting old...not as many adventures these days), and found an about half used tablet the other day that was lying , unwrapped and open to the air. Just to see what would happen, I lit and burned the remainder and was quite satisfied when it worked almost as new. I WILL NOT buy other companies products unless they can guarantee the lifespan and quality of these great Firestarters/tablets.

The media could not be loaded. So I'm getting ready to go on another 3 day kayaking trip so I wanted to test the product out before I leave. They are not terrible they seem to be pretty efficient. It took two tablets to get 3 cups of water to a slight rolling boil which isn't bad but isn't great either. Most of your mountain house meals take 1 1/2 cups of water to cook so I doubled it as many people go with 2 people or more. The burn time is right on the nose. 15 minutes. Nice little package that doesn't take up a lot of space in your pack. Does take a good bit of time to light though. So make sure you have a good source for fire

This is handy for a light weight option for cooking or purifying water,they are very reliable and if you need to avoid detection these will allow you to heat a small container of food or water.tip, you can put an MRE food pouch in the water and it will get heated while you heat your water.these are a bit smaller than E Z bit but I think they burn a bit hotter.

Fuel pellets of this type smell like fish. The packaging on these has a rubber backing that seems to seal the smell in better than other brands I have tried. There was no noticeable odor when opening the box. That's nice if you keep one in your hiking bag like I do. My favorite way to start these is with a few drops of rubbing alcohol or Everclear on a rock under the tablet. You can then light the alcohol with a ferrocerium rod and the alcohol will light the tablet. As long as your little bottle of alcohol stays sealed, you have a tinder system that can be stored for months or years without degrading. Incidentally, if you put the alcohol on TOP of the tablet, all the heat from the alcohol burning goes upward and the tablet will not light.

Funny how presentation is deemed a worthwhile attribute to this fire starter product. Would have rated it higher if they were shaped like funny characters and made colored flames... lol.Anyway, They work and burn long enough to get a good fire going. Take 30-60 seconds of flame from a lighter to get going and they do not ignite vigorously but again burn a surprisingly long time for the size. I am reluctant to say how useful they would be in an outdoor survival kit / getting anything ablaze in wind or damp conditions. May I should be lighting the cardboard box they came in first... to start the fire starters. Super easy in a stove or backyard fire pit. Otherwise not much better of a solution than whatever you have to light these things.