[Stove] Dpower Camping Stove (FireMaple FMS117 Clone) $15-20

[keithy]

I picked up this cheapie folding remote stove for about $15.

A copy of the FireMaple FMS117/118 design

This Dpower stove has some video and written reviews out on the net, but most of the reviews appear to be sponsored, with Dpower having sent the reviewers the stove for free. They must have quite the allowance for this, as I've seen reviews from a heap of people who have received them to review.

The specs are:

• Size: 135 x 118 x 76mm
• Weight: 140g
• Max Power: 3000W
• Gas Consumption: 120g/h
• Max Load: 6kg
• Hose Length: 280mm

It comes in a branded "Dpower Camping Stove" box with a branded "Dpower" nylon drawstring bag and a printed instruction manual in English. The manual refers to a "YKS" company who have this facebook page https://www.facebook.com/yksamazon/post ... 3629484204, but do not appear to be purely camping stove manufacturers - they look like the typical Chinese manufacturing/distributing/wholesale/retail company with outdoor gear. They offer a 12 month guarantee, but I daresay it would cost more to send it back to China under warranty than to buy a new one.

Comes with Box, bag and instructions

The Dpower Camping stove is essentially a non-titanium clone of the Fire Maple FMS-117T or the Fire Maple FMS-118 without the pre heat tube, but adding the piezo igniter that the FMS-105 had.

Wide Burner adds a ceramic piezo igniter

Made of stainless steel, aluminium and copper, it uses a screw-in Lindal threaded valve (EN417) with a circular connector that is similar to the Firemaple FMS-105 model rather than the rectangular shaped connector of the FMS117/FMS118. The fuel valve is controlled by the screw knob at the end.

Average quality aluminium stamping and finishing

The aluminium struts are not going to win awards for the quality of finish - the Fire Maple products are better here, but they function well, and hold a 2kg pot without problem. It is quite stable, similar with my FMS-105. It can hold up to a 30cm diameter pan. The pot supports flip out, and are loose, and rely on a notch in the vertical support strut to stop it opening further. The max load in the documentation is stated as 6kg, but some reviewers have stated it is 5kg. Either way, both are more than I would use with this stove. The hose and valve on mine are good, with no leaks detected from either end. I found that being lighter than my FMS-105, it moves more without a pot on it, so I have to be conscious of that in future.

An advantage that this cheap Dpower stove appears to have over the Fire Maple FMS-117 is that the bottom of the stove is not as low as the FMS-117 in comparision with the extended legs. I have read some people having issues with their FMS-117 on uneven ground due to its lower base.

It weighs about 40g more than the Fire Maple FMS-117, and is about the same weight as the FMS-118 (although lacks the preheat tube). You probably could reduce the weight by removing the piezo igniter as well. It is about 100g lighter than my FMS-105 and folds up slightly smaller.

Folds up small like the FMS117/118

I have not used it on walks yet, but have done some test boils at home. 400mls took approx 3.5 minutes, and 800mls approximately 8.5 minutes. I forgot to weigh the gas to workout how much it consumes per boil, so I might do that next. It boils quicker than my FMS-105. The stove has nice simmer control.

Obviously it is not suited for inverted canisters or freezing winter camping without the pre-heat tube.

On price, it is obviously at the budget end, with the FMS-117 going for around $60 and the FMS-118 for around $50. I saw the Dpower originally on Amazon US for $19.99 with a $6 coupon bringing it to $USD13.99 plus shipping, but I looked it up on eBay and found it for about $15. I had a $20 coupon expiring last month, so picked up some stakes and the stove.

Overall, for a budget remote stove and a lighter alternative to my FMS-105 I like it.

[keithy]

I did a couple more quick boil tests, and to bring a thin aluminium pot with 400ml of water to boil took just under 3:20 minutes at an ambient temperature of around 15 degrees with no wind, and consumed just under 6g isobutane fuel mix. To bring the same pot with 800ml water to rolling boil took approx 6:30 minutes and and consumed 12 g fuel. My anodised aluminium pot takes a little longer with both.

[Lythe]

I think keithy's is the first review I've seen that wasn't sponsored.

I have both the FM-117T and the Dpower stove, and find them essentially identical. The legs might have been stamped out of the same mold (or the legs from the one used to create the mold of the other). The burn heads have minute differences, but seem to function identically. I'd have to use the Dpower more than a few test runs to see if there is a real difference. The underside of the burnhead is a bit different, and pictures of the 118 match my 117, which tells me the dpower is a clone and not necessarily out of the same factory. The rough finish of the Dpower can easily be seen in keithy's pictures, and mine is the same. The Firemaple products all seem to have a nice finish.

When set up, my 117 sits very even. The Dpower doesn't fold out as much, making it sit slightly higher, and resulting in a slight slope on the support arms. I like the more level arms of the 117 because I feel it helps transfer the weight of heavier pots better by having direct support at the pivot points, putting less stress on the arms. The rivets on the 117 are even, and all arms and legs are loose and flip easily, the dpower the rivets are very uneven and some pieces flip out easily, others are very tight.

When taken apart, the only swappable parts are the legs. I initially bought the Dpower so I'd have the piezo striker to play with, and found I had to enlarge the hole on the striker to fit it on the 117t. The gas tube as well is a bit heavier on the Dpower (including fuel connector and gas jet), so for weight watchers there is no downside to the not swappable part.

I have had no problem with the lower base on the 117, and like it because it makes it easier to support the stove better when dealing with heavy pots.

For the firemaple stoves the best price I've found so far is Fasttech (117t $55, 118 $45), and I've had no problem with various orders from there.

I'll be testing the Dpower more in the field on dayhikes, and see how it does. In general I like it, and will recommend it to my local scout troop for cheap backpacking stoves. Mine will go to my son when he needs it. But in general I prefer my Firemaple, and it's not just the 30g difference. The piezo lighter works so far, but is a bit hard to use, not something I expect 12 year olds to be able to use reliably.

I bought both my stoves and paid full price.

[keithy]

I think keithy's is the first review I've seen that wasn't sponsored.

I think I figured out there were no independent reviews out there when I got to page 2 of Google and every review was sponsored, and every video review was sponsored as well. Particularly curious how no one mentioned that this was a clone/copy of the Fire Maple products, with subtle differences, and poorer quality control.

This is probably my favourite video review of the product though...

The Dpower doesn't fold out as much, making it sit slightly higher, and resulting in a slight slope on the support arms.

My pot arms are all loose but are all horizontal when opened out, no slope at all, so I might just have been lucky with their QC. The rivets in the legs are tighter, so they don't flop into the open position without physically pulling them out which I like.

Good to have a direct comparison with the FMS 117. I was going on quality control by my FMS 105 and from pics/vids of the FMS117/118. I'd be curious to hear your long term thoughts on yours in terms of performance. My short uses of it so far I'm quite impressed. It is a bit quicker than my FMS-105, but not tested in windy conditions with a wind-shield yet.

Anyway, I took the piezo igniter out and weighed it (11.5grams), so the total weight without the igniter is 129.5 grams making it closer to the FMS-117T's weight of 98g. I like the piezo igniter on my FMS-105, and generally use it to start up the stove. Piezo igniters don't work when wet, so if raining, or if you splashed water on the igniter, you have to dry it out before it will work. I usually have a fire-steel or matches with me anyway, but it's handy to have it already on the stove.

I also like Fasttech. I have bought some flashlight parts and batteries from them before. Used to be 2 week shipping to Melb, not sure what it is now though. I was thinking of getting the FMS-117T, but when I saw this for around a quarter of the costI thought I'd give it a go - Having a coupon that covered the cost made it a bit better as well.

[GPSGuided]

Probably an old question. What's the practical advantage of separating the canister and the stove?

[andrewa]

Less height, therefore more stable.

[GPSGuided]

Is that the only killer differentiator? Not a very convincing factor in my mind. I note these units tend to be larger (hence the weight penalty) and probably are more suited to bigger pans/pots and when one cares to cook than primarily boil liquids.

[Lythe]

Stability is a very convincing factor for me, after having used both top mount and remote stoves.

Another good factor is the ability to use a windscreen, as you don't have to worry about your stove heating your cannister up too much, never mind being able to use a much smaller wind screen, or easier to find a sheltered spot. And at 99 grams the FMS117 is getting pretty light as far as stoves go, my first top mount weighed twice that.

Then if you get a stove with a pre-heat tube, you can invert the gas cannister and it becomes usable at much colder temperatures. These stoves don't do it, but the fms118 does have a pre-heat tube.

Attachments

Balanced on a snowshoe, wouldn't want to do this with a top mount stove, and tripod is easier to find a good spot for than canister

[keithy]

That's a great idea using the snowshoe as a cooking shelf.

Definitely, as Lythe posted you can use an all around windscreen without worrying about the canister getting too hot.

And by happy accident, after I bought the Kovea bayonette connector adapter http://www.kovea.com.ph/index.php?route ... duct_id=67 last year, the remote stove's saved me some money as I can use the cheaper upright 220 gram "spray can" canisters. So instead of paying about $8-$10 for a 230 gram standard canister previously its costing me around ~$1 per 220 gram canister. And I can use the upright canisters instead of having to refill standard canisters.

Weight wise, before I got the FireMaple FMS105, I tried out a canister top stove that weighed around 200g. My FMS-105 weighs around 240g. So the weight difference for me wasn't that great, especially compared with having moving from a Trangia setup for solo use. The Dpower without the igniter is just under 130g so 100g lighter than my current stove.

Lythe - how does the FMS117 go in cold weather? I've not used my remote stoves in anything less than 10C so didn't think I needed to get one with the preheat tube.

[matchhead]

Thanks Keith for the review.

Just ordered it from eBay - will give it a test run when it arrives in a few weeks. Got a converter for a few bucks too so I can use the cheap butane cartridges (be careful not to roll it otherwise there'll be a flash flame. I'm going to jury rig some sort of holder for the cartridges so they stay facing the right way up when horizontal).

[Lythe]

I haven't really used them in cold weather, those pictures were a dayhike and I believe the sun helped, as it was barely above 0. I'd guess fuel makes a bigger difference. Altitude is 1390 m above sea level.

It did work a lot better than my first attempt, and while I had a top mount and no sun, the temperature was similar. The big difference was where I planted my canister, but even then I was still able to melt snow.

Attachments

You want to keep your canister warm, not like this.

[keithy]

Just ordered it from eBay - will give it a test run when it arrives in a few weeks. Got a converter for a few bucks too so I can use the cheap butane cartridges (be careful not to roll it otherwise there'll be a flash flame. I'm going to jury rig some sort of holder for the cartridges so they stay facing the right way up when horizontal).

Let us know how yours goes when you get it. I'm quite happy with mine.

I compared mine the other weekend with a mate who has a Kathmandu canister top stove - they go for around $100, but are discounted to around $60 regularly. His weighs around 200grams, so was heavier than the Dpower stove. He was impressed with my $15 cheapie FireMaple clone.

If you do use the cheaper upright butane cartridges, you are right that the notch has to face upwards, otherwise you get a liquid fuel flare up. If you see the design of the nozzle, you'll see why: http://i01.i.aliimg.com/img/pb/630/872/ ... 5_8547.jpg

I've made a DIY foldup cardboard stand when I use the upright canisters. I used a water resistant waxed cardboard (I think it was a separator that came with some banana bread/cake). Weighs under 5g.

I used a tuna can bottom as a template - don't use the actual gas can bottom as the rim is slightly a wider diameter than the can itself. The tuna can bottom is fortuitously the same width as the gas canister. Cut a notch in the base somewhere, and a matching notch in the semi-circular cutout to fit, and put it together it becomes a fold up stand. You don't need two, just one at the nozzle end seems to work fine. I put a wide rubber band from the postie at the nozzle end which stops it moving.

I made a stand out of architects plastic board as well, but the cardboard is thinner and seems to have lasted. Used it for a while now, and the cardboard hasn't crapped out yet. But if it does, it's easily replaceable.

[matchhead]

I've made a DIY foldup cardboard stand when I use the upright canisters. I used a water resistant waxed cardboard (I think it was a separator that came with some banana bread/cake). Weighs under 5g.

That's brilliant! And here I was thinking that I'll scrounge around for rocks to stabilise it. Your solution is much better and I'll try and replicate.

Haven't had a chance to use it out in the wild yet, but it looks promising. What can I say - it's a small cheap stove (not that it's suggestive of poor quality). If it fails down the road (hopefully after a few good uses) I'll just get another one.