canister stove with truly great simmer/flame adjustability?

yeah, sheltered location good

many times, proper technique can work just as good as more gear

still, with the Windmaster, even though I try to find sheltered location, I find a windscreen is still good to have. I've been using mine 2 years, year-round, 100+ nights. Probably 80% or 90% of the time windscreen not necesary.

It would be interesting to see the comparison of the two with the windscreen added to the MicroRegulator.

Yeah, a lot of people have made that comment. Of course there's no comparison when it comes to weight if you have to carry that steel heat reflector. Yes, I know Soto calls it a Windscreen, but it's not really although it will offer some protection.

Well, I'm on month 6 of a 6 month contract. If they don't extend me in the next couple of weeks, I may have lots of time to do gear testing… Sigh.

My gut sense is that the WindMaster is still going to be better than a MicroRegulator + Soto "windscreen." My gut sense is usually pretty good, but I need to do some tests before I'll stand by that assessment.

HJ

Thanks for posting that video Jim. Tremendously helpful.

I have the MicroRegulator and the optional windscreen. I think it works reasonably well in windy conditions but it's not just extra weight, but extra volume that does not necessarily fit well in all my mugs. Not sure how compact the windmaster is but I suspect more so than the ODR1 and optional windscreen.

when you say micro regulator + optional windscreen, isn't that essentially the same as the windmaster?

just trying to understand

http://sectionhiker.com/soto-outdoors-od-1r-microregulator-stove-long-term-review/

First image shows what I'm talking about.

yeah, that's essentially the same as a Windmaster

In my experience you need a better windscreen than that

But it is somewhat effective, as in Jim's video, so the Micro Regulator is basically obsolete

"yeah, that's essentially the same as a Windmaster"

Is it? I don't see how. I thought the Windmaster's performance in wind was due to its concave burner?

Ok dang it now I need to buy a Windmaster to have yet another gas stove that I'll never use.

I thought the deal was the metal surrounding the burner

I see what you mean, the burner on the Windmaster is concave, MicroRegulator convex

My experience with the microslaiusgoiaus is spot on with what Jim's video showed. Any breeze and it's pushing the flame all over resulting in poor fuel economy. Windscreen/reflector works well enough with the microasoiduou but it seems the windmaster works fine without.

I have the MicroRegulator and the optional windscreen. I think it works reasonably well in windy conditions but it’s not just extra weight, but extra volume that does not necessarily fit well in all my mugs. Not sure how compact the windmaster is but I suspect more so than the ODR1 and optional windscreen.

The WindMaster is actually just a bit longer as I recall, but it’s definitely more compact in terms of width as compared to the older MicroRegulator.

When you add the “windscreen” to the MicroRegulator, then no way is the MicroRegulator anywhere near as compact as the WindMaster. And, believe it or not, I actually found pot stability to be as good or better on the WindMaster even though it’s pot supports are slightly shorter.

I did all the testing (very thorough testing), but I never wrote this one up. It’s actually a very nice little stove. I’m considering taking the WindMaster on my JMT section hike next month. If you knew how many stoves I actually have (I can quit any time; it’s not an addiction, OK?), that’s saying something. It’s the world’s lightest upright canister stove with piezo ignition.

The drawback to it is that the pot supports unclip completely from the stove. Lose the pot supports and that would really suck in the woods (although I guess you could pile up rocks or something). I solved that problem to my satisfaction with a Sea To Summit mini carabiner, weight penalty 9 grams (1/3rd ounce). When I take off the pot support, I immediately clip it to the valve adjustor wire. Problem solved.

HJ
Adventures In Stoving
Hikin’ Jim’s Blog

when you say micro regulator + optional windscreen, isn’t that essentially the same as the windmaster?

Uh, no. Two very different stoves. The MicroRegulator’s burner is convex whereas the WindMaster’s burner is concave. Not only is the WindMaster’s burner concave, it’s recessed down inside a lip, a lip similar to the MSR WindBurner (formerly known as the MSR WindBoiler). Further, the pot clearance is slightly less overall. The combination of these three changes make for a more windproof stove.

In every test I did, and I did a lot of tests, the WindMaster always boiled water faster, even in still air. The WindMaster really pulled ahead in anything more than a light breeze. I did not do “gale force” testing with the WindMaster, no upright canister stove can stand up to that (well, except for specialized integrated canister stoves like the WindBurner or the Reactor).

Fuel consumption per minute appears to be about the same between the two, but since the WindMaster always boils faster, it uses less fuel. Average difference for a two cup boil is slightly less than a gram, but if you round off to an even gram saved per boil, you can use that for some rough calculations.

Let’s say you have a MicroRegulator, you do two boils per day, and you use 10g per boil. A 110g canister would last you 6.5 days with zilch left over. You might use that last 1/2 day’s worth of gas as your safety margin.

Now, let’s say, you cut your use by 1 g per boil. A 110g canister would last you 7 days and a little bit of change.

So, you’re basically getting about half a day’s worth of “savings” by using the WindMaster. There are trips where I know I’m cutting it fine on the gas and it would be nice to have that extra half a day’s worth of gas. YMMV.

HJ
Adventures In Stoving
Hikin’ Jim’s Blog