Gourmet canister stove for the wife

I just bought one of these for my 2 person setup. It is missing the piezo lighter and it is not invertable but at 98 grams it is ideal for pots up to 2 litres. The burner head appears to be the same as the Fire Maple 116T (Monatauk Gnat) so it should have low CO2. Cost under US$60 on eBay including postage. I have added a 100mm wide strip of Ti for a windshield about 1 oz (30g) depending on the length to suit the pot diameter.

If you want an invertable stove then look at the Fire Maple 118 at 146 grams which as a very similar design. I haven't see the 118 on eBay yet.

http://fire-maple.com/products_list.html?cate_id=8&c_id=5

I should add that I have used my 116T extensively and am very happy with it. I haven't used the 117T apart from test firing it but it also seem excellent.

I would hold out for the new Optimus Vega

http://www.optimusstoves.com/fileadmin/user_upload/optimus/Downloads/Factsheet_Optimus_Vega_EN.pdf

http://www.optimusstoves.com/seen/service/newsroom/detail/article/2012/07/10/whats-new-for-the-perfect-outdoor-cooking-experience/

It looks like once again Optimus has come out with a great product including inverted canister option.

I found the 118 on EBAY for 49.99 with free shipping.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Fire-maple-Cooking-stove-camping-stove-146g-2990w-FMS-118-Windscreen-/230824631223?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item35be385bb7&ssPageName=RSS:B:SHOP:US:101

That's a great price for such a light weight remote canister stove. I would jump on it, but am really looking for something with a piezo lighter built in for the wife.

Windpro and done.

piezo is a deal breaker? Maybe YOU should do the cooking. :)

I looked for a bit and couldn't find any other "lightish" stove meeting the above criteria.

Re: the auto ignition…would one of the handheld piezos surfice? If not maybe you add one of these to a manual ignition stove (fire maple back in?):
http://cascadedesigns.com/msr/stoves/stove-accessories/autostart-igniter/product

For a data point on flame pattern, I been able to make pancakes in an Al pot with monotuak gnat on lowest setting.

looks like this guy was able to fit the MSR piezo on an optimus stove:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RCJ9xrI8nd0

Also, If you already have a normal canister stove with piezo and nice flame patern…you could try to source one of the brunton stove stands to make it remote — though this wouldn't quite as stable as a normal remote stove (would be taller). I am pretty sure I still have one I tried to sell a while back….

I have that 118. It's great stove. See my review on this site: http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/reviews/display_reviews?forum_thread_id=64593&cat=Stoves%20-%20Canister&cid=19
Forget the piezo. Anyway it is not reliable!

I have a gravity MF. I think it is very stable and very easy to use. We cook everything on it. We can make pancakes without a problem. It is very wide and very stable. Being low to the ground helps tooNothing has ever fallen off of it and it has never toppled. I use it for cooking with big groups. The one thing is though is that I have an older model and my flame pattern is not equally distributed. I am not sure it this really matters in reality- I don't really notice that only one side of my pancakes cook. The gravity MF does not have a piezo. I do have a stove with one and it does make it much easier to use- I will give your wife that.

I ended up going with the Optimus Stella Plus. Actually it was my wife's choice. She really likes the remote piezo ignition. Certainly not the lightest option and I agree that Piezo may not last. I decided I would not buy one for trying inside a tent for now. Thanks for all the suggestions. I'm not much of a canister stove person. I prefer wood, alcohol, and gasoline to cook with in that order. When I'm traveling light it is almost always boil in a bag. Maybe later I will try one of the other stoves suggested.