Which Jetboil?

[skull-collector]

I seem to have convinced myself that I need a Jetboil (or similar) stove, but which one?

Planned use will be to take to archery competitions and campouts with Jade, have in the works van during the winter months and for when i'm walking in the Lake District on my own in September

I see myself using it brewing up tea/chocolate drinks but also cooking boil in bag type food, I have ruled out the larger ones but can't really see much difference between the Sol, Zip and Flash except for the Flash being 1 litre instead of 0.8 and having the heat indicator.

What are your views?

[Chastiser]

whichever one you choose, i would go for the larger cup size (i tend to choose women the same way ). if you are using one heat for two cups you might find the smaller size is not quite there. i have the larger size container and that does two standard mugs with a little left over for rincing out afterwards . still compact enough with the burner and small gas bottle stored inside the cup to fit nicely in my rush 12 (which i know you have as well) with room for cups and makings and a hydro pack full of water to make the brew in the first place.

[Beachlover]

I had the Flash and was always a bit uneasy with it seeming top heavy, so got the Sol and couldn't be happier with it.
That said, the Flash only went over once, but the once is all it takes and yes, I know I am a clumsy, sausage-fingered oaf

[Martyn]

I'm with Chas. The Sol is a great stove, but it's designed for the lightweight backpacker so they trimmed down the cup size to 0.8L which is a bit too small IMO. You can cope with it if you are backpacking, but the 1L cup is a much more convenient size for casual use. If the majority of use is going to be casual, car brew kit, campouts etc, I'd go with the classic and I litre cup. But you can get spare cups and the Sol burner will fit both the Sol cup and the classic. The zip is just a jetboil without a piezo igniter. Dont bother with it.

[skull-collector]

I did wonder if the slightly larger one would be better for cooking?

[Martyn]

I did wonder if the slightly larger one would be better for cooking?

It is. The various BITB meals I have tried fit better in the 1L cup. You can get them into the 0.8L size, but it's a bit of a squeeze.

[skull-collector]

Right i'm gonna go for the flash, are there any accessories that you would say are worth getting?

[Martyn]

Yeah, the foot spreader thingy and the universal pot stand that allows you to use the JB with any pot. They both fit inside the JB when packed.

Here's the Sol next to the Classic (same size as the Flash)...






The burner on the Sol is better/faster than the Flash, but there isn't enough in it to warrant buying a Sol just for that.

[flibb]

I have ended up using my jetboil as my standard camping stove, picked up the pot support and stabiliser, and use it with non jetboil pans, etc. My favourite accessory? coffee pot. I use the big canisters (cheap) for cooking meals, and the small ones when out and about.

[Martyn]

Right i'm gonna go for the flash, are there any accessories that you would say are worth getting?

The other thing is with the shorter cup, the Sol tends to spit when the lid is off and it's at a rolling boil. Also, as they have tried to save weight with the Sol, they made the cozy thinner. It doesnt do as good a job of insulating the cup which makes it harder to handle.

The perfect solution is the Sol burner, cos it's smaller, lighter and a teeny bit faster and more efficient and the Cup from a flash cos it's more user friendly.

[TallNHairyDave]

Excellent thread, thanks guys.

I've got a Classic, and it works well still for brew ups, but I was looking at the Ti version and drooling.

Must try and reign in the temptation though and just get the pot stand and stabilising feet! The Mrs will kill me if I get a Ti one

[Martyn]

Must try and reign in the temptation though and just get the pot stand and stabilising feet! The Mrs will kill me if I get a Ti one

I really dont think the Ti version is worth it. It's only the cup that is Ti and you can buy that as a standalone. The weight saving is minimal and the cup is more flimsy. Of the two, I would choose the alu version, regardless of cost.

[TallNHairyDave]

I really dont think the Ti version is worth it. It's only the cup that is Ti and you can buy that as a standalone. The weight saving is minimal and the cup is more flimsy. Of the two, I would choose the alu version, regardless of cost.

That's a bit disappointing.

Oh well

[Chastiser]

i must admit that in general use i use a bigger gas bottle so no need for the feet really. most use is car carry and the bigger bottle just sits nicely on the rear step of the truck, tucked in between the open door and the step as a windguard. i do use the smaller bottle when backpacking the jetboil but it tends to balance ok without feet.

one chap in our offroad club used to get free gas bottles but they were so narrow he had to use his jetboil held in one hand, still, free is always good

[cbr6fs]

I have the Jetboil Ti and to be honest i would not buy another jetboil product again as long as i live.

While cooking beans the diffuser melted on the bottom of the cup.



I was pretty miffed as i'd only used the system a couple times before so it was pretty much brand new.
When i got back home i did some searching and found several other people had experienced the exact same problem on their cups, many had contacted customer service and received a replacement cup free of charge.

That cheered me up a bit, so i sent JB an email with pics and a description of what i'd been cooking.
The reply was basically "ok send it back and we'll exchange it"
I then explained i was in Europe not the US and all of a sudden the reply came back that the cup was no longer under warranty!!!!!

They said i had to contact the seller, i said but this is a known production and design fault it's nothing to do with the seller.
Anyways i contacted the seller and they said that because they were in the USA and it was a design flaw that i need to speak with JB.

Sent JB another email and they said they are NOT going to cover the damage but i can buy a new cup from them if i like.


So my impression is, if your outside the USA you have absolutely no warranty on any JB products.
So my opinion of JB is, very poorly design and executed products and absolutely disgusting after sales service.


I can't stress strongly enough not to buy anything JB.