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 10 Jet boil review (Read 9304 times)
mastertangler
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Jet boil review
Jul 8th, 2013 at 11:29am
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In the summer I spend a fair amount of time on the road and that means eating out. And that means putting on lbs. So instead of that Bob Evans farmstead breakfast complete with biscuits and gravy (so good), I have opted for a jet boil and a bowl of my usual oats in my hotel room (don't tell).

I settled on the jet boil instead of one of my other stoves because I liked the "all-in-one" concept. Plus the flame seemed a bit more contained.

My initial impressions are less than wholehearted endorsement. Here are a few observations.......
I dislike that the simmer capability is somewhat marginal. As a result, when things need to be turned down lest they boil over you are at a disadvantage since your cooking "pot" is essentially mated to the flame. You can't just pick the pot up and remove the heat source. Hello boil over Tongue.

The other thing that is objectionable is that the pot is hard to remove until it cools a bit. That takes little time but it is a delay nonetheless. Perhaps with usage this issue will rectify itself.

The stove has its place and I will learn it but it is not the cats meow IMO. I am certainly open to being educated and you jet boil guys please weigh in  Cool
  
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Jim J Solo
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Re: Jet boil review
Reply #1 - Jul 8th, 2013 at 5:51pm
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Let me weigh away, and good luck with the weight.  Grin

Yeah it doesn't simmer very well. I think I've always said that. BUT neither do some other favorite stoves, I'm thinking of the MSR whisperlight. I have seen the MSR WL produce a better simmer if the cook pot was raised a bit off the burner and the tank pressure wasn't pumped very high. I think that's why I do like the Jetboil's Fry pan for doing fish. Jetboil want you to use a universal pot adapter to keep the Fry Pan's bottom off the burner. The combination of raising the fry pan and the heat exchanger capturing heat near the edge makes for cooking surface without a center hot spot. But you're not using a low heat to fry fish either.

That said I did get, and try, the cook pots JB sells. They also want you to use the universal pot adapter with them. They don't lock-in like the "cook mug" so they're easier to lift off. And although you don't have the boil over problem. I still don't think the Jetboil works very well if you're trying to simmer. Mine is the original model.

Maybe better to go with Cliff "what's his name's" approach and use cozies.
  
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Mad_Mat
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Re: Jet boil review
Reply #2 - Jul 9th, 2013 at 12:56pm
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"The other thing that is objectionable is that the pot is hard to remove until it cools a bit. That takes little time but it is a delay nonetheless. Perhaps with usage this issue will rectify itself."

just set the pot on the stove in the "dimples" - don't give it a half turn to lock it in place - what for you want to lock it - think somebody gonna steal it!  I never lock the pot to the stove - no reason to unless you have the hanging pot setup where you suspend the stove as a unit from some chains. 

option 2:  buy the pot support that fits atop the stove (comes in a "kit" with the stabilizer thing) and you can use any pot or pan - a wider, shallower pot is easier to simmer with than the jetboil mug, and you can use a non-stick coated pot - not as fuel efficient as the jetboil pot with heat exchanger, but not too bad either.  about the same as using a pocket rocket. it will be less stable if you use a larger pot, just keep in mind you need to be more careful with a larger pot, and keep it centered.

look up "Hikin Jim's" blog - this guy is like a stove guru, doing stuff like baking with esbit.  he has lots of tips on using jetboil for cooking as opposed to just boiling water with it.

all cannister stoves have that "hot spot" due to the small burner heads.  look up "diffuser plate" - a little gizmo to spread out the flame - not sure if you could rig one for a jetboil.

  
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mastertangler
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Re: Jet boil review
Reply #3 - Jul 9th, 2013 at 2:37pm
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Hey Thanks Matt........hikin jims blog. Who knew? I just did a little jaunt on the Buckeye trail this past friday and it made me realize how much I missed the simplicity of just truckin along. I will be eyeing something for next summer perhaps.

Good points Jim on the jet boil and its flame dispersal. That benefit probably outweighs simmer ability by a slim margin. Still, oatmeal boiling over is a significant issue in my oatmeal world Cheesy

One way to avoid a hotspot (which makes frying fish almost impossible) is to use a bit thicker pan which distributes the heat better. Use a thin fry pan and your results will be marginal at best unless you are doing a full fire.

One stove which I have found that performs exceptionally well is the MSR windpro. Wide flame, excellent simmer ability. The perfect stove if baking is your thing. Despite the implication of the name, the windpro is very susceptible to wind unless you use the little wind shield provided. Plus it sits low to the ground with the canister being attached via fuel line. A safer set up for sure as compared to say a pocket rocket.

As per carrying extra weight? My advice is to try and avoid the notoriously tasty Pecan Braids at Panera Bread Wink
  
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Mad_Mat
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Re: Jet boil review
Reply #4 - Jul 9th, 2013 at 5:54pm
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that's hikin jim's blog - upper left corner is the search field

jetboil in there, pops up a list - 3 cooking items - BUT he was using the Jetboil "Sol" which is a bit different design - its the best of the jetboil stoves in my opinion, as it is designed for use in colder temps - and it is easier to adjust the flame down a bit.  he was using a non-stick fry pan for omelettes in the first - I didn;t look any farther.  The SOL is better for backpacking as it is lighter - comes with a point eight liter pot rather than the standard 1 liter pot

so jump in your time machine, go back to the store and buy the Sol version.   

I have both, the PCS (original) and the Sol - the SOl comes with the stabilizer gizmo, but not a pot support, and it costs something like $120 (alum pot) compared to the $79 you can get a PCS for.

some cooking tips, maybe, can be found in thier recipes section - see link below

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mastertangler
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Re: Jet boil review
Reply #5 - Jul 10th, 2013 at 3:26am
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Matt you are a bad influence. My ultra light solo trip changed a bit and I found myself with only a pocket rocket  and all my other stoves  in Fl. (well besides the jet boil which I am not so far especially enamored with).

I liked Hikin Jims review of the Kovea spider and at $55 I'm going to give it a try. Be careful of e-bay where they want to charge you a fortune to ship (as much as the stove))........Amazon has them in stock and shipping is quite reasonable. Seems like a good deal and more compact than a wind pro.
  
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Jim J Solo
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Re: Jet boil review
Reply #6 - Jul 10th, 2013 at 3:38pm
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I'm repeating myself, but I've found that the original JB stove, with the JB fry pan, work great for frying fish.

MT, Simmering oatmeal?? Try just turning stove on/off stir, till you think it's done. About the same as the cozies cooking trick.

MM, Thanks for the link.
  
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mastertangler
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Re: Jet boil review
Reply #7 - Jul 10th, 2013 at 9:17pm
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I detest instant oatmeal and I think it detests me given the results on my intestinal tract.......so yes I do simmer my "old fashioned oats" for some 3 minutes, just long enough for the blasted jet boil to boil them over. But we will somehow learn to get along and without doubt the jet boil will be my most used stove in short order.
  
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Solus
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Re: Jet boil review
Reply #8 - Jul 11th, 2013 at 12:56am
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MT- I agree about the instant oats- I'll even take the steel cut (10-15 simmer) just cause I like the change. On my most recent trip (back today) I threw 1/3 measure of polenta with the old- fashioned oats, that and dried Michigan cherries makes a fantastic breakfast. MSR"s Dragon Fly is great for temperature control (from a simmer to a roar) and miserly on fuel and good in the wind. I use the pocket rocket for making road side coffee....
  
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Jim J Solo
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Re: Jet boil review
Reply #9 - Jul 11th, 2013 at 1:12pm
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Solus, I have an MSR Dragonfly and think it's a great cooking stove. My stove of choice for a larger group trip. Some people hate how loud it is. But I kind of like the sound it makes. I always know how well it's running because I can hear it. It does take more time and trouble to get going than a JB, and the fuel, cookpots, stove, overall seem like a bulkier load than the JB. But it can do more,i.e. bigger pots, simmer, boil. Plus I like the reusable fuel canisters, less trash.
  
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