Hi All!
I've noticed when a new product is introduced on eBay -- particularly those manufactured in China -- the offerings go from a trickle to a flood and prices drop dramatically (classic law of supply-and-demand). This is happening again at the moment with what I call "orange box" stoves...tiny cartridge-fuel stoves that burn a propane-butane mix and come packed in a small orange plastic storage box.
When the price dropped to USD$3, I bit and one was delivered last week (total cost with shipping: USD$8.31). I grabbed a SnowPeak 110g cartridge at REI for USD$4.50 (more than the stove cost!) and I was in business. The stove is made of stainless steel, anodized aluminum, and brass and has a reliable piezo-electric igniter, so no matches are necessary. The throttle handle stays cool, and the stove adjusts from simmer to Volcano and ratably in-between. It folds up to fit in the 80x55x40mm box, and weighs 118g/4.16oz on my scale -- about .25oz more than the competition in the box, but equal without the case.
Everything works fine. The cartridge can be detached for more compact storage once the burner unit cools to the touch, and the lot can be packed and transported easily; the stove fits nicely in a shirt-front pocket with room to spare. A 110g cartridge (nominally 4oz) is good for about 45 minutes of average cooking.
No interest in the unnamed stove maker or any of the sellers; just thought it was a surprisingly good little stove for cheap, if you need something small to tuck into the corner of your handlebar or saddlebag for a spot of tea while on the road (as I do). You'd need a small windscreen but those can be rigged or purchased easily enough. Just do an eBay search for "piezoelectric camp stove" or "cartridge stove" and you should find one of dozens currently on-offer. This is my first cartridge stove; usually I run liquid fuels, and prefer my .75oz/21g homemade Heineken beer-can meths stove for lightweight boiling, but this isn't a bad alternative for USD$8 -- USD$12.50 fueled-up and ready to use.
Best,
Dan.
