Snowpeak Gigapower Manual vs Snowpeak Litemax

[Dave G]

I had a Litemax, one of the rivets for the fold-out pot support extensions was the 1st point of failure in my case.

Dave

[Dale Wambaugh]

Many piezo lighters are adjustable, especially the later Jetboil models. You will find a generous amount of wire under the burner to pull/push up if the tip is damaged. Small changes in distance can make big differences in performance, just like the gap on a gas engine spark plug.

[Roger Caffin]

The BIG problem with piezo ignitors is that they do not have quite enough energy in the spark. Yes indeed, you do need a certain amount of energy to ignite butane and propane, especially at altitude, and the piezos are very marginal.

And that is why those gun-shaped spark lighters which are sold for use on domestic stoves often take several clicks to light the flame, even at sea level. Marginal energy.

Cheers

[Dale Wambaugh]

I think another issue with piezo lighters is the pinpoint of the spark and getting the right mixture of gas an oxygen. The spark can often be in a very pure stream of gas, one that is too "rich" for ignition. Likewise the pistol-like stove lighters. With a slight draft and some turbulence in the gas flow and you get a mixture that will light. I think the spark output is relatively constant.

[John G]

I have the gs100 with piezo, and pocket rocket.
The pot stability is very good with the snow peak, and marginal with the PR.

My piezo has never failed, but I'm on the east coast of the US, and we only have low altitude ;)

In my opinion, the piezo is super convenient and worth having. It's especially useful if you need to simmer, and their is wind. Even with my MSR wind screen, the low flames blow out in mild gusts. This problem is worse with the PR.

If you are worried about the extra weight, don't forget that you save a tiny bit of fuel by using a piezo. If you light he stove manually, the flame is wasted for the 1/2 a second before you can lift and settle the pot on top of it. If you simmer each night and the flame blows out 3-5 times each time, this adds up to enough fuel that you can only partially cook 1 meal.

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