For some time now I have been looking at this amazing stove on eBay: KEROSENE STOVE BRASS STOVE, HEATER LABORATORY HOSPITAL OUTDOOR 4 BURNER | eBay I have not heard of the Indian brand Aadi, and although I have no immediate use for it, and guess I would probably have to pay import duty, I am seriously tempted to order it ... I'm sure you know the feeling I wonder if anyone has any comments on this type of stove and brand? I see it does not come with any sort of pot stand so I guess one would have to source that elsewhere. Many thanks for any thoughts.
Welcome to CCS! The brand Aadi is not a brand I am familiar with, so for me commenting on performance and/or quality of these specific stoves is not possible. In general these 4-burner industrial stoves are fun to play with. The four roarer burners generate quite some noise, which I personally consider not be an issue. Yes, you need to make or buy a stand, but with two piles of a few bricks each and an old grate (or a few iron rods) a stand is easily made.
@Brenneman Thank you so much. Ooops, I'm sorry, of course this is my first post to this forum. I would have posted something of an introduction if I had thought of that. I have been posting to the Classic Pressure Lamps forum a few times and somehow thought this was the same place, which of course it's not!
@Volesworth It’ll probably be fine as a stove for uses other than merely brewing a pot of tea! You’d need to construct a stand to put a pot on. The ‘uses other’ I referred to that I use a similar stove for are searing meat, such as is happening inside the Dutch oven here ... ... and to do a wok stir-fry as is best achieved by tossing the contents over high heat, searing strips of meat and vegetables without the steaming and sogginess that happens on less heat. The Indian stove doesn’t have burners intended for ‘rocket’ stoves as these multiple burner stoves are known. Compare the burners to those on these - a Primus and a Perfektus/Mewa. You’ll see the burner heads are of different design, encased in flame tubes. On the Indian stove they’re regular burners seen on single burner stoves, having a flame ring that spreads the flame over a broader pattern rather than the vertical output of the usual rocket stove burner, as seen here. Whatever, I’m sure the Indian stove will work fine. You’ve mentioned your primary interest in lanterns and may be familiar with Chinese or Indian (Prabhat’s one brand I’ve owned) lanterns. They tend to be more crudely made than Swedish, British or other Western models, sometimes with faults to be rectified from new. Other than that, they can be coaxed into service without too much trouble. On the subject of stoves ideal for wok cookery, here’s the set-up in a Chinese restaurant. Wok burner, gas-fuelled. Not a 4-burner rocket stove on this occasion but a kerosene-fuelled lead smelting furnace. You get the idea, plenty of heat and shake/stir the contents to scorch but not burn. Welcome to CCS! John
@presscall John: thank you so much for the really helpful message with all the information and photos. And the result of my anguishing over the merits of this ... ... Ah damn it! I succumbed and ordered one! Now, some time in May, you can either look forward to photos showing the stove in use maybe my pleas for help along with photos of me failing to get it going! I'm sure when I get my hands on it, a lot of uses will present themselves. I often cook (in the house) in a saucepan that is really a bit too big to balance on my Primus No 5, so that's one use. Your wok ideas are also something to explore. It will also be quite good to produce at outdoor social events along with a vat of soup or similar. I'm already thinking about a pot stand. @Brenneman suggestion of bricks will be the starting point. Beyond that I might try to knock together something out small angle-iron and nuts and bolts. Your photo of cooking on lead smelter is amazing. Many thanks both for the help and encouragement.
I'd be grateful for and answer to a further related question, if you could help? With regard to my proposed construction of a pot stand: what would you say I should aim for as the optimum distance between the roarer-burners and the bottom of the pot that will sit on it, please?
@Volesworth 60mm would be about right. If a pot base is too close it inhibits combustion and puts out a smell of carbon. That clearance allows too for a dished pot base, such as an authentic round-bottomed wok.
I'm sad to report the end of this story. After waiting until the end of the delivery period and nothing having arrived (or hearing a peep from the seller), I got in contact with eBay. I opened a case and sent a further message to the seller saying I would still like the stove, but again after two weeks heard nothing. eBay gave me a full refund, but I would still have preferred to have my stove!
Sad indeed that you have not received your stove. I too have looked at those and have been tempted to purchase one. I have no idea what I would use it for but i am sure I would find a big enough pot somewhere. Even more sad are the ravages that covid19 is doing in India. Your supplier may be suffering these ravages.
I have an India made single burner. The advert listed it as Aadi but it came with another brand embossed on the tank. I have a review here. NOT a classic stove The burners work fine , the rest not so much.
