Looking for stove recommendation

[rurik]

Hi all,

I just got myself a GSI Minimalist set (https://www.rei.com/product/798273/gsi-outdoors-halulite-minimalist-cookset) and as I have a problem with freeze dried food [I am allergic to some preservatives that are common in them] I hope to use if for more that just heating water to dump in a pouch. As such I am looking for a small stove that does not throw out tons of concentrated heat as I need to reheat/simmer food to cook it.

So I am wondering if anyone has any recommendations for a lower BTU stove that has good simmer control and does not concentrate the heat in one spot? I currently have an optimus lite and that is the heat distribution I like but has crap simmer control.

Thanks in advance

[DaveNoble]

The BRS stoves available on eBay are very light - 25 g and cheap. I use my one for boiling and simmering and it works fine. (Maximum) Output is supposed to be around 2700 W (which is around 9200 BTU per hour, if you prefer imperial units)

[rurik]

The BRS stoves available on eBay are very light - 25 g and cheap. I use my one for boiling and simmering and it works fine. (Maximum) Output is supposed to be around 2700 W (which is around 9200 BTU per hour, if you prefer imperial units)

Does it get a hotspot or does it spread the heat well?


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[DaveNoble]

I think the spread of flame is reasonable given its size. I have no problems cooking using a small titanium billy.

[rurik]

I think the spread of flame is reasonable given its size. I have no problems cooking using a small titanium billy.

Thanks


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[threshold]

plus one for the brs. I have a kovea stove which sits at home while my brs gets the action.

[Rileyr]

+1 brs. Super cheap and light

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[neilmny]

I've had one like this for about 5 years. It works great and has piezo ignition. Uses about 10 grams of fuel to boil 2 cups of water.
https://www.ebay.com.au/p/Foldable-Camp ... 2114540032

[Mark F]

For most gas stoves you can safely ignore the heat output - it's just marketing disinformation. If you turn it up it just wastes gas by sending flames up the side of the pot. You need to find the sweet spot where flames spread across the bottom of the pot but not up the sides. This is usually about half throttle although it depends on the diameter of the pot - wider pots are better and can take a bit more heat.

+1 on the brs but with ALL gas and shellite stoves you need to dismantle them to make them field maintainable. Check the valve spindle and o rings are lubricated, the jet is clear and everything only tight enough so you can undo it with what you have in the field and the inner surfaces are clean. Occasionally there can be a bit of milling gunk left inside which will block the jet. Carry a couple of spare o rings to suit (rough edges on gas canisters can chew them up) and a short length of flexible electrical cable works with filament able to fit down the jet. This adds about 2g to you repair kit so inconsequential.

[Orion]

For most gas stoves you can safely ignore the heat output - it's just marketing disinformation. If you turn it up it just wastes gas by sending flames up the side of the pot. You need to find the sweet spot where flames spread across the bottom of the pot but not up the sides. This is usually about half throttle although it depends on the diameter of the pot - wider pots are better and can take a bit more heat.

It's my impression that the sweet spot is considerably lower than half throttle in non-winter environments.

Testing indoors with a BRS-3000T I found that the peak efficiency was below 20% of maximum for a wide pot and under 15% of maximum for narrow pots. I never measured full throttle on my BRS-3000T but it output 2800W at something less than full power.


The BRS-3000T is a nice, light, inexpensive stove that has excellent simmer control. But it's flimsy. You have to be cautious screwing it on a canister as the threads are susceptible to damage. And it's three small supports result in less stable pots. I've had enough issues with mine that I've decided that my 70g Snow Peak Gigapower is worth the extra weight on all but the most minimalist outings.

[warnabrother]

I bought a BRS after all the fuss I saw..
and do not like it..

they look and feel cheap.. the pot supports bent slightly after two uses and the unit itself gets incredibly hot and heats the canister up beyond what I am comfortable with..
add to that an ignition source, the weight goes up to nearly 40g.. fo a 20g weight penalty, I'll stick with a quality unit like the Soto windmaster which has an ignitor, works far better in the wind and is a hair over 60g. It also has a micro regulator which allows finer control and use in colder, higher conditions..

[whitefang]

I bought a BRS after all the fuss I saw..
and do not like it..

they look and feel cheap.. the pot supports bent slightly after two uses and the unit itself gets incredibly hot and heats the canister up beyond what I am comfortable with..
add to that an ignition source, the weight goes up to nearly 40g.. fo a 20g weight penalty, I'll stick with a quality unit like the Soto windmaster which has an ignitor, works far better in the wind and is a hair over 60g. It also has a micro regulator which allows finer control and use in colder, higher conditions..

It looks and feels cheap because it is. It is a UL stove and like a lot of UL gear needs to be treated accordingly. There are numerous articles online that mention that the BRS should only be used on moderate heat due to the possibility of the pot supports bending.

Cheap, light, durable, pick two...

[Orion]

There are numerous articles online that mention that the BRS should only be used on moderate heat due to the possibility of the pot supports bending.

Thanks for that. I wasn't aware of reports of the pot supports deforming under normal use, presumably due to poor design or poor QC of the alloy:

https://backpackinglight.com/forums/top ... -the-dust/

It's also interesting to read that I'm not the only one who has experienced cases where individual canisters simply would not seal. That's not a fun experience when you have only one canister. It's happened to me twice and has forced me to always test each canister with the stove prior to a trip. It's one of the reasons I've more or less given up on the stove for regular use.

[warnabrother]

There are numerous articles online that mention that the BRS should only be used on moderate heat due to the possibility of the pot supports bending.

Thanks for that. I wasn't aware of reports of the pot supports deforming under normal use, presumably due to poor design or poor QC of the alloy:

https://backpackinglight.com/forums/top ... -the-dust/

It's also interesting to read that I'm not the only one who has experienced cases where individual canisters simply would not seal. That's not a fun experience when you have only one canister. It's happened to me twice and has forced me to always test each canister with the stove prior to a trip. It's one of the reasons I've more or less given up on the stove for regular use.

yep.. the threads on the inside of mine were horrible..

[Warin]

There are numerous articles online that mention that the BRS should only be used on moderate heat due to the possibility of the pot supports bending.

It's also interesting to read that I'm not the only one who has experienced cases where individual canisters simply would not seal. That's not a fun experience when you have only one canister. It's happened to me twice and has forced me to always test each canister with the stove prior to a trip. It's one of the reasons I've more or less given up on the stove for regular use.

yep.. the threads on the inside of mine were horrible..

So .. what are you using instead? While commenting on faults is usefull .. more usefull would be a recommendation.

There is this https://www.snowys.com.au/furno-stove?g ... gIYjvD_BwE at 99grams.

--------------------
Some links
viewtopic.php?f=58&t=26500&p=338752#p338752
http://thenextchallenge.org/camping-gas ... /#topmount


A Kovea spider stove is around 160 grams - puts the canister away from the stove and has a wide base. I don't have extensive use with it as yet so cannot comment on the longevity. There are various Kovea stoves of different configurations too.

[Zapruda]

So .. what are you using instead? While commenting on faults is usefull .. more usefull would be a recommendation.

There is this https://www.snowys.com.au/furno-stove?g ... gIYjvD_BwE at 99grams.

--------------------
Some links
viewtopic.php?f=58&t=26500&p=338752#p338752
http://thenextchallenge.org/camping-gas ... /#topmount


A Kovea spider stove is around 160 grams - puts the canister away from the stove and has a wide base. I don't have extensive use with it as yet so cannot comment on the longevity. There are various Kovea stoves of different configurations too.

He said he was using a Soto Windmaster. I use one as well and its terrific. It even works well in the snow. 67 grams and around $80.

[Warin]

So .. what are you using instead? While commenting on faults is usefull .. more usefull would be a recommendation.

He said he was using a Soto Windmaster. I use one as well and its terrific. It even works well in the snow. 67 grams and around $80.

Hard to see who has what .. so summary;

BRS 25g
+ DaveNoble , threshold , Rileyr , Mark F ,
- Orion , warnabrother , Zapruda, internet warnings

$80 Soto Windmaster 67g
+ Zapruda , warnabrother

Snow Peak Gigapower 70g
+ Orion ,

Snowpeak LiteMax
+ whitefang

$8 https://www.ebay.com.au/p/Foldable-Camp ... 2114540032
+ neilmny

Last edited by Warin on Fri 08 Dec, 2017 8:44 am, edited 2 times in total.

[Zapruda]

BRS 25g
+ DaveNoble , threshold , Rileyr , Mark F ,
- Orion , warnabrother , whitefang
[

I had a BRS fail on me, so you can add me to the negative list. After a few uses it developed a hole or crack in an o-ring and was spraying gas everywhere. This happened two days from the car...

[Mark F]

BRS 25g
+ DaveNoble , threshold , Rileyr , Mark F ,
- Orion , warnabrother , whitefang
[

I had a BRS fail on me, so you can add me to the negative list. After a few uses it developed a hole or crack in an o-ring and was spraying gas everywhere. This happened two days from the car...

A bit hard to comment without seeing the stove and o ring but usually damage to o rings is due to either overtightening the canister, a rough edge on the canister or a bit of grit getting into the system. I have had that happen on a couple of occasions but not with my brs. Even if the o ring was faulty to start, unlikely as it survived a few uses, it is ultimately a part that needs occasional replacement. As previously suggested carry a couple of spares - they are cheap and weigh nothing. It can also be useful to put a tiny bit of silicone grease on the o ring to reduce friction and drag when screwing the canister on and off. You also need to be careful about cleanliness - stove always in a ziploc or similar when not in use, keep the cap on the canister and give the canister top a puff of breath before assembling the stove.

Last edited by Mark F on Thu 07 Dec, 2017 12:17 pm, edited 1 time in total.

[Zapruda]

A bit hard to comment without seeing the stove and o ring but usually damage to o rings is due to either overtightening the canister or a rough edge on the canister. Even if the o ring was faulty it is ultimately a part that needs occasional replacement. As previously suggested carry a couple of spares - they are cheap and weigh nothing.

Yet in 15 years of using at least 10 different stoves I have never had this issue. I will chalk it up to the poor QC of the BRS stoves. This was only after using the stove maybe 3 times.

Stoves are just another burden anyway. I live the no cook / stoveless / cold soak life now

[Orion]

Certainly, no stove is perfect and without any possibility of failure. But my sense is that the BRS-3000T presents an unnecessary risk of failure in exchange for a savings of ~50g.

I've had some incidents with gas stoves over the years, but the rate of issues with my BRS stove exceeds those others by a long shot.

[johnrs]

And how about something from Firemaple Folks??
http://www.fire-maple.com/en/productsinfo.aspx?pid=9
John

[whitefang]

I actually use a Snowpeak LiteMax. I haven’t yet bought a BRS, I was just making a comment about the known possible issues. Apparently the QC issues with vending pot supports only happens in certain stoves so you need to test it at home.

[ofuros]

Kovea superlite & Edelrid kiro ti are both great compact stoves...the Kiro winning out on flame adjustability.

[Lamont]

Is it too late?? SOTO Amicus -big tick so far!

[warnabrother]

Certainly, no stove is perfect and without any possibility of failure. But my sense is that the BRS-3000T presents an unnecessary risk of failure in exchange for a savings of ~50g.

I've had some incidents with gas stoves over the years, but the rate of issues with my BRS stove exceeds those others by a long shot.

my sentiment exactly.. I'm happy to "sacrifice" the 50g for reliability.. the BRS is just a poor quality, cheap chinese product that is popular because it is light.. if it were 50g heavier, no one would buy them due to the hundreds of reported quality issues - only have to check the US forums for all sorts of dramas