The MSR MicroRocket — Review Complete

I thought I’d share one further reflection on the MicroRocket:
I have quite a number of small upright canister stoves. Here’s a few (and yes I have more):
a) Snow Peak GS-100 GigaPower
b) Vargo Jet Ti
c) Markill Hot Rod
d) Optimus Crux
d) MSR SuperFly
e) Monatauk Gnat
f) Soto MicroRegulator
g) MSR PocketRocket
h) MSR MicroRocket

The two I rate as top stoves? The MicroRocket and the GigaPower. Which is the better? Well, it depends. I rate the GigaPower as superior on pot stability, and the GP has a more dispersed flame (although not as nice as say a SuperFly). On the other hand, the MicroRocket is lighter and slightly more compact (shorter overall length).

I think it’s going to come down to what matters to the individual as to which is the better stove.

Is the MicroRocket a better stove than the PocketRocket? That’s a complete no-brainer: Yes, the MicroRocket is clearly the better stove. The only negative in that comparison against the MicroRocket is that it takes a couple of seconds to rotate the pot supports into place, but in return for those extra seconds, you get a lighter, more durable, more compact stove. A more than fair trade in my opinion, but of course the MicroRocket costs $20 more.

HJ
Adventures In Stoving

Does MSR sell the ignitor seperatly?

Hi, Larry,

Several people have asked me that, and the answer is: “I don’t know.” The Kovea version is available on eBay, but I’ll ask about the MSR version and report back.

HJ
Adventures In Stoving

Hi Jim

As you know, I rate the GST100 at the top.
But I also use the Gnat a lot. It's awful light.

Cheers

Same here, want info on ignitor.

Can you give us a copy of the instruction sheet for the MSRMR, post it here please and thank you.

Does MSR sell the ignitor seperatly?

I spoke to someone from MSR. They are not currently selling the piezoelectric ignition by itself.

Kovea sells the exact same product (the MSR product is actually made by Kovea) except that the plastic is orange and it says “Kovea” on it not “MSR.” I don’t see any Kovea piezo ignitions currently on US eBay, but you might be able to talk to one of the many sellers of Kovea products on eBay into selling one.

For your reference, the part number is KI-1007

HJ
Adventures In Stoving

Hi Jim

As you know, I rate the GST100 at the top.
But I also use the Gnat a lot. It’s awful light.

Cheers

Hi, Roger,

Yes, and I agree with you. The GS-100 or GST-100 is an exceptionally fine stove. The GS-100 is available for $20 less than the MicroRocket. The MicroRocket is lighter and more compact, but $20 more? Well, let’s just say that MSR has their work cut out for them.

The Gnat is indeed very light. It’s pot stability (based on my tests which aren’t exactly the height of scientific rigor) is not as good as the MicroRocket or GS-100. The Gnat doesn’t compact as well as either the MicroRocket or GS-100. Also the Gnat has very little burner “clearance” (the gap between the burner and the bottom of the pot), and as a a result I believe the Gnat is going to emit a lot of carbon monoxide. Absent further information, I would not cook inside a tent with a Gnat.

EDIT: Note that I said “Absent further information”.

Stuart Robb wrote: > Roger measured the CO reported here as a very respectable 10 to 20ppm.

I therefore withdraw any remarks about the possibility of the Gnat having poor CO performance.

All three are good stoves. The individual must decide which attributes are important. Hopefully all this blogging and posting that I’ve done will enable people to make a choice that will work for them.

HJ
Adventures In Stoving

I have two canister stoves
Bruton Raptor – made by Soto – I think
http://www.sotooutdoors.com/products/item/OD-1BS.html

Soto OD 1
http://www.sotooutdoors.com/products/item/OD-1R.html

Both
– 11,000 BTU
– Piezo ignition
– Burns approx.1.5 hours with 8 oz.(250g)canister

I got the Raptor first but when I got into winter Colorado 14er hiking I got the OD 1.

I think you get the best tool for the job. My guess is that all the stoves you list can get the job done – the question is what is the job?

If I could only have one stove – it would we the OD 1 – it handles altitude and the cold better than the Raptor and probably better then the others in your list (yes I understand the physics of canister stoves)

If there was no need to be concerned with the cold and altitude, the Raptor would be fine – it provides a stable platform.

PS – I have been able to easily fashion safe wind screens that attach to the supports.

Hikin' Jim,

To me the most important criteria for stove selection (if cold and altitude is not important) is fuel usage efficiency.

The second would be boiling time. I would think that that is related to fuel efficiency – amount of time to boil water and efficiency of fuel usage.

Have you done tests that evaluate fuel efficiency? I didn't see it on you site.

Soto states that the OD 1 and Raptor "approx.1.5 hours with 8 oz.(250g)canister"

Gigapower GS-100A-US
http://www.snowpeak.com/stoves/backpacking/gigapower-auto-stove-gs-100a.html
250 gram fuel: 85 min. on high
10,000 BTU's

According to the sites the difference between the two are the Soto is 1,000BTU more and provides 5 min. more burn time. Now, the 5 min burn time might be due to the "approx" but, if both canisters give 85 minutes then the Soto has the edge because of the higher BTUs – higher BTUs boils water faster.

Weight – not a factor in my decision – 1.25 oz difference between the Raptor and the Gigapower

Can you give us a copy of the instruction sheet for the MSRMR, post it here please and thank you.

Sure. I think I can scan them in. Let me see what I can do. Might not be able to get to it for a couple of days.

HJ
Adventures In Stoving

I don't care about color or the name. Thanks for the part number. I will have to start hunting one down. Thanks.

Jim says:

> The GS-100 or GST-100 is an exceptionally fine stove. The GS-100 is available
> for $20 less than the MicroRocket. The MicroRocket is lighter and more compact…

Jim, is the MicroRocket significantly more compact than the GigaPower GS-100? Or more importantly, do you think it would it fit inside pots that were designed to accommodate a GS-100 and ~100g canister? The girth of the folded stove is the real issue — the length seems to be less critical.

Thanks for the great review!

Hi, Thomas,

I actually have a post on my blog that compares the packability of five different upright canister stoves:
MSR MicroRocket
MSR PocketRocket
Optimus Crux
Snow Peak GigaPower (GS-100)
Soto MicroRegulator (OD-1R)

Take a look at: MSR MicroRocket — Packability Report.

HJ
Adventures In Stoving

I just took my GS-100 out. I thought I’d try one more thing, and… I’m going to have to amend my report (above link) just a bit.

The reason that the GS-100 doesn’t fit quite as well as a MicroRocket in a 550ml mug type pot is that the valve adjustment wire on the GS-100 is very springy. The wire forces the GS-100 over to one side which causes it to fit poorly.

If one undoes the wire and flips the wire out of the way, the GS-100 fits ever so slightly better than the MicroRocket. There’s no material difference between the two in a BPL Firelite 550 pot.

So, if one doesn’t mind a very minor bit of fiddling, the GS-100 is equal to the MicroRocket in terms of its width and how it fits in that particular pot.

The MicroRocket is a few mm shorter overall than the GS-100. In a BPL Firelite 550, this has no practical impact, but for some applications, perhaps that might matter.

HJ
Adventures In Stoving

thanks for for the thorough review!

concerning the giga ti version, mine weighs 2.9 oz w/ the piezo ignitor- looks like a wash for weight when you add in the 1/2 oz ignitor from MSR

still wonder why SP they kiboshed the ti version?????????

Thanks, Jim, for checking on it again — that comparison helps. I'm generally pretty happy with my GS-100 and it fits my pot fairly well, but I'm always looking for ways to improve and the new stoves always seem to look so cool!

Tom

If I remember correctly there was some speculation that SP deliberately constructed the GS-100 that way to assure less wear on the needle valve in the closed position. You do have to remember to close it when putting the cartridge on, but one hissing session teaches the trick pretty well.

I contacted a Kovea dealer on Ebay who has now listed a Kovea igniter for $9.90 + 4.60 S&H. Just do a search for "Kovea igniter" and it should come up. Mike

Link to the ignition on eBay

The seller’s “name” is chovin.

HJ
Adventures In Stoving

@HJ
Could you comment on the problem of the thread wearing out?
As a "full time" outdoor person I am using my stoves constantly for months on end. I started out with a MSR pocket rocket but after about half a year the thread was wearing out rendering the stove useless. To make things worse MSR Germany would not replace the stove under warranty. I bought another pocket rocket and the same thing happened after about half a year despite careful handling.
After two failures with the PocketRocket I have now changed to a SnowPeak Giga Power and to my big surprise despite almost constant use for almost two years there is no problem with the thread wearing out.
How does the MicroRocket handle the thread problem?
Christine

Hi Christine

Funny about that! Yes, it happens. I was in the middle of France with a GST100 which eventually just fell off the canister.

Why does the thread wear out?

Because the thread on the canister is a travesty of what it should be. It is a cheap rolled thread with less that half the metal it should have. In engineering terms, it is atrocious! It places the entire load on the very tip of the brass thread on the stove and wears it away quickly.

The French saw this problem when the original Epigas stove and canister were released (many years ago!) and did a decent engineering design job with their CampingGaz range. But they muffed the marketing so that the canister never spread to America. The problem now is that most big companies aim at the USA market first where the screw-thread rules. It's another Beta vs VHS case.

There is a way to handle the problem: limit the forces and wear on the thread. Keep the O-ring well greased (silicone grease) and put some grease on the threads as well, and do NOT screw the stove down too hard! That will limit the abrasion on the thread and increase its life.

The French CampingGaz system is still dominant in many parts of Europe, but there is not the pressure on the design to reduce the weight. So the CampingGaz stoves are all well-made but far too heavy.

Cheers

Christine,

I don’t think the thread issue is going away any time soon. I’ve not heard anything that the MicroRocket would be any better than the PocketRocket, but I’ll follow up on this.

Another option of course is something like a Superfly which will work with threaded canisters but does not use threads. The SuperFly attaches to the collar on the canister not the threads, therefore there is no thread wear. It’s a bit bulky and heavy compared to a MicroRocket, but you would not have any thread wear issues.

You can make a SuperFly lighter by removing the burner from the stove’s base and using the burner from a Monatauk Gnat instead, but that option is a bit expensive because you have to buy two stoves.

Still it might be worth it because you get in effect three stoves for the price of two. The Gnat could be used for trips where you need a really light stove, the “SuperGnat” could be used for more routine use, and the SuperFly could be used when you want to do more subtle cooking that requires a well dispersed flame.

I wrote a post on the SuperGnat if you’re interested.

HJ
Adventures In Stoving

Zelph wrote: > Can you give us a copy of the instruction sheet for the MSRMR, post it here please and thank you.

Here you go: MSR MicroRocket Instructions.

HJ
Adventures In Stoving

Since Camping Gaz is now owned by the Jarden Corporation that also owns Coleman Why would it not be in their best interest to get everyone to use the same canister? They would sell a bunch of stoves in a short time on one side of the pond or another. Powermax and the pierce type canisters have already gone.