SunRocket Solar Kettle - Boil Water with Sunlight

Product Description

SunRocket Solar Kettle Using the latest in solar thermal technology, the SunRocket uses an evacuated tube, boosted by reflective panels to heat and boil water. When opened it can heat water in as little as 30 minutes (weather dependent) and then closes to act like a thermos, keeping water hot for hours. The SunRocket is perfect for home energy saving, camping, picnics, sports events, fishing, boating or disaster preparation. The SunRocket is an essential part of any emergency preparation or first aid pack. It can melt snow, pasturise stream water or make sterile water for medical use through heat treatment. The SunRocket is scratch and weather resistant, compact and lightweight. The SunRocket is made from quality materials under ethical and environmentally sensitive manufacturing processes. Great gift idea for those hard to buy for! Specifications: Dimensions: 45x11x11cm (17.7x4.3x4.3 inches) Volume: 500ml (17oz) Weight: 1kg (2.2lbs) Materials: Evacuated vacuum glass tube made from Vycor glass (95% silica, high temperature and thermal shock resistant) and copper / aluminium absorption. Reflective aluminium panels, high quality scratch and weather resistant plastics, pressure release valve.

Features

• This is a solar water purifier - solar kettle!
• This is a portable, sturdy, light weight solar kettle and solar thermos

Top Reviews

Was Skeptical... WAS
by R. Seehoffer (5 out of 5 stars)
May 29, 2013

I purchased this just to have in my 'kit'--I'm not a 'prepper' per se but like to have options. I read the reviews of this unit and also investigated a very similar device recently released in Britain called Solar Kettle, and this one seemed a bit better designed and had more history. Price was about the same. I didn't really know what to expect and was a bit skeptical as is my nature, although I tried to keep an open mind and the concept seemed sound. The SunRocket arrived yesterday afternoon (way early considering the Memorial Day holiday) and even though it was nearly 3 pm I thought I'd give it a quick go. I washed and filled it, and sat it on my patio facing roughly southwest. I left off the lid and inserted an electronic kitchen thermometer. The water was 80 F initially, and within a few minutes it started to climb. I got a little less than a degree per minute for the first hour. As the sun moved farther west I stood the unit up on its base and it continued to climb slowly, ultimately hitting 160 F at around 4:45 PM at which point I brought it in and made some excellent tea.

Last night, before I went to bed, I refilled the unit and with the lid in place sat it out on my patio facing due south, which would then be the optimum direction at 12:30 PM. In the morning I went out around 10 AM, with the sun nowhere near hitting the unit head on, and unscrewed the lid to take an initial reading. Well, to my surprise the water was already boiling like gangbusters, and my reading was 207 F which was about right for 1550 feet above sea level. To be fair I am just east of Phoenix AZ, and it is getting on toward summer so it's around 85 out as I type this, but still...not bad. Clearly it'll do the job when needed.

Construction wise, the glass vacuum bottle seems heavy and well-made. The rest of the case is, well it isn't anodized aircraft aluminum but it isn't paper mache, either. It's adequate. The reflectors look like they could be easily scratched so use only damp soft towels to clean then. Something else--there are two pins which interlock into little holes along the edges of the doors when the doors are closed. These pins are held in place by magnets only, so use caution as they'd be easy to lose if dislodged. No biggee--just something to be aware of. All in all, this is a decent device that works as advertised. I may update this later on with formal time based measurements as I am both an engineer and anal that way, but for now I hope this helps.

Update: I think the pins along the door edge I referred to above were not supposed to come out of their little holes on the opposing door. The next time that happens, typically when it's hot, I'll dab a little 100% silicone adhesive to the backs of the 2 pins doing this and push them back into the holes which should solve the problem. Minor manufacturing defect I guess or perhaps they're just supposed to be friction fit, but it's no problem to correct... if the manufacturer reads this it can be addressed at that end? Doesn't change my overall opinion.

Update II: Based on a couple more tests, I think it's reasonable to expect a temp. rise of around 1 deg. F per minute under optimum conditions. I'm consistently getting boiling water in 2 hours, under bright sun and turning the device to keep it aligned well. And honestly with the vacuum flask I don't think outside ambient temp. is going to have that much of an effect. It certainly does work as advertised...
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I'd really like to give the SunRocket a 5
by BookGranny (1 out of 5 stars)
May 1, 2015

I'd really like to give the SunRocket a 5. I used it frequently to heat water, and adjusted the tilt as needed for seasonal solar conditions. It worked very well. I am writing this past-tense, because this item no longer is with me. A couple of days ago, while carrying it normally - by its handle, the whole bottom fell out! It hit the concrete floor and shattered into millions of pieces. I could understand if I had attached something and not gotten it tight, but the unit is one piece construction - there is nothing to tighten to keep it together.

I contacted the company to describe what happened, and got the reply that "while remarkable in effectiveness, these units are quite fragile, and the warranty is quite limited". Hmmm. I certainly did not mistreat this item - I carried it normally, and it fell apart! I'm afraid the price is too high, and the warranty is TOO limited for me to want to buy another one. Have since tried a storm kettle from Lehman's and really like it. It heats a much larger amount of water very fast, though it does use a handful of tinder, not the sun.
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Not a Gimmick...
by Big Cal (5 out of 5 stars)
April 6, 2015

Yes... I know, it looks like a gimmick...

But this works like a charm!

It takes about 2-4 hours of direct sunshine to get the water hot (starting from cold tap water) but this unique little thermos really does the trick. And when you close it up after being in the sun, it does a good job of keeping the water hot for several more hours.

If you do much camping, and you like to have hot water to make your food at the end of the day, this may do the trick for you... no fuel costs, no making a fire, etc.

Of course, you need to have a few hours of direct sunshine, but if you are not actually backpacking from sun-up to sundown, you shouldn't have any problems... I think that probably even just an hour or two as you stop for lunch on the trail would probably make air-temp water warm enough for tea or coffee (not scalding, but warm)...

If you are in a stationary campsite for all of most of the day, then this will definitely do the trick for you... I have put it on my dashboard many times so that it is both safe when I'm away from camp AND to reduce any cooling effects from wind... when I do this it can really get hot!

Be aware that it is a little big... about 4-5 inches in diameter and about 16 inches tall (both estimates)... it isn't heavy without water in it, but you would need to make sure you have some room for it if you are truly "backpacking" with it...

Overall... it is a very cool item... (no ironic pun intended)... it is very practical item if you need hot water and like to avoid the time and hassles of heating up water over a stove or fire.
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They are superlative (if they work)
by Amazon Customer (3 out of 5 stars)
March 11, 2014

I contacted the manufacturer to complain that I had bought two and one didn't work and I was unsure which was the first and which was the one I had bought a couple of years later. I figured since there were some small differences they could tell me, and if I had their product for a couple of years and had not bothered to test it...well that was on me. They helped me as far as to figure out that it was in fact their product and not a knockoff and that the vacuum canister outside the glass was cracked or broken and therefore would not work. After a few days I figured the manufacturer was not going to contact me anymore, so I bought another one. The new one had a broken lid so I just returned it.

I know it is a comically small sample size, but two out of three being bad...well that isn't inspiring of confidence. But hey, when they do work, they work well.

Update: The manufacturer returned my e-mail and said she was glad to hear about my experience and would be vigilant in redoubling their efforts toward quality in their young business. It was a classy way to come back at a jovially sarcastic correspondence, and I would give them a try again if I need another one and I modified my rating from one to three stars.
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wow
by Jennifer L. Madison (5 out of 5 stars)
January 27, 2013

I was able to make steaming hot water in about 45 minutes, in Wisconsin, in January. If you have a bright, sunny day, this can work year-round. Since the tube in the middle is made out of glass, make sure you don't drop it. The seller shipped this quickly.
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Cool concept, cool water.
by Lynn L (1 out of 5 stars)
February 9, 2015

Well, the reviews on this were kind of mixed. After getting this product I am hesitant to believe that anybody in the winter could actually achieve boiling water as described. I used this several times and was never satisfied with the results.

The size of this, and it's weight, definitely preclude one from carrying it on a backpacking or bicycling trip. I suppose if you lived off the grid and had all day to heat your water it would be a good fit.
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Very fragile.
by D. S. W. (2 out of 5 stars)
April 11, 2015

I accidentally tipped this over when it was sitting on my garage floor, and the glass shattered. It didn't fall any distance at all, just tipped over. If you buy one, be very careful with it.
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It will boil water
by 44 Mag (4 out of 5 stars)
September 29, 2014

I bought this on sale at Amazon for $50 with free shipping. Had I paid the regular price I'd have gave 3 stars because it is kind of flimsy. I guess if it was built for heavy duty use it would cost more. But, it did work. I filled it with tap water that was 72 degrees. I put it outside at 11:00am for 3 1/2 hours and the water was 208 degrees. Outside temp was 78 degrees but that isn't supposed to matter. It was partly cloudy that day as most Michigan summer days are. Our weather here sucks more often than not so I was surprised that it got hot at all let alone almost boiling. I'd recommend it to friend but be careful with it because its not heavy duty. I store mine in the origial box complete with packing and this seems to work.
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Manufacture malfunction, and broken glass
by Okie (1 out of 5 stars)
April 5, 2015

Not usable-- arrived with 2 pieces of scrap glass (the largest about the size of my thumbnail) embedded between wall of thermos and outside glass wall (have no idea how these got sealed in there), and the outside glass has a long (over 6 inches long) crack in it. Unfortunately, I did not get a chance to open the box and find this until the deadline for return had passed.
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we'll come to the real world shame on me!
by Rich meyers (3 out of 5 stars)
May 15, 2015

As far as The sunrocket goes,I think that it doesn't hold enough liquid to be useful. The construction is to fragel, and for the price I don't think I will recommend it. You can do basicly the same thing by setting a thurmos in the sun

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