$12.00

Use these solid fuel tablets for your Esbit stove. The nontoxic, nonexplosive formula is virtually odorless and smokeless.

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Location Image for Solid Fuel Tablets
Location Image for Solid Fuel Tablets

Features

  • Generates up to 1400°F of intense heat, providing about 12 min. of usable burn time per cube
  • Does not liquefy when burning, and leaves no ash residue; burns efficiently even at high altitudes
  • Easily lights with ordinary wooden matches, and can be extinguished and saved for reuse
  • Can also be used as a safe and easy-to-use fire starter for campfires
  • 1 box contains twelve 0.5 oz. Esbit Solid Fuel tablets

Imported.

View all Esbit Alternate Fuels

Technical Specs

Best Use

Backpacking

Reviews
68 reviews with an average rating of 4.5 out of 5 stars

Ratings Snapshot

Product Rating

45 out of 49 (92%) reviewers recommend this product

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Average Customer Ratings

Ease of Use

Difficult to useVery easy to use

Most Helpful Favorable Review

5 reviews with an average rating of 4.0 out of 5 stars
Better than alternatives
RockyRaccoon
12 years ago
I love Esbit for cooking simple meals while backpacking, especially with a caldera cone type stove. Simple, light, easy to use, never any doubts about whether you have enough fuel, can't spill and cause problems. With the right stove, I can boil water for dinner and hot tea afterwards. Smelly - yes, slightly. Ever spilled gasoline or alcohol? Ever had a gas cartridge leak in your pack? I have, it's smelly! Biggest drawback is the burned gunk Esbit leaves on the bottom of your pot. Easy to clean off, or keep your pot in a stuff sack or plastic bag.
RockyRaccoon
Central Coast, CA
62 people found this review helpful

Most Helpful Critical Review

5 reviews with an average rating of 3.0 out of 5 stars
Not as efficient as I had hoped
ScouterPaul
3 years ago
For me, the key measure for a fuel tablet is this: "Can one tablet boil a cup of water?" The answer is "not quite" for this one. I set up a test in my driveway using a homemade "Altoids" stove and a metal cup of water. The fuel extinguished (the whole cube, not four sub-divided pieces) in 8 minutes. I had the cup of water on for 7 1/2 minutes of direct heat. The water did not achieve a rolling boil. It did produce some small bubbles in a few minutes and a few tiny boiling bubbles at about 7 minutes. There was good head and if I was willing to test a second cube I believe it would have achieved a boil on that second tab. I was disturbed that the cubes produced a smoke that had a harsh smell. That smoke translated to producing residue on the outside of the cooking vessel. I would prefer a clean burn from a product such as this. In my test, it took three matches to light, but in defense of the product my matches were really cheap. A good match or lighter would light right away. I did not test it off a spark from a ferro rod or flint and steel. The good news is that the product will work and it's more than just a "firestarter" like a lot of fuel cubes on the market today. It would take two cubes to achieve the goal, but I can live with that. If you plan to use this as your primary fuel for an outing, you'll need to calculate how many you will need to carry. I also recommend that you test your recipes and cooking process using these tablets at home before you go so you know how much you need to bring. As an emergency fuel source for cooking, it will do provided you have ample supply. If you want to use it for a hike, prepare to scrounge for alternate fuel sources.
ScouterPaul
Overland Park, Kansas
19 people found this review helpful

Customer Images

RockyRaccoon
Central Coast, CA
Rated 4.0 out of 5 stars

Better than alternatives

12 years ago

I love Esbit for cooking simple meals while backpacking, especially with a caldera cone type stove. Simple, light, easy to use, never any doubts about whether you have enough fuel, can't spill and cause problems. With the right stove, I can boil water for dinner and hot tea afterwards. Smelly - yes, slightly. Ever spilled gasoline or alcohol? Ever had a gas cartridge leak in your pack? I have, it's smelly! Biggest drawback is the burned gunk Esbit leaves on the bottom of your pot. Easy to clean off, or keep your pot in a stuff sack or plastic bag.

Yes , I recommend this product
Helpful?
ScouterPaul
Overland Park, Kansas
Rated 3.0 out of 5 stars

Not as efficient as I had hoped

3 years ago

For me, the key measure for a fuel tablet is this: "Can one tablet boil a cup of water?" The answer is "not quite" for this one. I set up a test in my driveway using a homemade "Altoids" stove and a metal cup of water. The fuel extinguished (the whole cube, not four sub-divided pieces) in 8 minutes. I had the cup of water on for 7 1/2 minutes of direct heat. The water did not achieve a rolling boil. It did produce some small bubbles in a few minutes and a few tiny boiling bubbles at about 7 minutes. There was good head and if I was willing to test a second cube I believe it would have achieved a boil on that second tab. I was disturbed that the cubes produced a smoke that had a harsh smell. That smoke translated to producing residue on the outside of the cooking vessel. I would prefer a clean burn from a product such as this. In my test, it took three matches to light, but in defense of the product my matches were really cheap. A good match or lighter would light right away. I did not test it off a spark from a ferro rod or flint and steel. The good news is that the product will work and it's more than just a "firestarter" like a lot of fuel cubes on the market today. It would take two cubes to achieve the goal, but I can live with that. If you plan to use this as your primary fuel for an outing, you'll need to calculate how many you will need to carry. I also recommend that you test your recipes and cooking process using these tablets at home before you go so you know how much you need to bring. As an emergency fuel source for cooking, it will do provided you have ample supply. If you want to use it for a hike, prepare to scrounge for alternate fuel sources.

Age:45–54
No, I do not recommend this product

Ease of Use

Difficult to useVery easy to use
Helpful?
KrisMcKenna
Dallas, TX
Rated 4.0 out of 5 stars

Doesn't smell unless...

13 years ago

I'm not really in a hurry when camping, so these and the stove are great for me. I tuck the stove into a GSI Minimalist set with 6 tablets (4 in the stove) and I'm ready to go. Now, about the smell. Yes, these things smell like shrimp that's been left out in the sun... but if the packaging is secure, there is almost no smell. The problem is that the foil keeping the tablets in the packaging is so thin that practically breathing on it will tear it, and the smell gets out and soaks into everything. I'm going to vacuum seal these things in the future.

Yes , I recommend this product
Helpful?
Josh the Voyageur
Kansas City, MO
Rated 5.0 out of 5 stars

Hot stuff

16 years ago

Up front: the stuff smells like fish. Not much fun to have in your pack. You can smell it through the packaging. My recommendation is to put it in a ziploc bag and keep it away from your food - and don't forget to keep it out of reach of scavengers at night. Once you put it in a ziploc bag, you can barely smell it. Having said that, it works great once you put it to use. It doesn't stink when it burns, and it burns really hot. You can easily boil 8 oz in a Ti mug on less than 1 Esbit bar, provided you are using a windscreen. This is great stuff for freezer bag meals or just cooking up a quick mug of hot water for coffee. You can blow out the fuel when you are done and reuse it later, as it does not liquify like Trioxane.

Yes , I recommend this product
Helpful?
BendixKing
Tramping, USA
Rated 4.0 out of 5 stars

Work great! Smell not so great

13 years ago

Purchased this as a cheap alternative to cooking meals while hiking and camping. Very surprised as to how fast they can cook pasta for two (1.5 cubes burnt and around 10 min, but that's with getting water hot, adding pasta ect). They light very easy, only have to hold the flame to them for a few seconds, once they are going their good till you blow them out or their done. Only reason for one less star, the smell. I knew they were suppose to smell, but whoa. Think of 2 day old fish sitting in the sun. I wrapped ours in tinfoil (doubles as a windbreak when needed) and placed them in a ziplock bag. Their pretty rank and ripe but dont smell while cooking. Very happy with the product!

Yes , I recommend this product
Helpful?
tfruitz
Singapore
Rated 4.0 out of 5 stars

Most Reliable Stove type

16 years ago

This is the most reliable form of stove fuel.Fuel has many names, ESBIT/Hexamine Tablets/Solid Fuel.ESBIT does not seem to be a commonly known fuel outside the military. I had used up my fuel and couldn't find this stuff in any of the General or Camping stores in Yellowstone NP.[...] Only found it later in REI at Salt Lake City. Even there, there are employees who do not know what i was looking for (though one employee relished the opportunity to hunt for this obscure camping item).A windshield for the ESBIT stove is a must when there is a wind. Otherwise in my experience it would take two tablets to boil 2 cups of of water. ESBIT will leave black residues on the stove and cookery. Excellent for emergencies. Because the fuel is small, one can just dig a shallow narrow trench to use as a stove.

Yes , I recommend this product
Helpful?
Vivian
San Diego, Cal
Rated 5.0 out of 5 stars

Perfect mokapot fuel

3 years ago

These have just the right amount of heat for my 3 cup mokapot with enough to heat some milk for a cappuccino. the heat ring on my camp chef is just to large to be effective. These make my camp mornings fab!!

Age:55–64
Yes , I recommend this product

Ease of Use

Difficult to useVery easy to use
Helpful?
shellymtngirl
California, United States
Rated 4.0 out of 5 stars

Great, but does leave a hard residue

10 years ago

These are wonderful. I did want to write a review though to let folks know that the cubes do leave a hard layer of residue in the fuel tray after burning. I had a very difficult time chipping it out so that the next tablet used would lay flat in there. I resolved the problem by laying the cube onto a small piece of foil rather than directly in the tray.

Yes , I recommend this product
Helpful?
AnnS
Pennsylvania
Rated 5.0 out of 5 stars

Simple and reliable

3 years ago

Esbit tabs may be a little smelly, but they are always reliable. I've found tabs in an old forgotten kit from 20 years ago that will still light. I have a few different esbit stoves and use them as emergency kits or for day or weekend trips. The charming 16 oz esbit stove and pot set is really great in my day hiking kit. Esbit is not for every application, but it's simple and not fussy at all. I know I can use esbit in an emergency, to cook for myself, or to help light a fire up for a fun evening. I like things that are multi-useful. If it's extra cold or extra windy I might need to use two tabs to get the job done boiling water. This is not a big deal to me. I can blow out extra and reuse it, or just let it burn. I know exactly what is going to happen and I don't have to worry about canisters, mechanical parts, or a lot of waste.

Age:45–54
Yes , I recommend this product

Ease of Use

Difficult to useVery easy to use
Helpful?
Ksanders
Dallas, TX, United States
Rated 5.0 out of 5 stars

Very reliable!

8 years ago

These fuel tabs have never let me down. My friend brought her JetBoil on our hike, and it broke the first morning, leaving it useless. Luckily I brought plenty of Esbit tabs for the trip! These have also been very helpful in starting campfires! I honestly don't notice the smell everyone else talks about. I'm sure it does smell, but it doesn't bother me at all. It's just part of the camping experience. I consider these one of the most important items in my pack. Highly recommend!

Yes , I recommend this product
Helpful?
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