UKC

The Primus ETA Solo looks rather like a Jetboil PCS... Toby Archer leaves the lawsuits to the judges and asks: which is best?

Read more at http://www.ukclimbing.com/gear/review.php?id=2993

In reply to UKC Gear: Might just be me, but all the text after the first set of shots is crammed into the left hand side with only a couple of words per line...

In reply to jezb1: That's weird, I was just looking and thought Sarah or Mick had done a great layout job using my rather mediocre photos! I'm using Firefox and it works just fine with that.

In reply to TobyA: good review, layout is fine with chrome

In reply to jezb1:

Completely missing all the words for me after the first picture. I'm using IE

In reply to tom_greenwich: Oh dear! I'll try to find out what might be causing that.

Cheers, Sarah

In reply to TobyA: Didn't we go through this on the mastercam thread? http://www.ukclimbing.com/forums/t.php?t=421322&v=1#x5984350

You obviously didn't consider for a second to not draw comparison with the jetboil because you're familiar with it. You didn't bother writing an idiots guide to the relative benefits of a trangia/canister-top/XGK either.

This is a really good review. I'm going to be blunt now, review the dragons relative to camalots just like you have reviewed this or don't bother.

Steve

In reply to jezb1: Now fixed, just a minor mistake with the HTML in that article which upset Internet Explorer.

In reply to steve456:

OK, I better not bother then as this seems to be upsetting you so much. Do you have any other orders for me whilst we're at it?

Ive had primus kit before and it was all top quality.


BUT, this stove, after having had a look it, is useless! I think toby here is modestly reviewing it, but its a catastrophe in design and wobbles like crazy.

In reply to Scarab:

Hmmmm, one person's looked at it, the other's used it extensively. Who's opinion should I listen to.........

In reply to Scarab:

The early ones were a bit wobbly, but this has been fixed. I was sent a washer and you have to carefully disassemble the stove (managed to cut my finger doing this!) add in the washer and reassemble. This takes away the wobblyness and I guess all the newer ones are being fitted with that at manufacture. It will add on a few grams to the weight though.

I think saying its a catastrophe is far too much. It's not, its OK but as I say in the review it isn't perfect. The fact that I kept burning my fingers (not badly, but enough to make it annoying) taking the burner off the pot is by far the biggest issue with I have. I guess they couldn't just do the same as the Jetboil does with a bayonet fitting, so came up with another way, but at least with my shorty and podgy fingers that way really doesn't work as well as the Jetboil system. Nevertheless, the hanging thingamyjig is very cool, and more useful than you might think. You don't need to be on portaledge to appreciate it, you can hang the stove from small tree whilst having a picnic at the crag and not worry about knocking the stove over (always a slight worry with tower stoves).

In reply to TobyA & steve456

Steve, did you apply to be a gear tester and get turned down or something? Why the hangup about the Dragon cams?
Here's a suggestion - go to a shop. Compare the two designs. Make up your own mind. It's what lots of people do and it seems to work ok.

Toby - another informative review, keep up the good work.

Si

In reply to TobyA:

Well the catastrophe was mainly about the wobbliness, good they've solved that now.

I must say I did like the hanging kit, and the fact that it came with legs for the gas bottle.

How did you find the attachment for larger pots and pans, that felt a bit precarious as well, I asked my self whether I dared to put a large pan of water on to those tiny sticks. Maybe they changed that as well... Did you use it with other pans?


@galpinos: Thats up to you, I couldnt care less.

In reply to UKC Gear:

Interesting that the review mentions those MSR heat exchangers. I have had one for years, and found that all they are really good for is getting covered in soup when things inevitably boil over.

Good for those emergencies when you think you have run out of food I suppose - pop it in the pan for a nourishing gruel.

I would be interested to see a review of the ortik "heat it" syatem some time. A combined windshield/insulator/hanging kit for normal stoves. It looks like a cheaper option for people who already own a canister stove.

In reply to SCC: I woke up with a headache, sorry about all that. No, I got pounced on by Toby and Mick when I suggested reviews are pointless if they're not comparative, as this genuinely really good review is (er, comparative+good that is, not pointless).

I'd take a warts-and-all long-term review over a quick fondle in a shop and a chunky investment any day. These reviews are really powerful, who's going to buy an eta-solo now? They look very pretty in the shop.

In other news, jetboil have got some lightweight 0.8 litre versions on the way (2011), quoted 260g for the whole thing on the expensive ti one.

In reply to SCC:

Actually, I do see Steve's point, it is obviously useful for people to have an idea of those models cams compared to each other, but just like Jon's review of the Mastercams, it just not possible that reviewers have used every piece of comparable gear on the market.

Nevertheless, after Steve so, ummm... 'robustly' made his point on the first thread, Gear Ed Sarah called up BD and they sent me a set of Camalots to review in competition with the Dragons http://lightfromthenorth.blogspot.com/2010/09/camfight-at-ok-crack-o-rral.h... so actually I was just being snotty in my reply to him yesterday - his wish is actually UKC's command after all! And as a result I'm toting around a huge sackful of shiny heavy metal looking for steep cracks to scare myself in every time I go to a crag now!

Scarab - I haven't actually used the stove with a big stove yet, but I tried it at home and it felt no worse than my MSR stove on top of my Pocket Rocket in terms of instability. The canister 'legs' help there as well.


Like I say, great for big snow melting sessions on expeditions, not so useful for general camping. I guess it kept boiling over your soup because it worked so well though?

In reply to TobyA:

Good point, but I think part of it is that the MSR petrol stove I used at the time was wildly over powered for general cooking.

In reply to TobyA:

Haha!! I'll have to get out of the wrong side of bed more often Sorry I was a dick yesterday, I should probably be banned from the internet when I'm angry. Keep up the good work

Steve

In reply to TobyA:

Looks like it all worked out in the end - you get a set of Camalots to play with as well now!

So, good work Steve!

Si

In reply to davidbeynon:


I got paid today, so I thought I would take a punt. I will do a writeup when I have had a bit of a play.