[Stoves] twig snapper and the Chinese ebay stove revisited.

[kgharris]

Neil and list,

I have no experience with any device like this stick breaker. My first
impression is that it would be good for fire starting because breaking 
leaves a
rough end on the stick. Cutting makes a blunt smooth end which is more
difficult to ignite. The rough broken end leaves a lot more surface area
and thin wood which would act like kindling, making it easier to ignite.
Also, while breaking, the sticks wouldn't fly everywhere like with a hatchet
and there is no possibility of cutting ones hand. Being a backpacker, these
things are important for me on the trail. I don't carry bottles, so the
bottle opener would not be much use for me. For car camping or home use the
bottle opener would be useful. Being aluminum it would be light to carry.
It looks like it would be useful for a cook using a TLUD. Perhaps it could
be C-clamped to a table or (on the trail) tied to a heavier stick so the 
fuel
stick could be pushed in and broken using both hands, saving the tendons in
one's wrist over longer periods of use. This would be much faster, easier 
and safer
than cutting with a hatchet or knife. From the point of view of a backpacker 
and TLUD user,
the concept of a device which uses leverage for quickly and accurately 
breaking sticks seems
useful. I could see the idea being expanded into a jig where the broken 
sticks fall into a
stack where handfuls can be picked up in bundles which fit into the stove.
This would be very useful for a TLUD using household, quick processing of 
the fuel
and quick loading of the stove.

Kirk Harris