Hexo Tools Wood Stove Review: A $16 Folding Stove With Dual Combustion

Introduction

The Hexo Tools wood stove is a folding stainless steel burner that packs down into a small flat bundle and sells for around $16. Its overall shape will look familiar to anyone who has used a flat-pack camping stove: four interlocking side panels, a fuel tray that locks into the base, two pot support bars, and a short chimney that drops into the center.

That chimney is the part worth paying attention to. It creates a second combustion stage inside the stove, which means the unit burns its fuel more completely and releases noticeably less smoke than a conventional stove of the same size. For a budget piece of gear, that is an unusual feature to find.

Who This Stove Is For

This stove suits campers, hikers, and bushcraft users who want a small, inexpensive, and packable way to boil water or cook a simple meal over wood, pellets, or charcoal. At 1.1 lb it is not the lightest option in its class, but it folds down to roughly 5.5 by 5.5 inches and stows flat enough to disappear into a pack, so the weight is easy to justify.

It is also a reasonable choice for anyone who wants a tiny makeshift fire pit at camp. The firebox is large enough to hold decent sized pieces of wood, and the flame output is strong enough to throw real heat rather than just a token flicker.

Build Quality and Portability

Construction is stainless steel with panels about 1 mm thick. All of the edges are smooth, with nothing jagged or sharp, which matters when the stove is handled, packed, and reassembled repeatedly. The pot supports are wide and generous, so a full size pot, pan, cup, or kettle sits securely on top.

When assembled, the stove measures about 5.5 inches tall, 5.5 inches wide, and 5.5 inches deep. That footprint is a good middle ground: small enough to be unobtrusive in a pack, but big enough to accept reasonably large fuel. Air holes surround the unit along the bottom and the sides, so the fire gets plenty of oxygen and burns cleanly and efficiently. A drawstring storage bag is included.

How the Chimney Changes the Burn

The chimney sits in the center of the assembled stove and serves a specific purpose. It draws oxygen in through the hole in the base and the holes in the side panels, while at the same time pulling in smoke released by the burning wood. Once that chamber gets hot enough, a second combustion process takes place inside it.

The practical result is a stove that burns fuel more completely, breaking it down closer to ash, and produces far less smoke than a comparable single-stage design. Any wood stove will smoke to some degree, and this one is no exception, but the difference is visible even when the fuel is damp. In use, the stove kept burning with wet wood that was audibly sizzling, and the smoke output stayed low. Larger pieces of wood, which normally produce more smoke and moisture, also burned with only a modest plume.

Things to Consider Before Buying

Two issues are worth knowing about before you order.

The first is documentation. No instructions are included in the box, and the assembly is not entirely self-explanatory. The key detail is that the three small points on each side panel must face upward, which is the opposite of what most people assume on a first attempt. Get that right and the rest of the setup is straightforward: join all four sides, insert the tray and lock it in place, then add the chimney and the pot supports.

The second is panel tension when the stove is new. Out of the box, the panels had enough play that the assembled stove could fall apart when lifted or moved, and it had to be squeezed from several directions just to hold together. After the first burn, the panels warped very slightly, which added enough tension for the stove to stay assembled on its own. That resolved the problem in practice, but the first session is likely to be frustrating.

Cooking, Boiling, and Fire Pit Use

In use, the stove performs well as a cooking platform. Roughly two cups of water came to a boil quickly, and the flame output is strong enough to be genuinely useful rather than merely symbolic. Fuel can be loaded from two ports, one at the top and one at the front, and both openings are sized generously enough to accept just about anything you want to feed in.

Because the firebox is roomy and the burn is hot, the stove also works as a small fire pit for warmth. You can burn wood, pellets, charcoal, or a mix, which makes it flexible across different trips and different fuel availability. The secondary combustion means more of that fuel actually gets used instead of drifting away as smoke.

Setup Notes and Long-Term Ownership

Once the panel tension settles in after the first burn, the stove assembles and disassembles without drama. Remembering the upward-facing points on each panel is the single biggest time saver, and after a couple of attempts the whole thing goes together quickly without instructions.

The 1.1 lb weight is a touch heavy for a stove of this size, and the chimney accounts for part of that. The trade-off is a more efficient, lower-smoke burn, which is the entire reason to choose this model over a plainer folding stove. The flat packed form factor remains the strongest argument for carrying it, since it takes up very little space in a backpack.

Buying Advice

At $16, this stove is priced at roughly half of what comparable folding wood stoves typically cost, and most of those alternatives do not include a chimney or a second combustion stage. That combination makes it strong value, provided you are willing to spend a few minutes figuring out the assembly and to tolerate a slightly loose fit on the very first burn.

If low smoke output and efficient fuel use matter to you, the chimney is not a gimmick. If you simply want the cheapest possible way to boil water over twigs, the stove still works, but the feature you are paying for is the cleaner, more complete burn. Either way, the price keeps the risk low.

Conclusion

The Hexo Tools wood stove is a likeable piece of budget gear. It is well made for the money, it packs flat, it boils water quickly, and the chimney delivers a real reduction in smoke along with a more thorough burn. The lack of instructions and the loose panels on the first assembly are genuine annoyances, and the panel tension issue largely resolves itself after the first burn. For around $16, it is an easy stove to recommend to anyone who wants a compact, efficient wood burner without spending much.