Southwest Disk or Tembo Tusk Skottle?

[Scoutman]

I did a build thread on here a few years ago for a Discada.
http://forum.expeditionportal.com/threads/122211-Discada-(Disco)-build

I now have this as well as a TT Skottle. I like them both but they each have their strengths and weaknesses. Of the 2 I use the Skottle the most and have had it a few years now with no issues.

My discada is 22" and sits on a modified backyard burner. I love that I can scoot it around to move the hot spot and can cook on a bed of camp fire coals if I wanted (could do with skottle too I suppose). I consider it more for home use since it's so big (bigger burner, tank, legs, etc). It's great for larger groups of folks, multiple families, etc.

The skottle is great for portability. It's the perfect size for a family or small group (in my opinion). The bag holds everything you need except the poles. I wish the hot spot was a bit broader but that's just something you have to learn to deal with. I carry, a few propane bottles, a steam rack, a dome lid, an 8" cake pan (for cooking cinnamon rolls or biscuits) and have added a 17" stainless grill rack in my bag. Poles carried separately.

You can't go wrong with either but it all depends on how compact you want and how many people you anticipate cooking for. Both are easy to clean and the list of things you can cook on one is endless.

A friend of mine has a Fire Disc which is another good option with walls.

 

[Ajstro]

I did a build thread on here a few years ago for a Discada.
http://forum.expeditionportal.com/threads/122211-Discada-(Disco)-build

I now have this as well as a TT Skottle. I like them both but they each have their strengths and weaknesses. Of the 2 I use the Skottle the most and have had it a few years now with no issues.

My discada is 22" and sits on a modified backyard burner. I love that I can scoot it around to move the hot spot and can cook on a bed of camp fire coals if I wanted (could do with skottle too I suppose). I consider it more for home use since it's so big (bigger burner, tank, legs, etc). It's great for larger groups of folks, multiple families, etc.

The skottle is great for portability. It's the perfect size for a family or small group (in my opinion). The bag holds everything you need except the poles. I wish the hot spot was a bit broader but that's just something you have to learn to deal with. I carry, a few propane bottles, a steam rack, a dome lid, an 8" cake pan (for cooking cinnamon rolls or biscuits) and have added a 17" stainless grill rack in my bag. Poles carried separately.

You can't go wrong with either but it all depends on how compact you want and how many people you anticipate cooking for. Both are easy to clean and the list of things you can cook on one is endless.

A friend of mine has a Fire Disc which is another good option with walls.

I read your Discada build, and truth be told, your build led me down this rabbit hole of looking for alternative discada options! I have a Tundra so I'm not too concerned with space. I think you're right that if space is a primary concern the skottle is awesome. I prefer having the versatility of a larger cooking surface and propane burner options.

 

[01tundra]

I just ordered my third disk from Southwest.

The first one was the 18" Madrid for our camper, then my wife liked it so much that she wanted a larger one for the house, so we got a 22". Yesterday I ordered a 20" Moab Rim for our camper because I think a 20" will be the perfect size for traveling. One thing that I did was swap out the wood handles on both the 18" and 22" lids for Tembo paracord handles, made the whole assembly more compact for travel/storage.

I'm loving it, but it's definitely taking a little time getting used to having so much heat available on tap, I'm learning that I can bring the disk up to temp in about a minute or so and then cut the flame all the way down to a minimum to maintain heat.

The legs on the burner are removable and collapsible. For camping I like having the ability to adjust the cooking height and also being able to pick the disk up off the burner and place it on a metal trivet on a picnic table. The legs clamp onto the bottom of the burner once removed and collapsed, so the burning packs down pretty small. The disk, lid, trivet and utensils fit nice inside the carry bag.

I wasn't expecting the physical size difference between the 18" and 22". It didn't sound like much when thinking about it, but once the 22" arrived it finally clicked, this thing is a beast. I can't imagine ever needing a 24". The 18" is compact, but I prefer the 22" for being able to pull cooked food farther out of the heat. I think the 20" is going to be our sweet spot, wasn't really wanting the rim on it but that's the only 20" that they currently offer......I may end up loving the rim though.

Another reason I chose the Southwest was because the burner can serve as an additional heat source for when we're canning food at home.

I'm sure both products are top notch quality so it really comes down to personal preference and intended use(s).

 

[01tundra]

I looked at Fire Disc but for their burner (20,000 BTU) with a 22" disk the price is $399. For Southwest's burner (65,000 BTU) and 20" disk the price is $195 and with the 24" disk it's $220.

Seemed like a lot of money for some powder coating to me. The Fire Disc doesn't appear to pack as small as the other either, so I ruled that option out.

Does look like a good product and appears to have some serious financial backing judging from their nice website, I'm sure they will be successful as well.

I do like the handles on the Fire Disc. There's also some good recipes on their website.

The burner Southwest offers appears to be an Eastman Big Kahuna.

The comparison of the two burners tells a pretty good story in itself -

 

[vartz04]

Rectec matador is just like the fire disc and 1/2 the price


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[01tundra]

Maybe so, but concerning the physical size of the burner on the Fire Disc I've read comments such as the one below taken off of Amazon -

"I had to modify the burner, the one it comes with is WAY TOO SMALL, only heating ONLY 10 inches in the the center, and Not the rest."

The Skottle has an 18" disc so I can see where their burner is more than adequate for their disc size. The fire disc is 22" diameter with a burner physically smaller than either of the others, so I could definitely see where a heat concentration in the center could occur.

The large burner may be macho marketing, but with a decent wind blowing I can see where having some extra horsepower in the burner could come in handy. Also, with the disc I'm using there's a lot of mass (1/4" thick steel) to absorb heat, not sure how thick the Skottle disc is.

 

[mep1811]

I have a Skottle and like it. The Southwest Disk burner looks awful large vs a compact Coleman single burner.

 

[01tundra]

I have a couple questions regarding the Skottle -

1. Will the lid fit in the carry bag with the disc if you’re not carrying any gas bottles?

2. What is the approximate length of the legs?

3. Approximate weight of the entire system (disc, burner, legs)? I’ve read around 22 lbs?

4. Does the burner have to be removed every time the disc is stored in the carry bag or can it be left on?

Thanks.

 

[01tundra]

I appreciate the info.

Just ordered a Skottle kit from Adam @ Step 22 Gear for use with the camper and the Southwest will be used for home cooking.......I now have (2) 18" disk, a 20" Moab Rim disc and a 22" disc......think I've got this discada thing pretty much covered now!

 

[225]

I just ran across the Skottle and Southwest Disc yesterday. Never heard of it before then. THEN, decided to come over here and make a post about it....lol. There's a sticky on it.

I just ordered the 18" Southwest Disc, with cover for $95. I still need to find a burner, but I'll probably weld on leg sockets and a burner holder like the Skoddle. We'll see once I have it in my hands.

I'm sure I can find a collapsible burner kit for cheap on Amazon. $275 for the whole Skottle kit is just too pricey for me.

 

[01tundra]

The 20" with the rim is arriving tomorrow and I'm planning on cooking all weekend with it, so I'll have a better feel for it afterwards.

For home a 22" is really nice, there's so much room outside the cooking zone to work with. The 18" would be good for cooking smaller meals, maybe for 4-6 people. The first meal I cooked on a disc was 2 weeks ago for a group of 8 and the 22" handled that like it was nothing. I can't imagine ever having a need for a 24" unless I was trying to feed a baseball team or scout group, but the extra surface area would be kind of sweet to have.

The 22" handles a whole package of bacon like champ.

This is what a meal for 8 looks like on a 22" with leftovers to spare -

 

[225]

How small does the burner collapse to?

I haven't bought a burner because I may weld on a bracket for the coleman burner. Trying to decide which way to go.

What would you do? Keep the burner you have now, or weld leg sockets and burner holder on your disc?

I got the 18" because it will be for me and the wife for camping, maybe 2 other people.

 

[01tundra]

The burner breaks down pretty compact, the legs collapse and are secured to the bottom of the burner body. It's very roust construction and super stable too.

It's a really nice unit for $95 in my opinion. Again, we'll be using ours for pressure canning food at home so there was an added bonus going with this burner.

 

[01tundra]

Nice!

One thing that I keep wondering about is bacon. I think lean bacon is the ultimate answer but I’ll ask anyways.

With the disc not physically attached to the burner after cooking bacon I can dump a little of the grease in a catch can and then cook the eggs. With a Skottle I don’t see that happening. I think the answer is tell the wife to quit buying cheap bacon since the Skottle would be sketchy trying to dump.

On that note, for the house the loose disc is really handy because once done cooking you can bring the entire thing into the kitchen and set it on a metal trivet.

 

[01tundra]

This new 20” disc is a big heavy beast, definitely not light weight.