I have a similar pot - the Olicamp XTS Pot 1 litre - and have both seen reviews, and tested myself, indicating improved performance of around 25 - 30% - ie. that much faster, and that much less fuel used, for a given quantity of water. Their design has nothing to do with spreading heat evenly, but is instead intended to increase the surface area of metal exposed to the flame, thus absorbing more heat which is in turn transferred to the pot/liquid.
The trade-offs are price and weight. Price is reasonable these days, especially from overseas suppliers. The weight penalty needs to be looked at in terms of the trade-off with fuel weight. If the pot weighs (say) 100 grams more than your regular 1 litre pot, it is only worth it if you save 100 grams or more of fuel weight due to the higher efficiency. The values will depend on fuel/stove type etc, but as a broad generalisation the break even point is around 30 litres of water (or 15 litres of snow melted and brought to the boil). This is more likely to occur on longer trips, and with bigger parties. On four day backcountry ski trips with a party of 4, it definitely saves some weight - though not much per person.
The heat exchange pot will probably perform the better in moving air, but both will be MUCH better with a suitable windshield.
See:
viewtopic.php?f=15&t=11422https://backpackinglight.com/forums/top ... nger-pots/Skibug
crollsurf wrote:
I'm curious to see what people think about pots with heat transfer fins.
I've always just used regular pots. But I've pretty much worn the oxide coating on my pot. So time to think about a new one.
Came across the 'Terra Weekend HE' pot and am wondering if anyone has discovered any cons to the heat transfer fins.
Has anyone experienced if the added distance of the pot from the flame affects the performance in say windy weather?