Jetboil Sol Ti Pots – ever had problems?

You can only boil water. Try to boil with snow or food and the fins will melt.

Good advice – I’ve only ever boiled water with mine.  Sounds like the MSR Windburner would be best for winter camping.

Some models of the Jetboil pots were made of titanium with a welded aluminium heat exchanger. Jetboil thought they had mastered the technical requirements of doing such a complex weld, but user experiences show that to be a mistake. The aluminium fins separated and melted in too many cases. Since then I believe Jetboil have taken that technology back off the market. This may be why Jetboil does not wish to even discuss the warranty issue: they cannot replace.

In some cases I believe users may have sent their pots back to Jetboil for repair or replacement, only to have Jetboil ‘confiscate’ them and not return them. The legality of this was an interesting question as it appeared to be simple theft.

A search of the Forum will produce a number of streams about this, with some very unhappy owners.

Cheers

I eschew ALL ti cookware due to the fact that ti does not distribute heat well on a pan or pot bottom, thus creating a center hot spot. After a rotten experience with a Japanese ti skillet (I sold it) I will never buy ti utensils. That includes drinking cups.

Anodized or non-stick coated aluminum is my cookware. Lighter, less expensive and distributes heat well.

Also my utensils are not metal except for a small lock blade Gerber knife. Lexan (spoon and mini  spatula),  and plastic (measuring/drinking cup and bowl).

I have one of the first production units and have not had any problems with mine but only boil water and occasionally melt snow with ample water in the pot.

Having climbed Denali, Rainer, and numerous smaller mountains in AK, I’ve got the snow melting technique down cold.  (Pun intended).  Lots of water in pot, add snow slowly, etc.

Like this?

My Ti which melted down. Al is a better material for all around use, ounces be damned.

Yikes!  Care to share the circumstances?

Run them dry and they will all burn up.

Sol Ti might be the first to go — and most likely also suffers an additional problem created by welding dissimilar metals, per R Caffin — but the others won’t be far behind if abused this way. But it appears Sol Ti fins would not survive a good macaroni burning… Ti being not nearly conductive as Al.

Obviously not an issue JB is keen to discuss openly. :-/

Eric – Totally with you on the cookware, but why no ti on utensils? Is it cost or something functional?

Ti knives are NEVER sharp. NEVER. The metal can’t do it.
Ti spoons and forks: why burn your mouth?
Cheers

It’s not an uncommon problem.  When I talked to some guys that worked at REI a few years back, they mentioned that they had processed a lot of returns.

I documented this a bit on my blog:  Titanium Jetboil – Caution!

HJ

HJ, I remember your excellent and thorough blog discussion about the Sol Ti.

And also IIRC you had a photo someone sent you of a Reactor with the bottom burned completely through.

IMO best just to use these stoves as what they are, water boilers, and not try to do anything even remotely resembling cooking with them.

One thing I have pondered: Is still possible with the Sol Ti to use the pot after the flux ring has burned off? I’m guessing Yes — just pull off any remnants of aluminum and it would likely still be useful as a Ti pot but without the efficiency of the heat exchanger. In a pinch I would definitely try that.

Ti makes fair utensils. It is not very conductive of heat, generally and due to it’s low mass doesn’t absorb a lot either. I never find it to hot to eat with. However, the liquids and solids can still be hot. Not as light as a 1/4oz plastic spoon, it is FAR more durable and considerably lighter than SS. ‘Corse, I only carry a single spoon and a general purpose pocket knife.

So many comments and threads on this subject. I am really surprised that Michael missed those.

Michael has never had any problems with his Sol Ti and thus, had no reason to look for threads and comments related to this topic.   Clearly, he was uninformed.

ive got an aluminum jetboil that has been used over and over again to cook chili and other fooods in … still going strong …

sometimes marginal weight savings arent really worth the loss in functionality or durability

;)

Busy bumping Massdrop, lol.

Yikes!  Care to share the circumstances?

I bought my Sol Ti in 2010 or 11 IIRC. There was no information provided with the stove warning not to “cook” with it. I used it for several years, and only boiled water with no problems. Then, in the summer of 2015, I happened to pack all-dehydrated “Outdoor Herbivore” meals on a weeklong trip. I used the stove at the lowest possible setting and constantly stirred. The result is what you see. I hadn’t heard of this happening at the time, and only subsequently found it was an issue. It certainly is “operator error” on my part, but Jetboil was kind enough to send me a new stove even though I explained what I did.

Since then, I use an Aluminum Sol for “cooking” dehydrated meals like the Outdoor Herbivore, with zero problems. I only pack the Sol Ti when I know I’m only going to boil water.

Hi Bob
Is still possible with the Sol Ti to use the pot after the flux ring has burned off?
Of course yes.
Cheers

Gosh Ken, one might think you are stalking me.

s still possible with the Sol Ti to use the pot after the flux ring has burned off?
Of course yes.

Thanks. Just trying to confirm that the combustion of Al doesn’t burn a hole in the Ti at the spot welds.

I was reading a report somewhere that a trip was ruined because the flux ring burned off and my immediate thought was Why?… IF the bottom of the pot was not breached.

I was reading a report somewhere that a trip was ruined because the flux ring burned off and my immediate thought was Why?… IF the bottom of the pot was not breached.

That’s nonsense. Mine continued to work, just at a lesser efficiency, for the rest of a weeklong trip.

Just trying to confirm that the combustion of Al doesn’t burn a hole in the Ti at the spot welds.
Give that the weld was so poor the Al fell off ti Ti, I can’t see any problems at all. The Al did not ‘burn’ off anyhow: it just melted, which happens around 660 C. Ti melts around 1,670 C.
The Al might corrode off a bit more, but there probably isn’t any left there (at the weld site) anyhow. The Ti will not corrode.
Cheers