Snow Peak Litemax vs Soto OD-1R.

I have the Soto OD-1R. I use Esbit every chance I get and only bring this stove when there are fire restrictions. The piezo lighter can be wonky when it has been in storage for a while. I would never rely on any piezo lighter and always bring a bic so not a big deal for me. If I could just remove it to save a couple grams I would.

They made some grandiose claims as to its valve performance but it works fine. I'd just go with whichever one is cheaper. If you do go with this stove, I'd suggest getting the optional windscreen as well.

Edit: Search "Jet Boil Hacks" here in the forums. One member paired a Soto ODR1 with a Jetboil and achieved great results.

The Soto is 2.6 oz if that matters to you.

I have used the Soto OD-1R as well as the newer WindMaster model. But I have not used the Snow Peak… though I have used other upright canister stoves and have seen my buddies use the Snow Peak stoves.

My view is this: The Soto stoves are the best upright stoves on the market. The Piezo is quite dependable whether stored for a long time or not. The only time it has not worked for me was when it was soaking wet. But always take a backup lighter. The WindMaster is a significant improvement over the OD-1R, but I don' use the WindMaster windscreen; a traditional foil windscreen being more effective against significant winds.

The one significant potential down side of the Soto stoves is that they are not field serviceable in the event of a clog due to dirty fuel or not keeping the connecting areas clean… whereas needle valve type stoves (which I believe the Snow Peak to be) are serviceable… if you take the proper tools. Other than this potential issue, the Soto is the superior stove.

Billy

Jim does great reviews here:

http://adventuresinstoving.blogspot.ca/2012/09/the-best-gas-stove.html

He also reviews the Soto.

I can't say one way or another on the topic of which stove you should buy. Buy if you're leaning toward the Snow Peak, you should probably jump on the Kovea Supalight over at camp saver. You'll save about $20 if you catch it soon as they're on sale. And since Kovea is who actually makes the Snow Peak stove, you won't be missing out on anything.

Interesting – I did not know that.

But the specs are different. Higher BTU for the Litemax. Slightly heavier too.

Well I might be wrong on that, I do know that Kovea currently makes most of the stoves for both Snow Peak and for MSR. Upon second inspection those two models don't appear to be exactly the same, for one, the base where it connects to the canister is different. But they are similar enough that I'd have to really want to shave that .2 ounces to be able to justify the 50% price difference of the Snow Peak over the Kovea.

I dug around a bit and found this thread that sheds a bit more light onto the subject. It even has a side by side picture of the supalight, the LiteMax and an older Kovea I don't see offered anymore.
I guess it helps if I include the link to the thread I mentioned.
http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/forums/thread_display.html?forum_thread_id=59613