The Lakro Smokeless Wood Stove (model LBS-01) is a small fan-assisted cooking stove from Sri Lanka that burns the fuel most Sri Lankan households already have for free: dry coconut shells, charcoal or short sticks of firewood. A small electric fan in the base blows air up through the fire. This makes the fuel burn hotter and more completely than in an open hearth or a three-stone fire, so you get a strong, steady flame with much less smoke.
It is made by Lakro Inventions, the Sri Lankan company behind Lakro's coconut scrapers. It sits between a gas burner and an open fire: cheap to run, independent of gas cylinders, and clean enough to cook on comfortably.
What is on the stove. A round metal body holds the combustion chamber, with pan supports on top for a wok, karahi or pot. The fan unit is mounted at the base. The fan draws very little power, about 1.3 W, and runs either from a 12 V battery or from the mains through the supplied adapter. With a battery you can cook away from any socket.
Good for:
- Everyday cooking on free fuel — the coconut shells left over from scraping become the fire.
- Back-up when the gas runs out — a stove that does not depend on a cylinder delivery.
- Camping and outdoor evenings — compact, battery-capable and quick to light.
- Outdoor cooking — rice, curries, tea and hoppers in the garden rather than the kitchen.
Use it outdoors or somewhere well ventilated. However cleanly it burns, this is a wood fire: it gives off carbon monoxide and some smoke. Use it in the open air, under an open-sided shelter or in a kitchen with good through-ventilation. Never use it in a closed room, a tent or a vehicle. Stand it on a level, non-flammable surface away from anything that can catch fire, and never leave it burning unattended.
Lighting it.
- Put a piece of coconut shell or a scrap of cloth dampened with a little kerosene or coconut oil into the stove and light it.
- Add a few pieces of coconut shell or small sticks of wood on top.
- Switch the fan on.
- Once the fire is burning well, feed it one piece of wood shorter than about 15 cm (6 in), or a few small sticks, as needed. When that has caught, start cooking.
- Only use fire-lighting fluid to start the fire. Never add kerosene or any other liquid fuel to a stove that is already lit or still hot.
Cleaning and care. Let the stove cool completely before you touch the chamber. Remove any ash or leftover charcoal after each use, before lighting it again. Every few months, take the fan off and clear ash out of the chamber. If the stove will be stored for a long time, wipe a thin film of oil or grease over the inside of the combustion chamber to protect it.
Technical data
- Model: LBS-01
- Fuel: dry coconut shells, charcoal or firewood (pieces under about 15 cm)
- Fan: approximately 1.3 W; runs on a 12 V battery or on mains through the supplied adapter
- Adapter plug: two-pin — a plug adapter may be needed for your sockets
- Made in Sri Lanka by Lakro Inventions
