Compact butane stoves!

[Strider]

Well its time to retire the old faithful Trangia, and move to something smaller and lighter.

From the research I've conducted thus far, the Optimus Crux, Fire Maple 116T and Kovea Flame Tornado (MSR MR) are looking like the primary candidates. Can anyone provide comment on these stoves? Or suggest some other worthy options? Trying to keep it below the $50 price point.

Aidan

[JohnM]

I alternate between a crux and a Primus Express. The Express is a great little stove: compact, and nothing fiddly on it to get broken in a hurry. Currently 35 bucks online from the states.

The Crux is good too. Both fit under a gas canister inside my pot set.

Probably the key thing to look out for is flame distribution. Some stoves have a very small burner, and put out the heat, but like a bunsen burner. Fine for boiling water, lousy for cooking. Others may be a little less compact (not by much, though) and have a bigger burner, so spread the flame over a larger area.

Choose depending on how you use your stove.

[Strider]

Thanks, and good point! Stove will be used for cooking.

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[JohnM]

I also have a Primus Gravity 2. It doesn't screw onto the top of the gas canister, it's freestanding and connects to the gas bottle via a tube.

Downside:
Bigger and heavier (250g vs 80g) than a stove that screws directly onto the top of the gas canister.
A little more expensive (about $55 online)

Upside:
Bigger burner, so a broader flame area.
Has a pre-warmer, so it will work better in colder temps than a canister-top stove will.
Safer, because it's far less likely to tip.
Better with big, full pots.
Easier to use in windy conditions, because it's easy to put a windscreen around the entire cooker, because the gas canister is 20cm away. Windscreen comes with it: folding flat superstrong aluminium foil.
It comes with a aluminium base for the stove to sit on (folds flat and small) so it's good to use on snow, and also reflects heat back up to the pot: this is good for fuel economy.

Again, depends on use. If I'm going to a very cold, windy spot and I liked to cook (rather than just boil) I'd bring the Gravity. Fast and light in warmer milder weather, I bring a screw-top. Anytime I want to cook food instead of boil, I bring the Gravity.

This is why it's nice to own more than one stove.

[Strider]

Remember I can always revert back to the Trangia should I need something reliable under all conditions. I'm really just after something small for typical use.

Any bad reports on the Fire Maple 116T? For less than $45 it looks to be a decent stove.

[corvus]

Remember I can always revert back to the Trangia should I need something reliable under all conditions. I'm really just after something small for typical use.

Any bad reports on the Fire Maple 116T? For less than $45 it looks to be a decent stove.

G'day Strider,
The 116T is a good little stove with a nice wide burner head ( it does simmer) and if you can land one for around $50.00 you will get a bargain .
Dont use mine often enough as I have a FMS100T which is my stove of choice now.
corvus

[Strider]

Remember I can always revert back to the Trangia should I need something reliable under all conditions. I'm really just after something small for typical use.

Any bad reports on the Fire Maple 116T? For less than $45 it looks to be a decent stove.

G'day Strider,
The 116T is a good little stove with a nice wide burner head ( it does simmer) and if you can land one for around $50.00 you will get a bargain .
Dont use mine often enough as I have a FMS100T which is my stove of choice now.
corvus

Just the man I need!

I can land a FMS-116T for AUD$44.80 delivered. But how might it compare to the Optimus Crux? (AUD$39 delivered).

[corvus]

G'day Strider,
That is excellent pricing for both stoves is the Crux the folding or LW one for some strange reason I dont have a LW Crux
The folding Crux and the 116T are imho excellent stoves both with the ability to simmer and have the same (almost identical) burner heads, your choice is weight, on my scales the Crux is 90g and the FMS 116T 47g nice to have a choice
corvus
just looked at the Crux Lite and it weighs 72g

[corvus]

Strider,
Where can you land these stoves from please
corvus

[Strider]

Went with the FMS-116T. Lighter and I wasn't too keen on the folding concept of the Crux Lite. AUD$46 delivered

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[Strider]

Strider,
Where can you land these stoves from please
corvus

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Optimus-Crux-Li ... _764wt_905

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Fire-Maple-FMS- ... 500wt_1202

[Strider]

Went with the FMS-116T. Lighter and I wasn't too keen on the folding concept of the Crux Lite. AUD$46 delivered

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Ah, it seems the Crux Lite doesn't fold anyway. Oh well, that just means the 116T is practically identical - but lighter!

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[hikin_jim]

G'day Strider,
That is excellent pricing for both stoves is the Crux the folding or LW one for some strange reason I dont have a LW Crux
The folding Crux and the 116T are imho excellent stoves both with the ability to simmer and have the same (almost identical) burner heads, your choice is weight, on my scales the Crux is 90g and the FMS 116T 47g nice to have a choice
corvus
just looked at the Crux Lite and it weighs 72g

If one were looking at the Crux vs. the 116T, the choice is between more compact (Crux) and lighter weight (116T). I like the folding of the Crux. It's the most compact gas burner I own. I much prefer the Crux over the Crux Lite. If one were thinking of getting the Crux Lite, why not just get the 116T which is about the same as the Crux Lite but weighs less?

The MicroRocket/Flame Tornado is also a nice stove.

The LiteMax/Supalite is yet another nice stove.

HJ

[Mountain Rocket]

Kovea Supalite?
A pretty amazing stove for ~60g.
Especially given the price on eBay ($40 posted): dead eBay link

Edit: Removed old eBay link.

[ofuros]

Some visual comparisons for anyone thinking of updating their stove....or for those with a stove fetish.

Visual compactness
Back left to right......Kovea Flame Tornado 77g, Kovea Camp 56g, Edelrid Kiro Ti 69g, Monatauk Gnat 48g.
Bottom...........Fire Maple 117t 98g


Burner head size & shape.

[hikin_jim]

Kovea Supalite?
A pretty amazing stove for ~60g.
Especially given the price on eBay ($40 posted): http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/280829071905 ... 1423.l2649

It is indeed. Kovea via eBay is often the bargain of the day, particularly when you consider that some MSR and Snow Peak stoves are actually just Kovea stoves with a different badge.

HJ

[hikin_jim]

Nice stoves photo, ofuros.

I wonder who makes that Edelrid? I wouldn't be surprised if it were a Kovea product too. What do you think of that stove? I've seen it available at great prices.

That remote canister stove from Fire Maple looks nice, and that's a great weight for a remote canister stove. Too bad it doesn't have a generator or thermal feedback mechanism so you can run with the canister inverted.

HJ

[ofuros]

Thanks Hiking jim,

I use a GSi Minimalist pot when solo bushwalking, so the Edelrid Kiro with its narrow bunsen burner flame is just fine for
such a small diameter base.
Compact enough to fit inside the pot with a small canister, fire steel, folding spoon & the magnetic silicone doova-lackie.
The flame adjustment is the best I've come across so far.
Its a quality item.

The Kovea camp 56 is just as good but I prefer the bunsen burner head on the Kiro.

I was thinking the same thing about the Fire-Maple......Shame the it doesn't have a pre heat tube.
Most of my bushwalking is done in a warm sub-tropical enviroment,
with temperatures that rarely drop overnight into single figures.....so its suited to those conditions.
Ideal with my wider based ti trangia pots. Wide & sturdy platform. Needs a wind shield when its blustery though.

[Strider]

Got my FMS-116T today! So far I have:

Made a cup of tea
Roasted some macadamia nuts
Boiled water for cous cous

Very happy with it

[Mountain Rocket]

Has anyone seen the 'new' Kovea 56g stove, the Kovea Camp 56? It seems identical to the old Kovea Supalite (KB-0707) just with a tapered block... and a whole 4g of weigh savings!
It also seems to be sold with a different (heavier?) case.

For $45 AU you can't really go wrong. http://cgi.ebay.com.au/ws/eBayISAPI.dll ... OC:AU:3160 & http://lowe510.pixnet.net/blog/post/231 ... ea-camp-56

[ofuros]

Kovea camp 56 also pictured in my post above.....second from left....top picture.
plus second from the right..bottom pic. Its a keeper.

[Mountain Rocket]

So it is! Cool. I admit it is the first time I have noticed it.

[hikin_jim]

Has anyone seen the 'new' Kovea 56g stove, the Kovea Camp 56? It seems identical to the old Kovea Supalite (KB-0707) just with a tapered block... and a whole 4g of weigh savings!
It also seems to be sold with a different (heavier?) case.

For $45 AU you can't really go wrong. http://cgi.ebay.com.au/ws/eBayISAPI.dll ... OC:AU:3160 & http://lowe510.pixnet.net/blog/post/231 ... ea-camp-56

I've got a Camp 56. I believe it still says "Supalite" on it and I believe it's still designated as the KB-0707. I think this is just an upgrade. I find myself really liking the stove. It's only 8g heavier than a Monatauk Gnat/FMS-116T, but it's far more compact and has better pot stability. It's basically the same stove as the Snow Peak LiteMax.

Edit: Yes, I just checked. The Camp 56 is the latest version of the Supalite and is still designated KB-0707.

HJ

[Strider]

This might interest a few people. Great stove at a great price!

http://www.kathmandu.com.au//61004/Back ... anium.html

[thevanss1]

I am a fan of the Kovea Superlight or the Snowpeak Ti - both fantastic stoves and -well - superlight!
On a previous Kovea (not the titanium model) the bolt holding the pot supports disappeared somewhere on the Larapinta. Not entirely uncommon apparently - but once you are aware that it can work loose you can check it as part of any maintenance routine. I replaced the tapered bolt with a stainless steel rivet and it is still working perfectly
I had a Pocket Rocket but never entirely convinced- gave it away

[hikin_jim]

This might interest a few people. Great stove at a great price!

http://www.kathmandu.com.au//61004/Back ... anium.html

Wow! That's quite a reduction in price.

This is the Fire Maple FMS 116T which is also sold under the Katmandu, Monatauk, and Olicamp labels. It's a decent stove. It's very light, but it's not very compact. I actually prefer the Kovea Camp 56/Supalite which is 8g heavier but is far more compact and has better pot stability. The FMS 116T is very similar to the Optimus Crux Lite in terms of size and shape.

HJ

[Strider]

Strider wrote:<br />This might interest a few people. Great stove at a great price!<br /><br />http://www.kathmandu.com.au//61004/Back ... anium.html

Wow! That's quite a reduction in price. <br /><br />This is the Fire Maple FMS 116T which is also sold under the Katmandu, Monatauk, and Olicamp labels. It's a decent stove. It's very light, but it's not very compact. I actually prefer the Kovea Camp 56/Supalite which is 8g heavier but is far more compact and has better pot stability. The FMS 116T is very similar to the Optimus Crux Lite in terms of size and shape.<br /><br />HJ

Ignore the RRP Jim - its a bullsh*t sales model that inflates prices but then redeems customer appeal with regular "sales".

This is a good price though. I paid $44.80 online for my FMS-116T.

As I recall, the Kovea Supalite has suffered a few canister incompatibility issues due to insufficient centre pin length.

[hikin_jim]

As I recall, the Kovea Supalite has suffered a few canister incompatibility issues due to insufficient centre pin length.

Ah? I didn't know that. Haven't had any problems with mine, but I've only used Snow Peak 110g and 220g canisters. I'll have to try some other brands.

HJ

[Strider]

As I recall, the Kovea Supalite has suffered a few canister incompatibility issues due to insufficient centre pin length.

Ah? I didn't know that. Haven't had any problems with mine, but I've only used Snow Peak 110g and 220g canisters. I'll have to try some other brands.

HJ

viewtopic.php?f=15&t=8504&p=112664&hilit=kovea+supalite+problem#p112664

[hikin_jim]

As I recall, the Kovea Supalite has suffered a few canister incompatibility issues due to insufficient centre pin length.

Ah? I didn't know that. Haven't had any problems with mine, but I've only used Snow Peak 110g and 220g canisters. I'll have to try some other brands.

HJ

viewtopic.php?f=15&t=8504&p=112664&hilit=kovea+supalite+problem#p112664

Oh, yes, that thread. Now, I remember.

Seems like most of the problems were solved by tightening the stove a bit more, but definitely something to watch out for.

Speaking of tolerance problems, the worst I've had was when using an adapter to the "long" 100% butane tanks. The pin on my stove was too wide for the adapter and was binding on the sides of the adapter's valve aperture. Definitely worth testing things at home before heading out into the bush.

HJ