Help! Pocket Rocket Deluxe Fell Apart, Reassembly?

[Michael D]

My Pocket Rocket Deluxe fell apart while in my pot in my backpack. The inner burner plate fell out of the main burner, along with two screens, one small, one large. It’s an easy fix to press everything back in place but I don’t know the order of the screens. Should the small one go in first, then the large, then the  burner plate? Or, should the small one be sandwiched between the large screen and the burner plate? Anyone have ideas? 

[Brad W]

Looks like a warranty issues. I’d contact MSR.

[Jerry Adams]

That metal cup that’s still attached to the stove – that unscrews.

Then, if you can reassemble the screen and holed piece with the piezo sparker back onto the metal cup so that it stays (making sure you don’t have any extra pieces left over when you’re done : ) ) then you can screw the cup back on.  Make sure that tube sticking out goes over the wire that sticks up inside so the piezo works.

I have heard of at least three people where the piezo quit working because the tube was no longer over the wire inside.

I have not heard of anyone with your failure.

The tubing just sits over the wire with no connecting mechanism.  They’re both stiff, so once they’re properly in place, they stay in place.

Maybe play with it before returning to MSR which would take time.

I just looked at mine.  I did not know that those pieces come apart.  I don’t see how those are kept together.

[Jerry Adams]

There’s a rectangular dark spot on the right side of the cup.  And up a little.

I see there are 4 of those evenly spaced around, on mine.

Maybe that keeps the holed piece in place, but it doesn’t seem like it sticks out inside.

Maybe it’s a weld????

[Russ W]

Dang. As much abuse as folks heap on the BRS3000, I’ve never had anthing fall apart or melt 5 or so years of use. I keep trying to talk myself into the Pocket Rocket, given all of the rave reviews. Probably not gonna happen.

[Roger Caffin]

@Russ
Never had any trouble with my BRS-3000T stoves either. They work very well.
Just avoid all the Amazon clones, fakes and copies.

Cheers

[Michael D]

Thanks Jerry, I have the burner cup unscrewed from the body. There are four indents in the burner cup that the burner plate snaps into. The question is the order of the screens when reassembling. I don’t know if the small screen goes in first, which would put it in the bottom of the burner cup. Or if it goes between the burner plate (which also has a screen permanently attached – see pictures) and the large screen, as some sort of spacer. Any thoughts? When you unscrew the top from the main body, can you see a small screen in the bottom of the burner cup with the piezo wire running through it? Once I have the order figured out this won’t be hard to fix. I’ve already contacted MSR and they just want me to send it in for warranty, which to me is not necessary at this point. Plus that will cost time and money (shipping from Canada), I’d rather fix it myself for now.

[jscott]

You guys are much more coordinated and patient than me. And have tools and know how. I’d send it in for warranty (that’s not advice, that’s jsut what I would do being a klutz.) It’s winter and I’m not going out. No rush.

My Pocket Rocket has been indestructible and entirely dependable for about twenty years. I don'[t even think about it. Hate to have a failure in the field. However my windscreen is a repurposed titanium chip burnings stove. Weighs about an ounce and a half, and has slots that would hold tent stakes at the top. I could burn wood below and settle the pot on the stakes. Good backup.

[Jerry Adams]

My PRD has been 100% reliable.  Same with SOTO windmaster, although one of the pot support arms showed some damage so I switched from the 3 arm support to the 4 arm version.  I’ve used a BRS-3000 successfully a few times.

It’s anecdotal to base your reliability opinions on your own personal experience.  You need to look at many users and see what the failure rate is.  I haven’t seen any valid statistical analysis but I have heard of failures reported by users.

PRD has the problem of that piezo wire coming off that a number of users have reported, but it’s not critical, the piezo quits working, so what…  The failures I’ve heard of were with the stove as originally purchased.

PRD has this problem Michael just reported.  That would be a catastrophic failure if you didn’t know how to fix it.  This is the only occurrence I’ve heard of so maybe a fluke.

Soto has the problem of the arm eroding where it sits on the burner cup but that was just me, after a lot of use.  It’s a gradual failure, not catastrophic, although I could imagine if I just kept using it it eventually might have fallen off.

Many people have reported the ODS-3000 failing.  The pot support arms bend and it becomes unusable.  There’s no way I’ve heard to know if the stove you have is susceptible.

Inverted stoves have this problem that crud from the canister clogs the valve and it quits working.  That would be a catastrophic field failure, but if you know how to disassemble the valve it wouldn’t be a big deal.  There aren’t very many users so if there are multiple reported failures, then the failure rate must be much higher.

That’s all the stove failures that I’ve heard of, that I can think of.  I think all backpacking stoves have failures

I carry an ODS-3000 in the car as a backup.  I’ve decided not to use it backpacking because of the high failure rate, but that’s just me.  It’s a really cool stove.  Actually, it’s a hot stove because it’s so short, so heat gets down to the valve which then gets very hot.  It seems to me that can’t be good.  But that’s just speculation.

[Jerry Adams]

Jefferey, if you were one of the cool kids you’d also enjoy figuring this out and fixing it.  Sending it to MSR would deprive you of that fun.

I used the old pocket rocket for years and never had a problem.  I can’t remember any reported failures.

If I hadn’t got the PRD and SOTO for free, I would still be using the PR

[Jerry Adams]

I can only see one screen under the holed piece, but there might be another one or two underneath that I can’t see.  I’m almost willing to pry the screen off to see, but that might permanently damage it : )

To state the obvious, try what seems best and see if it works.  It probably doesn’t matter.  Is the function of the screen(s) to get the fuel and air better mixed?

[jscott]

Jerry, I AM one of the cool kids. I was on the debate team in high school. What’s cooler than that?

[Jerry Adams]

that’s pretty cool : )

[Roger Caffin]

it’s a hot stove because it’s so short, so heat gets down to the valve which then gets very hot. It seems to me that can’t be good.
Not a problem. The O-ring is Viton, good to 250 C. It is unlikely to reach 150 C.
The rest is metal.

Cheers

[Jerry Adams]

You’re probably right Roger, it doesn’t matter if the valve gets hot.  Still, that worries me just a bit.  I haven’t heard of any failures that would be explained by that.

[Daryl and Daryl]

Roger,

You should have been on the Challenger team.

[Roger Caffin]

True.
But I might have had to resort to violence.

Cheers
“Every Sci-Fi horror film starts with pollies/managers ignoring the scientists.’
Anon

[jscott]

“Every Sci-Fi horror film starts with pollies/managers ignoring the scientists.’
Anon

except the ones that begin with science gone wrong. From the Simpsons, spoken by that nerdy scientist: “it’s an iron law of physics that robots will eventually go bad and wreak havoc”.

[Roger Caffin]

Correction: spoken by a nerdy script writer.

Maniacs, Trumps and Putin are exceptions to anything.
Cheers

[BlackHatGuy]

“I was on the debate team in high school. What’s cooler than that?”

Being on the other team that won?

[BlackHatGuy]

@Michael D: I unscrewed the top of my PRD and took a look with a flashlight. It looks like the solid screen is on the bottom, so the smaller screen would be in between the two larger ones. Again, that’s what it looks like, I didn’t take it completely apart so I can’t say for sure. FWIW.

[Bill in Roswell]

There have been several reports of MSR having quality control issues recently. I wasat REI last week when a guy returned a reg Pocket Rocket that wouldnt seat properly upon first use and spewed gas on 3 diff gas canisters. They opened a new PR and it seated fine. Test your stove before taking on a trip! Or just get a Soto Windmaster….

[Jerry Adams]

Yeah, it makes sense to always test anything you buy before going on a trip depending on it.

[Petteri Isokoski]

I had the same happen to me in 2021. My PR fell apart when I unscrewed it from the canister. I had just made a cup of coffee with it. During the boil the burner was burning with a yellowish flame and sputtering. The previous boil in the morning it was working OK. I managed to push the screens back in, but I couldn’t connect the tube connecting the piezo wire, so I had to use a Mini Bic for the next two days. I got my burner replaced (it was under warranty), but it took almost two months to get a replacement. Meanwhile I bought a Soto Windmaster and I have been using it since.

[Bonzo]

I got my burner replaced (it was under warranty), but it took almost two months to get a replacement.

I had the same estimated repair time – not a replacement – for a burner on a non-functional stove that I bought from REI’s clearance pile.  I ended up fixing it myself for less time and no money, and it’s been very solid ever since.  Good little stove, the PRD.

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