I have recently done some testing to see if a pot with a flux ring worth the extra weight? and I hope some readers of this forum might find the results interesting.
After thinking about this project for two years, I recently decided to finish modifying a JetBoil PCS pot to be a 550ml pot (I call it the JB550), I also cut the JetBoil stove-mounting ring off. The JB 550 is the same size as the BPL550. The JB550 is anodized aluminum and the BPL550 is Titanium.
The JB550 on the test stove
The weight of the JB 550 pot and new lid is 100.3g the pot grip sleeve is 6.4g.
The weight of the BPL 550 is 53.3 with lid.
I have run a few tests to compare the JB 550 with the BPL 550.
With the JB550 the tests used between 4,3g/80ºC and 6.6g/80ºC and averaged about 5g/80ºC.
The BPL550 used between 5.3g/80ºC and 7.5g/80ºC and averaged about 6.3g/80ºC.
The stove used is one of my MYOG stove specially designed for small pots but had to under go some minor modifications to work with the flux ring JB550 pot. Its current weight is 26.3g.
Conclusions:
(1) The flux ringed JB550 pot delivers approximately a 25% fuel saving over the BPL 550 pot and using a Coleman Max 170g (of fuel) canister 17 liters of water could be boiled, compared to about 12.5 liters with the BPL550.
(2) At the same burn rate the JB 550 is at least 20% quicker than the BPL 550.
(3) For shorter trips the Flux ring JB550 pot would not see any weight reduction but for longer trip or in very cold condition they would be an advantage saving time and fuel. (see graph at bottom)
On my recent snowshoe trip in the snow I used a JetBoil GCS 1.5l in combination with my Coleman Extreme stove, we experienced temperatures down to around -16ºC, The stove pot combination performed better than expected and I received a complaint from my walking mate that it melted the snow and boiled the water so fast that he did not have enough time to prepare his food.
In winter conditions for solo cooking I consider this stove pot combination worth the small extra weight gain.
Tony
JB550 pot alongside the BPL550 pot
The bottom of the JB550 pot
A graph showing the weight difference using the JB55 and the BPL 550, the starting weight includes the pot, lid, neoprene grip ring and a canister with the full 170g load of fuel in it, the end weight shows the above but with an empty canister. Note that the BPL550 pot is always lighter but the fuel does not last as long.
