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AlpKit BruKit

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 mattrm 01 Oct 2014

While we're talking about Alpkit stoves, has anyone given a BruKit a try yet? It does rather seem like a cheap JetBoil knock-off, but that's not really a bad thing. Certainly for £35 it's worth a punt.

https://www.alpkit.com/products/brukit
Post edited at 10:25
G0rdrilla 01 Oct 2014
In reply to mattrm:

For the money they look fantastic. Hopefully they perform well too. I've just ordered the titanium pot. Bit of an MSR looka like but the price is spot on.
In reply to mattrm:

Just ordered one now and will give it a blast this weekend. Can't afford a Jetboil et al so this looks awesome if it works. Never had issues with their stuff before so looking good.
 Alpkit 01 Oct 2014
In reply to mattrm:

Hi Matt,

we like to be open about what we do and people are going to see through it if we try and hide anything. So as with the Kraku we released last year, we've once again stated that we are working with Fire Maple, who are establishing themselves as a high quality stove manufacturer, allowing us to start developing more of a cookware range. This should ensure that we can continue to offer a high level of quality. Currently we've not got the expertise to start making stoves, but feel that a range fits in well with what we do.

Of course, any feedback is gratefully received and we hope you like the products should you take a punt.

Col.
 fire_munki 01 Oct 2014
In reply to Alpkit:

If you're going to be making more pans will you make ones that fit jetboils? The Brukit lookts to have the same tabs and a second cup and/or a bigger pasta pan would be cool.
 PPP 01 Oct 2014
In reply to mattrm:

Great, just ordered one. Looks very similar to Fire Maple FMS-X1 which is more expensive! I wasn't a huge fan of Jetboil, but I might become a convert now.
 nathan79 01 Oct 2014
In reply to mattrm:

Very tempted to give one of these a try for that price. I'll have to add it to Alpkit-stuff-I-"need"-to-buy list.
 soularch 01 Oct 2014
In reply to mattrm:

Looking forward to a wee review, once someone tries one of these.
 PPP 01 Oct 2014
In reply to soularch:

I'll probably do a video review after I get it.
OP mattrm 01 Oct 2014
In reply to PPP:

> I'll probably do a video review after I get it.

That would be excellent.

Col - I know you generally use Chinese manufacturers, so I don't see this as being any different. It doesn't bother me really. Thanks for the post, if I do get one I'll let you know my feedback.
 simon1985 01 Oct 2014
In reply to mattrm:

Just checked website and they say out of stock already! Gutted
 nathan79 01 Oct 2014
In reply to simon1985:

> Just checked website and they say out of stock already! Gutted

Bugger. Ah well.
 PPP 01 Oct 2014
In reply to simon1985:

Looks like it went viral today. Alpkit teased us by allowing us to subscribe and on a release day, everyone is talking about it. Can't wait to get it, it must be an amazing stove for such price!
 NottsRich 02 Oct 2014
In reply to Alpkit:

Hi Col, could you hazard a guess as to the minimum ambient temperature that this stove would work well at? Thinking along the lines of whether it would be better compared to the Jetboil Flash or the Sol in terms of use in the cold. If it would be closer to the Sol then it's on my shopping list!

Thanks, Rich.
 winhill 02 Oct 2014
In reply to simon1985:

> Just checked website and they say out of stock already! Gutted

But second delivery due before the end of the month.
In reply to mattrm:

Ok, just got mine in the post. Ordered yesterday, arrived this afternoon for zero postage charge with is awesome enough.

Quick review, please take into account that I have never owned a stove before though so no expert. However in the wild extremes of my kitchen it went together easy and boiled some water in what I felt was a quick time. So it is, at least, idiot proof.

I have not managed to cause a gas leak, burn myself,or scald the dog and it has not fallen to pieces nor shown any major defects.

Sure someone will post a more complex review in time but so far so good. Will be giving it a run on the hills or at a crag over weekend as well and might update unless to attacks me.
 PPP 04 Oct 2014
In reply to Pepper:

I'll give a video review this evening or tomorrow, depending on where I'm going to climb today.
 Bob 04 Oct 2014
In reply to mattrm:

Someone on Singletrackworld has one and done a comparison with the pocket rocket - http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/alpkit-brukit-out-of-the-box-review...
 Busby 04 Oct 2014
In reply to mattrm:

I'd concur with those findings.
The flame seems quite small on the brukit (though obviously the pocket rockets a tad on the large side).
Boiled a litre of water on my Msr Pocket in 4:40. Took nearly 6:30 on the Brukit.

And that was using an open Dixie tin with the rocket, suppose it does make for a larger surface area in the end.
 wilkie14c 04 Oct 2014
In reply to Busby:

Quite disapointing results overall, the only catagory it beats the JB is that of price however, whats an extra couple of minutes if you are just sat at stanage making a brew? It really does have a great price. Interesting to note that I was getting 4.30 to 5.00 to boil 1L in a titan pot with homemade coke can stove and windshield/stand. These were ideal conditions of course but still, all this engineering and a few ml of meths and a pop can still competes!
My pal did the Atlantic solo row a few years ago and Lyon gave him 3 jetboils for the trip. He only opened the second one as he'd bust the ignighter on the first and couldn't find his cig lighter to light it. 3 months at sea and still making brews on climbing trips now does say something about the quality of the JB. I hope the BK proves to be as good.
 gingerbex 05 Oct 2014
In reply to Alpkit:

got my brukit this weekend - fab, worked really well. only slight issue is that the padded bag supplied is too small - try as I might, can't fit the kit in the bag. Do you have any similar, slightly bigger?
 DaveHK 06 Oct 2014
In reply to Busby:
> (In reply to mattrm)
>
>
> Boiled a litre of water on my Msr Pocket in 4:40. Took nearly 6:30 on the Brukit.

Folks reporting really long boil times on that STW thread 10 to 15 mins for a litre. To my mind that pretty much defeats the purpose of an integrated stove.
 wilkesley 06 Oct 2014
In reply to DaveHK:
Last week I bought a "BruPot heat exchanger cook pot", which is the BruKit without the stove if that makes sense. I didn't want another stove, as I am happy with my Primus Spider, but thought the BruPot might improve my boil times.

I set up the Primus with a a new 500g cartridge in the kitchen. I put 500ml cold water in the BruPot and the same amount in my MSR stainless kettle. I set the stove going, so that the flames didn't come up beyond the base of the pot.

I timed how long it took for a steady jet of steam to emerge from each pot. I didn't want to have to keep taking the top off to check if it was boiling, as this would be difficult to do the same number of times for each pot. I am not really interested in how long it takes to boil with no lid on, as I never use the pots like that.

Over three separate runs the Alpkit pot always took slightly longer (around 10 seconds) to boil the 500ml than the MSR kettle. I must say that I found this surprising, as I was expecting the Alpkit to be faster. There are all sorts of holes that can be picked in my methodology, but it reflects the way I actually use the pots when camping.

The Alpkit pot has a smaller cross section than the MSR kettle, so it's a bit taller. The Alpkit pot also has a neoprene sleeve, which I took off for my experiment. I don't see the sleeve being of much practical use. It's a tight fit and trying to fix it on a port full of boiling water (Alpkit sensibly warn you not to use it when the pot is on a stove) isn't going to be practical. The supplied case of the BruPot is a tight fit and I probably won't use it.

However, despite the limitations I think I prefer the BruPot to my MSR kettle.
Post edited at 08:57
1
 agour 06 Oct 2014
In reply to mattrm:

Just thought I'd chime in on this thread.

I just bought a brukit, and it had delivered on saturday. First impressions were good, it seems solidly built and comes with a nice padded bag.

I purchased a coleman 250 gas cylinder (220g), but there is no way that it will fit inside the pot. So this completely defeats the purpose of having an all-in-one solution. Think I'll just return it and buy a jetboil instead
In reply to wilkesley:
> I set the stove going, so that the flames didn't come up beyond the base of the pot.

As with all stoves, it is probably a good idea to measure the amount of fuel used. Then you can objectively measure the fuel efficiency (comparing the mass of fuel to boil a given volume of water from a starting temperature to the energy required to do that in a perfect environment). A heat exchanger system ought to be more fuel efficient. If it isn't, then something is probably wrong somewhere.

[edit] the 10g MSR PR vs 18g Brukit fuel use reported at STW doesn't sound promising... Anyone fancy repeating the test? [/edit]

Boil times are one measure only, and, generally, a pretty poor measure unless you're someone who really needs a quick brew (squaddies, perhaps).

The main reason that boil times feature so widely in reviews is because it's an easy thing to measure objectively; what the burner up to '11', and measure the time to boil. If you're a good reviewer, you'll start with water at the same temperature, and a fresh canister of gas for each burn.

Heat exchanger systems are essentially intended to allow the burner to run closer to '11', by increasing the effective surface area used to pull heat from flame & hot gas. Thus giving faster boil times in those all-important reviews...

Stove design is a compromise between fuel efficiency, pan size, weight, system volume, etc. And everyone has different views on which of those factors makes the 'ideal' stove.

A stove that is very fuel efficient may not be the lightest system, since the extra weight of the HX and other sundry bits make it heavier. And you could be carrying more fuel for a lighter cooking system, and still end up carrying less weight. I surprised myself with an analysis of this situation a few years ago:

http://www.outdoorsmagic.com/forum/gear/comparing-meths-and-gas-weights/373...

Of course, that's only important if weight is your primary concern.
Post edited at 18:58
 galpinos 07 Oct 2014
In reply to captain paranoia:

> [edit] the 10g MSR PR vs 18g Brukit fuel use reported at STW doesn't sound promising... Anyone fancy repeating the test? [/edit]

It'd be nice if someone could compare it to the Jetboil as well. As a pocket rocket user, I've always been tempted byt the Jetboil but the cost always put me off. I thought the Brukit was the answer but maybe not.....
 Tom F Harding 07 Oct 2014
In reply to mattrm:

Has anyone had a chance to play with the new MSR Windboiler?

http://www.cascadedesigns.com/msr/stoves/stove-systems/windboiler/product

I have an MSR reactor, which I love and boils water faster and more efficiently then anything else I've seen. It is pretty big though (although on a long trip you wouldn't need as many canisters so becomes a moot point). MSR seem to have taken the reactor and made it smaller and in the same format as the Brukit and JB. Looks like it could be a real winner.
 NottsRich 08 Oct 2014
In reply to Tom F Harding:
That looks nice! I wonder how long it will be until this sort of stove is multi-fuel compatible...
Post edited at 03:42

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