Upright Canister Stove Reviews, StoveBench Tests, and Gear Guide

[BlackHatGuy]

Quite a comprehensive review, thanks. Getting more of these kinds of things lately, much appreciated overall.

This line in this review cracked me up: Carbon monoxide emissions from stoves can cause some physiological problems such as death.

 

[Chris R]

Sorry Paul in Texas, I guess I am still traumatised from time spent building GEE models for my Master’s degree :-)

 

[Five Star]

That article is the shizz I do like.  Much respect.  Hikin’ Jim’s stove blog led me to the Soto Windmaster a couple of years ago, so props to him for that too.

[DAN-Y]

Last week I pushed these 3 through some vigorous testing. O rings held up nicely.

 

Wire shutoff valves get hot. left a burn mark on my finger…..won’t do that again :-)

 

[steven koester]

Great report that required many hours of testing. This is why I read and subscribe to BPL –  keep up the good work.

Steven Koester

[David C. Menges]

MSR customer service says “The MSR PocketRocket Deluxe Stove can nest inside the MSR Titan Kettle.”.  I wonder who is right.

[Patrick Podenski]

The MSR statement doesn’t say whether the 4 oz gas canister also fits in the Titan Kettle with the PR Deluxe …

[David C. Menges]

Oh, I didn’t catch that BPL’s test was to store both stove and canister in pot.  I store canister outside pot (rest of kitchen in pot, including a Snow Peak stove).  MSR’s full response implies that both do fit.

I asked “Will a Pocket Rocket Deluxe stove fit inside a Titan Tea Kettle pot (without any plastic case)?”.  They replied “The MSR PocketRocket Deluxe Stove can nest inside the MSR Titan Kettle. You can also fit a 4.0 oz IsoPro canister in with the stove if you place the canister sideways with the Lindal valve facing the side of the pot first.”.  Note I specified the Tea Kettle (.85 liter); their reply didn’t, but I assume they don’t mean the larger Big Titan Kettle (2 liters).

I might upgrade to the PR Deluxe; it’s sounding like stove + kitchen – canister will fit in .85 liter pot.

[Jenny A]

Very nice review, pretty comprehensive.  I own several of these and have settled on the Windmaster as the current favorite – bought it before the new PR Deluxe came out.  Might have to get one of those at some point.  I am blown away by the amazing choices available to us and that we have the luxury of splitting so many hairs.

[Roger Caffin]

I thought the criticism of some stoves over the wind performance was questionable. I always use a good windscreen which comes some way up the side of the pot, partly as a windshield but also because it improves the efficiency of the heat transfer. So wind resistance does not matter at all to me.

And yes, I have different windshields for upright and remote canister stoves, as they have different heights.

I think you will find that peak stove power is almost entirely controlled by the size of the jet. They can range from <0.27 mm to >30 mm. The bigger the jet, the more flow and higher power. That said, I would not recommend trying to change the size of the jet. But I never run anywhere over about 50% peak, as the higher powers lose efficiency fast. The flames go up the side of the pot and are wasted.

For CO testing, see our 6 part series from 2005, starting at https://backpackinglight.com/stoves_tents_carbon_monoxide/

And my BRS-3000T stoves (I have several) are all from the good batch. I love them. Seems a real shame they changed the alloy to something which melts. Noise? It just says ‘dinner is coming’.

Cheers

[Kristoffer Fredriksson]

Since it is impossible to have too many stoves I picked up the Pocketrocket 2. It’s a giant next to the BRS-3000T! I personally haven’t had any issues with the BRS and I’ve been using it a lot since 2015.

I noticed that the Pocketrocket 2 uses screws for the supports and to attach the stack to the valve assembly. I guess that this is to facilitate easier service or replacement of some parts? Anyone had issues with them unscrewing?

[Ryan Jordan]

Regarding fitting the MSR Pocket Rocket Deluxe inside the Titan Kettle with a 4 oz canister: no matter what direction you put the canister (bottom down, or sideways), with the stove inside, you can’t snugly close the pot lid.

Kristoffer – I’ve never had one of the screws come undone on the MSR stoves by accident, but on my PR2 which has seen a lot of hard use, I have tightened one of them up as part of routine cleaning / maintenance. I have taken them apart just for fun.

[Kristoffer Fredriksson]

Thanks for the information Ryan.

I have found some reports online of problems with the stack and valve assembly becoming loose. However, it may be fixed by MSR with a new revision of the stove – the one I just bought has 3 screws but on a lot of pictures and in videos the stove only has 2.

Not expecting any issues, but I guess that it’s good practice to check the screws before a trip.

[DAN-Y]

From another site:

JetBoil JetGauge

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B079QLJMPJ/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_WAi7CbBEYZ777

[Gary Dunckel]

I’m confused about that gizmo, Dan. Is it something you would take when truck camping? I always weigh my canisters with my gram kitchen scale before and after each trip, and I note the amount of remaining fuel on the bottom of the can. I suppose it would be nice if the goal is to own one of everything Jetboil sells, but otherwise…

[DAN-Y]

Don’t be confused, just dumped it here for giggles. Lots of toys out there. :-)

[Roger Caffin]

I am with Gary and Dan.

Cheers

[David Wiese]

My questions on page one were forgotten:

Why does the Amicus have its weight listed as a disadvantage, but the PR Deluxe (which weighs more) does not?
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And why use the heavier 4-pot stand version of the Windmaster instead of the triflex? Seems that would be a more direct comparison.

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[Patrick Podenski]

With regards to the Compactibility Test, I wonder if the Pocket Rocket Deluxe in the MSR Titan pot should have been an ‘almost fits’. I tried a different arrangement wherein the canister is on its side and both canister and stove fit in the Titan pot except the canister protrudes just a bit.

In any event, I opted for the Toaks 750 ml pot which fits both canister and stove quite nicely.

Photos of MSR Titan + Pocket Rocket Deluxe included in this post.

[David B]

Two things —

First, the Fire Maple FMS-116t’s weight is listed incorrectly in the summary table (it’s listed as 3.55 and should be 1.7).

Second, howcome the FMS-116t got the “best performance for its weight” award when the FMS-300t got a higher score and weighs less?

[David Wiese]

David B- There’s some fishiness going on with the reviews. See my concerns posted on pg 1 and re-posted further up this page.

I certainly hope it doesn’t have to do with any sort of agreement made between MSR and BPL with respect to receiving a review unit. It’s hard to find other explanations, though.

[David B]

David W- I’m more inclined to guess honest mistakes than foul play.  Hanlon’s Razor, and all that.  And MSR has been making really excellent stoves for many years, surely there would be no need for them to buy a good review.

[Roger Caffin]

MSR has been making really excellent stoves for many years
Like the Reactor, with its lethal levels of CO, and the original Pocket Rocket, with its weak bendy pot supports …
They WERE good, until Larry, the founder died, then the lawyers and accountants took over.

Imho.
Cheers

[David B]

To answer my own question, the FMS-300t probably didn’t get the best performance for weight award since it failed the large volume test.

[DAN-Y]

Here is a quote from the Upright Canister Stove Reviews, Stovebench Tests, and Gear Guide.

 

“The BRS 3000t is impossibly small and impossibly light and actually performs fairly well (its overall StoveBench score is only slightly below average). But this stove has a long history of malfunction.

The problem is that the pot supports simply don’t hold up under extended heat (due to poorly hardened metal parts). We’d heard anecdotal evidence (we suggest you read our extensive forum conversationsabout this stove) but didn’t want to believe it until we replicated the malfunction ourselves. The pot supports on our first sample melted. And the pot supports on our second sample melted. In fact, the pot supports on 4 of 7 of our samples melted. Yes, we were so curious about this that we purchased 7 of them. You’re welcome.”

I’ve recently been doing extended burn time (15 min) tests with the BRS 3000 and there has been no indication that the titanium supports will even begin to “melt”

I would truly like to see some photos of your “melted” supports from the 4 that failed. What did your supplier say when you informed them of the 4 that had melting failures? Thank you in advance.

 

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