If you’re needing a mini stove that will burn all night, the Mini Me Tiny Stove could be just what you’re looking for.
It’s made in the USA by Flame Innovation (previously 509 Stoves), a company based in Post Falls, Idaho, can heat up to 400 square feet, and it has a unique design.
The Mini Me Tiny Stoves are not really designed for burning firewood, but rather compressed sawdust logs. These logs are gravity fed from above through a feed tube that looks a bit like a second chimney.
And while it can also burn split wood, the compressed logs allow for very long burn times of up to 12 hours!
Mini Me Tiny Wood Stove
So, while this is not your usual wood stove, it’s still a wood stove because densified sawdust is wood.
There are many benefits of this system. For one, you can easily order compressed logs online or you can pop into most big box stores like Home Depot or Walmart and pick them up.
It means you’re not having to collect and store firewood – for me that process involves cutting the tree down, bucking the logs, splitting the rounds, stacking the split wood, and waiting for it to season.
Alternatively, you would need to buy your firewood in and stack it.
Buying these compressed logs is a bit easier compared in that way. They are a lot easier to store, and they put out more heat than regular wood.
For example, Flame Innovation recommends using Pres-To-Logs (sometimes written Presto Logs).
These logs have the following features (for sale on Tractor Supply):
- 100% natural wood – no binders, waxes, or additives – for a clean and environmentally friendly burn
- Ideal for wood stoves, fireplaces, or campfires
- Safe for roasting marshmallows and cooking your favorite campfire foods
- High-Performance – 8,500 BTU/lb
- Burn Time: 4-6 hours/log
- Ultra-low moisture content burns hotter, and more efficiently than cordwood
- Minimal ash to keep your stove, fireplace, or campfire clean
- Made in the USA from 100% locally-sourced natural biomass
- Manufactured in Idaho
They are said to be denser than most hardwoods and subsequently burn longer and hotter.
You don’t have to use Presto logs, however. There are many different brands of densified logs that are suitable for use with the Mini Me, including many of those on Amazon. The ideal width is 3 and 3/4 inches – larger will not fit.
All that to say, don’t let the fact that this tiny stove burns an alternative fuel put you off. It has many benefits over regular firewood.
For those who are regularly traveling in an RV, camper, skoolie, bus, van, or another vehicle, I think compressed logs are a far better option than firewood.
You can easily buy them in each new location, they take up less room per BTU of heat that they put out, and they don’t make as much mess. Plus they’re still reasonably cheap.
And that’s not saying anything about the overnight burn times which we’ll get into next!
Mini Me 8 Vs Mini Me 12
The dimensions of the two different Mini Me Stoves are identical other than the height – a bit like Dr. Evil and Mini Me!
It is only the height of the feed tube that differs:
- Mini Me 8 has an 18″ feed tube that will give an 8-hour burn time with the damper closed – weighs 97 lbs
- Mini Me 12 has a 29″ feed tube that will give a 12-hour burn time with the damper closed – weighs 111 lbs
It’s not hard to figure out why the taller model has a longer burn time than the shorter one!
(For those who need it stated: it can take an extra densified log.)
Tiny homes, cabins, yurts, and other small dwellings can get very cold in winter and I’ve often seen people asking ‘how do you keep your wood stove burning overnight?’ and those sorts of things.
It’s very hard to get a regular tiny wood-burning stove to burn through the night. There’s only so much firewood you can fit in them and most will burn out within 4 or 5 hours max.
If you’re not interested in waking up during the night to feed the fire in order to not wake up feeling like a popsicle, I think the Mini Me is an excellent option.
Whether you choose the fire with the 8 or 12-hour burn time really depends on how long you sleep, how long you’re away during the day, or how often you want to think about adding a new log.
Flame Innovation’s Caboose Tiny Wood Stove is a good alternative – it burns wood but loads from the side allowing you to fit more and bigger pieces of wood for a longer burn.
Mini Me Tiny Stove Specs And Features
To get a good look at the Mini Me Tiny Stove, I recommend watching this video from Dusty.
He gives a great overview of the burner, pointing out and explaining all of the features – you’ve also got to see it once the fire has been lit to truly appreciate how it works.
Here’s a Facebook post pitch for the Mini Me from Flame Innovation…
Check out our latest video about the innovative new stove the Mini Me
This first-of-its-kind tiny stove can heat spaces up to 500 square feet by efficiently burning Presto Logs, we have an 8-hour and 12-hour model, or any energy log that is compressed sawdust.
The Mini Me has to be loaded only twice a day (12 hour model).
Can be operated “off the grid” ⚡️
It is very efficient, easy to operate and maintain, and doesn’t require any chopping or hauling of wood.❗️
You can burn firewood in the Mini Me if needed.
The Mini Me is built with high-quality components, with parts and steel sourced in the US, so that it will last for years to come.
Made in the USA
Common uses of the Mini Me include:
RVs | Yurts | Sheds | Shops | Cabins | Skoolies | Tents | Tiny Homes | Ice Shanties
It’s worth clicking through the link above to watch the short video.
In it you’ll hear how:
- The logs can’t burn upwards inside the tube (it’s very safe)
- 4 hours of burn time out of each log
- The stoves are laser-cut bent parts meaning the tolerances are very tight and give clean finishes
- They are hand-welded
- Steel is sourced from the US
- Can even be used for winter growing in greenhouses
Dusty summarizes the stove by saying:
It’s made in the USA, hand-welded, and it’s laser cut, so it’s a very precise well built stove.
The stove can heat between 200 and 400 square feet. It really depends on how well-insulated your space is.
For example, most modern tiny homes have good insulation, so this stove will heat a 400-square-foot home in this case. On the other hand, it probably won’t be suitable for a poorly insulated 300-square-foot cabin.
Other technical specs not already mentioned:
- BTU range of 6,500 – 14,000
- Non-electric gravity fed
- 19″ wide at front, 6″ wide at back
- 18″ high (without feed tube)
- 19″ deep
- Requires a 4-inch stove pipe
And despite its small size, you can see in the video above that it can really start roaring once it’s away.
The new Mini Me Tiny Stove from 509 Stoves is the first ever non-electric, gravity-fed stove to burn Presto Logs, 3 3/4″ in diameter and smaller, for up to 4 hours each.
The Mini Me is easy to light, operate and maintain. It is built with high-quality components so that it will last for years to come.
Other features not already mentioned:
- Made mostly of 3/16″ steel
- Fire rope door seals
- Damper for letting more or less air in
- Pedestal and ash pan options
- Brick lined firebox
- Holes in the feet so that it can be secured to the floor or hearth
- Non-EPA/UL listed as a recreational stove only
- Use fire starters or wood shavings to light the fire
- Can be vented through a ceiling/roof or out through a wall and up
There was an ‘F’ version of the stove which means it has a removable fire pot and needs to be cleaned with an ash vacuum, but this is no longer available.
The standard model has removable bricks and a built-in ash can, requiring no electricity to clean. It’s the more user-friendly version.
Mini Me Tiny Stove Review
I’ve already shared the pros and cons of this tiny stove throughout the article but I’ll summarize them here.
The biggest PRO is that you get all-night burns. You won’t need to get up in the night and you’ll wake up warm.
Additionally, these logs are easier to store, cleaner, and put out more heat compared to regular firewood.
One comment I saw said:
There are more BTUs in a pallet of logs than there are in a cord of wood.
Another comment from Flame Innovation regarding the price of the logs said:
65 cents per log, by the pallet quantity, to 1 dollar per log.
You don’t have to buy logs from [Flame Innovation], they are out there all over just like buying pellets for pellet stoves. Plus you can burn split wood in this model as well, making the stove even more appealing.
The biggest CON is that you are somewhat dependent on compressed logs.
As far as I’m aware, there has never been a shortage of them, but if you live in a very remote location, it wouldn’t be ideal. For those who live near hardware stores, it should never be a problem.
Another con is the that feed tube looks a bit funny and takes up a lot of space on the top which would be a cooking area on alternative tiny stoves.
However, if that’s the price for an all-night burn, it will be worth it for many.
A final downside is that it’s only sold as a recreational stove and can’t be certified. This may or may not affect insurance policies.
The Flame Innovation team said (in this FB comment thread):
We are selling it as a recreational stove only for things like hunting cabins, ice shanties, wall tents, skoolie conversions, etc. etc. Not a residential stove.
Clearly marked in the manual, online, on the stove, etc. We are currently working on a bigger version for residential that will be non Electric, EPA tested and UL tested on the line of our 2020 EPA Certified Optimum model you saw in DC.
The one you saw in DC takes electricity like a pellet stove and it has hampered our sales as everyone seems to want non-electric, so we are developing that one for residential use.
The Mini Me would probably pass, but it is not really big enough for a home install, and why we are developing a bigger model for that very reason. We want to keep developing stoves that use biomass fuel.
Since that comment, I believe the bigger stove for homes has been released.
It’s called the Optimum Stove and it can heat up to 2500 square feet (though it may be out of stock right now).
509 Mini Me Tiny Stove
If you wanted to mostly burn firewood, it would be best to buy a different wood stove – Flame Innovation have good alternatives!
This might be the case if you have your own firewood source, you don’t want to be dependent on getting compressed logs, or you prefer burning wood.
It doesn’t make sense to buy a tiny stove like the Mini Me if you’re not going to use it as it’s intended. The feed tube would be pointless, and you’re not going to get the same burn times.
Flame Innovation also sells other small wood stoves that are designed to burn firewood and it would be best to check them out.
However, if you’re on the move in an RV or camper, or it’s hard to find “real wood,” the Mini Me is a well-built stove that will serve you well for many years.
If you’ve been using this burner, let us know your thought in the comments below.
And, if you are not able to buy this stove because of location, consider the Pipsqueak or Cubic Mini Grizzly instead – they might be available in more locations.
