Stove comparison between the Soto Windmaster and the APG stove

Discussion in 'Stove Forum' started by teckguy_58, Feb 19, 2017.

  1. teckguy_58

    teckguy_58 United States Subscriber

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    Hi,

    I have both the Soto Windmaster and a new to me APG version of the Windmaster.

    First is the APG. The stove is very similar to the Soto Windmaster. Also has a nice carrying pouch.
    DSC05462.JPG DSC05463.JPG DSC05464.JPG DSC05478.JPG

    The APG is quite light.
    DSC05473.JPG DSC05477.JPG

    The APG has a better simmer and does well throughout the range from simmer to high.

    Here is the comparison between the two stoves. APG on the left and the Soto Windmaster on the right. The APG is rated at 8000 BTU and the Soto Windmaster is rated at 11000 BTU.
    DSC05480.JPG DSC05483.JPG

    There is also a height difference between the two stoves. Soto is on the left and APG is on the right. You can see the Soto is a bit taller then the APG. The APG comes with a nice little spanner tool.
    DSC05471.JPG DSC05502.JPG

    Now the Soto Windmaster. I do have the 4 plex for the Soto, but for comparison I used what comes standard with the Soto Windmaster. The Soto has a piezo igniter which is very nice. Soto carrying pouch.
    DSC05466.JPG DSC05467.JPG DSC05468.JPG DSC05469.JPG DSC05479.JPG

    The Soto Windmaster is a little bit heavier.
    DSC05475.JPG DSC05476.JPG

    I did run the stove through the range, but I figured most of you will already know these stove run pretty good.

    The next flame shots are in a very windy condition in fact I was using my daughters hair dryer and it was on the high setting. As can be seen both stove handle windy condition very well.

    First up is the Soto WindMaster.
    DSC05496.JPG

    Second is the APG.
    DSC05499.JPG

    Both stove do a very good job in high winds.

    Both stove are worth having.

    The Soto WindMaster has the higher 11000 BTU rating and also has the piezo igniter which adds to the convenience of using this stove, but it comes with a very high price tag. The Soto is also a bit taller which can made the stove top heavy, but with the use of a canister cradle it becomes far more stable. I bought my Soto WindMaster from campsaver.com and it came with the 4 plex for $52.47 and with the coupon deal that came into my email I also got free shipping.

    The APG is rated at a lower 8000 BTU. It is a bit lighter, but it doesn't come with the piezo igniter which I do really like. The stove is not as tall as the WindMaster so this could make it a bit more stable with different size pots and pans. The APG is the most cost effective of the two stoves. I bought the APG off of the bay of evil for $11.99 with free shipping. This stove came out of California so it got to me pretty darn fast. With this stove you will have to carry some matches or for me I prefer to use a butane torch lighter and this one is my favorite.

    The Soto butane torch lighter is very reliable and it is rechargeable.

    Here it is in it's retracted configuration.
    DSC05503.JPG

    Here is it in it's fully extended configuration. Yep keeps the fingers from getting burned.
    DSC05504.JPG

    If you have been on the fence because of the price you don't have to worry anymore. Both stove do the job they were designed to do. Just to let you know. When I did the wind test on both stoves I was 6 inches or 15.24 cm for the flame and neither of the stove blew out due to the wind.

    I hope you enjoyed the comparison of the two and and how it was presented.

    Cheers,
    Norman
     
  2. presscall

    presscall United Kingdom SotM Winner SotY Winner Subscriber

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    @teckguy_58
    Apart from the outward physical resemblance, I'm guessing that the APG incorporates a simple needle valve and doesn't have the Soto's sophisticated fuel metering arrangement?

    IMG_4242.JPG


    ... so a crucial comparison which you could undertake by cooling a gas cartridge in a refrigerator prior to connection to each stove would be their respective cold weather performance.

    I suspect that if the AMG doesn't in fact have a version of the Soto's valve mechanism the latter would outperform the AMG by a wider margin than merely a comparison of their 'windproof' dished burner heads would reveal.

    I think too that the dished burner head is overblown as a feature. Marketing hype, if you will. If the pot itself isn't shielded from the wind the wind-chill factor significantly extends boil or cooking times and if the pot is shielded from the wind as it should be, then there's obviously no need for the burner head to be 'windproofed'.

    I rate the Soto very much, but it's for its cold weather performance thanks to its unique control valve rather than the concave burner head.

    John
     
  3. teckguy_58

    teckguy_58 United States Subscriber

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    @presscall

    Hi John,

    You are correct and I should have added the Soto WindMaster is a very good cold weather stove due to how it is engineered. The Soto WindMaster will run in cold condition when similar stove won't.

    I will do the comparison between the stove by cooling the canisters, but that will have to wait because I will be out of the area for the rest of the week.

    Cheers,
    Norman
     
  4. presscall

    presscall United Kingdom SotM Winner SotY Winner Subscriber

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    Sure thing, @teckguy_58, thanks Norman.

    The AMG seems good value even without the cold weather valve technology the Soto has. With the technology it would be unbelievable value!

    John
     
  5. z1ulike

    z1ulike United States SotM Winner SotY Winner Subscriber

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    I just ordered one of those Soto Pocket Torches. Thanks for the tip.

    Ben
     
  6. teckguy_58

    teckguy_58 United States Subscriber

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    Hi Ben,

    You are welcome.
    The Soto pocket torch works great.

    Cheers,
    Norman
     
  7. teckguy_58

    teckguy_58 United States Subscriber

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    I had some time today to do the cold weather comparison and these are the results.
    I put my butane/propane mix canisters in my freezer for 1 hour.

    There is quite the difference between the Soto and APG.

    APG is rather anemic in cold weather. This is wide open.
    DSC05505.JPG

    Soto is performing quite well indeed.
    DSC05506.JPG

    I needed a darker backstop to get some better pictures.
    DSC05508.JPG DSC05509.JPG DSC05510.JPG

    With reflective heating the APG started to perform a little better, but the Soto is the definitely the winner.
    I also performed a boil or tea test and as more heat was reflected both stove performed much better. The Soto boiled 500 ml in 2 minutes whereas the APG took four minutes to boil the same amount of water.

    Cheers,
    Norman
     
  8. presscall

    presscall United Kingdom SotM Winner SotY Winner Subscriber

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    @teckguy_58
    I'm reassured Norman. The Soto valve explains it, responding to reduced vapour pressure in the cold fuel by opening up the outlet tract, exploiting the larger bore jet.

    That in-built technology largely explains the price differential and why some of us would fork out the extra money for the better performance - not just when the weather's cold, but to offset the natural cooling of the fuel as it vapourises.

    Thanks for doing the test.

    John
     
  9. z1ulike

    z1ulike United States SotM Winner SotY Winner Subscriber

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    @teckguy_58 My Soto Pocket Torch arrived today. It works great once I got rid of the childproof mechanism.

    Ben