QiWiz Firefly flexport

[Starchild]

Is the flexport on QiWiz firefly stove worth having or is it better to keep it simple?

I've been looking at getting a firefly and have seen and tried one, one with a flexport. I didn't find the flexport useful and seemed to kill the fire, while the air intake from underneath seemed to work well. I only used it for a couple of days so I don't have much to draw on so turning to others for their experiences, flexport yea or nay?

Also bonus if someone is selling a used firefly and wants to make me a offer.

[zelph]

Keep it simple, Side Port stoves are labor intensive. Too much wood in the port chokes the oxygen off. Burning of the wood needs to be watched carefully to prevent flames from getting too low. I'm speaking of the side port stoves in general, not the one made by QiWiz.

[1azarus]

I agree with the keep it simple approach. I have the port on my fire fly stove (which I love, by the way) and have never found the need to use it.

[QiWiz]

I've used my FireFly a lot (surprise!). The nice thing about the FlexPort is that it can be opened or closed. I tend to use an open FlexPort when I want better control of fire temperature and/or do longer burns for simmering or baking. The ability to move longer twigs into and out of the fire as needed lets you control the temperature pretty well (with a little stove practice). When I'm just boiling up some water for coffee or hot cereal, I keep it closed. So usually at breakfast time, I'm not using it, and often at dinner time, I am using it. It only adds 0.1 ounce to the weight of the stove. So for a little extra weight, you get a lot of flexibility. YMMV.