The following are my opinions & learnings of my newly purchased Egan-MX2 Portable Camp Stove. I have/labelled attached pics for relative comments areas
Conditions:
Location: Backyard test area (YW1 Back yard pre burn no tent yet)
OAT: near -3 deg C
Wood used: Xflame from Home hardware (YW5 Xflame Log). Left my power saw up in Northern Cabin. 500 Km away.
Installed in a 8 X 8 Clam Ice Fishing Tent (YW2 Stick kindling Initial Start)
Ice fishing tent after market chimney vent (YW6 Amazon Chimney Jack). So easy to install using solder gun , and little cutting of red silicone jack for chimney pipe. Jack performed well, not too hi temperature issues experienced during test.
Stove rear clearance to tent wall 14 inches. (Rear wall of tent insulated with 2 layer fire (welders)blanket , plus stove ground insulated same as tent wall.
Following rough times and stove temps incurred.
20 minutes: 306-400 degrees C (possibly higher) due no laser site on IR gun
25 minutes put water (SST) reservoir (full) facing towards back of stove.(YW7 Stove Perspective from Chair position)
40 minutes reservoir @ full boil (sorry not pics, have to take my word)
60 minutes of full burn, Full dampers (stove front door), with tent fresh combustion air provided via rear tent door slightly open(half way burn with Xflame log),
0 CO2 level, one Home Hardware X flame log used, almost turned to dust, inside temp based on ground to roof, about 33 degrees C, with outside temp of -3 degrees C.
Am I impressed, thus far, but still much more to test & learn with future usage. Below is the good & bad
Could not remove water reservoir from stove due to metal expansion. learning place reservoir on side of stove as opposed to top.
Stove wood loading/ via front door no issues but, very difficult for me, as you had to lie on ground to see into glass (YW4 Stove proximity to ground)
Further experience may alleviate this issue BUT I am looking @ safe alternative(s) leg extension design (or other) to raise stove further up off ground. This height issues seems common in the market for this size of stove. The welding blanket, was even starting to sure signs of heat distortion(chance in color, maybe to be expected) below the stove. As result, starting place snow between bottom of stove and welding blanket, just as precaution?
But, had nice comfortable view of fire in stove from Lawn chair. (YW7 Stove Perspective from Chair position) Just pain in you know what, to actually to see directly into burn chamber without having to lie on your belly.
But while on belly, extremely cool & pleasing to see the 2ndary burn happening, with both the glass & primary are vents closed. I took video of this,, but could not transfer from phone to laptop. You could actually see the flame coming out of the rear burn chamber holes, swirling, & flame making their way forward to the front of the stove, & swirling up to the rear over the past the stove rear chimney plate.
The stove is Not a "technically true" EPA secondary burn to my understanding, but suits it design purpose for this stove. I AM NOT AWARE OF ANY OTHER STOVE ON THE HOT STOVE MARKET THAT HAS THIS TRUE FEATURE, BUT WHAT DO I KNOW?
My understanding, wood gives off gases, such as H2, CH4, CO, CO2, H2O Vapor as natural process of combustion which in most stoves is exhausted up the chimney, but in a 2ndary burn principal, if the forementioned gases are mixed with sufficient quantities of prewarmed air, these gases will actually burn to create a further BTU transfer to the stove, rather than be emitted as exhaust. (i.e. clearer exhaust) Hence the EPA stove (environmental protection act design, found in house wood burning stoves).. With all said, less wood consumed with 2ndary burn vs stove without 2ndary burn.
My understanding built in Ontario, if so Yukonwolf, you have just made a proud Canadian that much more proud. Extremely competitive hot stove market out there, well done.
The purchase price was fantastic, the shipping cost to the west, no so great. But that is not new. Grumble, grumble, I used my Clam Ice fishing tent as an experiment with this stove, it passed with flying colors. I don't really care if the stove is not SST, this stove will outlast me if properly cared for.
1 hour burn time @ full air to Stove, 0 CO2 (readings in a very small area), not too hot on rear wall, little hot on bottom fire blanket, not great (hence need to be higher off ground).
I Could go on and on,,, don't be shy to buy one... but hopefully the above will help your decision. Sorry could only attach max of 5 pictures. Cheers