/diy/ - Do It Yourself

>>963257
I've made several styles (Fresnel lens, Funnel, Panel, Parabolic, Box, Collapsible, Mylar blanket, etc.) My personal favorite has been a standard insulated box cooker with 4 trapezoid-shaped reflectors. However, the one I use for cooking bread loafs and big meals is rather large, heavy, and required attaching wheels to move it around.

Parabolic cookers are very fussy. You have to get the cooking vessel right in the focal point at all times. This requires lots of babysitting. You will need to adjust the alignment with the sun once every 15-20 minutes for optimal cooking temperatures. They are also hindered by ambient temperatures and wind. They also need cloudless skies to work even remotely well.

Funnel and Panel cookers (like the one in this image and the one in your image) are easier to use and require much less babysitting. They are also less hindered by ambient temperatures since they use a wind break. The cooking vessel is inside the wind break. The on in your image has 2 containers. A clear outer wind break and a black inner cooking vessel. These are "ok" for semi-cloudy skies.

Insulated Box cookers, while bulkier are the easiest to use. You don't need to align them as much (same amount as funnel/panel cookers) and they work in fairly overcast skies (better than funnel/panel cookers). Well-insulated, doubled-glazed ones work in the dead of winter at -10F without trouble.