Well, I had to find out for myself what Chinese stove quality was all about. I bought this little knock off on the Bay for about $10 including shipping. As you can see, it is not the smallest stove but small enough to pack easily. It is shown on a 250 gas canister. It does NOT fold over flat but that is not a deterent. You will want to unfold the valve key BEFORE you put it on the canister or it gets wedged between the canister and the valve body. It is a little bit flimsy but not disagreeably so. For a small stove, it is rated at 3500Watt or about 10,000 BTU. It has very good turndown and becomes a flame thrower on high fire. For the money, it seems like a good deal especially with electronic ignition. Sadly, it does not bear a brand name!
Thanks for the report Sparky. I've seen those; dealextreme has them for $12.80 with shipping and I was tempted. If I was flying somewhere, I'd think about tossing one in my pack -- if it got confiscated (apparently it may) no big deal. Hope you get to use it a bit and let us know how it holds up.
Well, I don't think this stove qualifes for being my main, go to, emergency stove. It would be an extra stove you might carry on a picnic or a day hike (along with a primary stove). Or you could use it to do a You Tube vid on how this stove could be used to power a starship to the planet Uranus or BBQ an entire Ox.
Thing is I wonder how "Efficient" it is on the fuel canister. Also how long that Pizio ignitor will last. I bet it would be interesting to see how fast it blows through that canister of fuel vs a Crux To me I would rather pay the 30 bucks instead of 10 for Crux. Although this would make a cheap backup or loner stove as you would not feel bad if it does not get returned or damaged by a friend. I just really try not to feed the Red's when I can avoid it.
The Crux is selling for $65 on eBay without pots. Yeah, I don't like feeding the Big Red Machine either but right now, it is hard to avoid it. I can afford to toss it if it all breaks down, too. But it is not all that flimsy and I probably will never run it at max output. So! Where else can you get a stove for $10?
I agree with you guys in regards with not supporting the big red machine. I try to buy merchandize made in USA and Canada, but honestly its pretty hard when so many things are made in China. I'm going to stop right there though...this could lead to a huge debate.
I don't see how it could be significantly less or more efficient than an identically-sized stove with a different name. Same gas, same btu's, unless it was starved for O2, which does not appear to be the case. I'd be more concerned with safety or it just falling apart at an inconvenient time. As for buying locally made mechandise, there is a good chance the name-brand stuff is made in China, or with parts from China. Unfortunately perhaps, there is no law against printing an American flag on a box, or stamping "USA" or "Sweden" on an item made in China.
"There is hardly anything in the world that some man cannot make a little worse and sell a little cheaper, and people who only consider price are this man's lawful prey" -John Ruskin If you know what you are buying and still choose the cheapest version, that is your decision. There may be good reasons to do that sometimes. It is when you buy something at a fair price and it turns out to be junk that I get agitated! I did not have high expectations for this little stove but I have been pleasantly surprised at how well it works. So far. And why not feed the Chinese Economy? Not because they can't make quality products, it is because their government is not playing fair with their currency.
Yep. I have bought a few Chinese cheap stoves precisely because they were Chinese and I was curious. I was not expecting craftsmanship or innovative design. So no complaints. I've been more disappointed when I bought something from Optimus, only to find that it appears to have be banged together in some who-knows-where sweat shop and then sold at an inflated price. In that case, I was paying extra, not for quality, but for the right to return it.
Sparky wow you pay that much for one? I can get them here locally for 40 or 45 bucks. Of course minus the pot kit just the burner and the soft case. But like I said hey 10 bucks for a back up or loaner its perfect.
alnl1996 Yah its sad I see American flags printed on cheap chinese products that they sell at fry's electronics in western USA and say USA but then you read the final fine print made in china. So unless you read the details closely most think because of the AMERICAN Flag on the package boldly displayed that they are getting an American made product. That should be banned or outlawed as to me thats false advertising and down right wrong use of a the American flag. I would not expect Americans to put the Union Jack on Biscuit Tins and pass them off as Brit Made that would be wrong and I for one respect the Brits or any other country of their Branding of their products.
Viscera, no, I don't pay that much. I guess the vendors I saw posting the Crux were hopelessly optimistic. I see many others at the $40-$50 range.
