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Primus Gravity Gas Stove - First
Look
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Price:
£45.00
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Weight: 259 grammes (stove and hose),
windshield plus reflector 113 grammes
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Features: Low
profile quadropod gas burner, integral piezo electric
ignition with remote control, gas flow control, uses
self-sealing standard threaded gas canisters, includes
reflector, windshield and stove bag plus maintenance
too.
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Stable, easy to use, stable and very stable, plus light and
powerful.
Nothing really.
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The Concept Everyone and their engineering-trained dog seems
to be developing ultra-lightweight gas stoves these days, which is
great until you try to boil a two-litre pan of water on a tottering
canister-top burner.
Primus' new Gravity stove replaces the established Easyfuel in
their line-up and is intended as a light, powerful, easy to use gas
burner with maximum stability for alpine or general use when weight
isn't the absolute be all and end all.
Features The low slung burner packs down pretty compactly with
four swing-out legs - Primus says that the stove sits 30 per-cent
lower than comparable models and it's definitely lower than our old
Epigas Alpine.
The cannister sits remotely at the end of a braided steel fuel
line, the final portion of which runs through the burner for
pre-heating in cold conditions. There's also a built-in piezo
electric ignition with the actual control sited away from the burner
to avoid digital incineration...
As we've said before, with gas, burner design is crucial and the
wide, multi-perforated one on the Gravity promises a nice, broad
spread of flame for even heating even with larger pans.
In Action For a big burner, the Gravity is suprisingly light.
OK, so it's three times the weight of, say, a Pocket Rocket, but it's
still 130 grammes less than our old Epigas Alpine. Primus has used
thing gauge, lightweight materials wherever possible to save
weight.
Using it is super simple. Just screw the valve onto the canister,
open the knob, click the igniter and bingo, the stove rumbles into
life. The burner, by the way, is far from silent and makes a nice
roaring noise.
Where the Gravity really scores is with phenomenal stability. On
flat ground it really is unshakeable and a big MSR Blacklite pan full
of water felt rock solid. Some of that's the low profile, some is the
serrated, hard-gripping pan supports, but trust us, if you want
stable, then this stove will deliver despite its relative
lightness.
Like all gas stoves, it's easy to control heat levels, but the
Gravity is also pleasingly powerful. Boil time for a pint of water
was three minutes and 20 seconds, that's only 20 seconds faster than
a Poclet Rocket, but we suspec tthat the wider flame spread would
come into its own with bigger pans.
Unusually for a gas stove, you also get both a big roll-up foil
windshield and a heat reflector to sit under the burner. The
windshield is in valuable in windy conditions and used with the
reflector will up efficiency all round.
Quibbles? None really. The wire for the piezo electric ignitor
looks a little thin and vulnerable as it runs along the fuel line,
but like the rest of the stove, it's modular and could easily be
replaced. That's it really.
If you're cooking for more than one, the extra stability and
efficiency of the Gravity outweighs the 170-gramme weight penalty
over a typical canister-top micro-burner. This thing really is rock
solid even with the biggest pans and you won't miss those suspenseful
balancing moments as your brew threatens to abandon stove at the
slightest nudge.
Primus has also lightened without weakening and made the stove as
easy to use as possible with the igniter giving click and go
lightability. And as with all gas stoves, convenience, cleanness and
cookability come as standard. Plus if you're prepared to put up with
an extra 113 grammes you can benefit from the windshield and heat
reflector.
We really were prepared to be underwhelmed by the Gravity, but
ended up blown away by it - erm, not literally, obviously, we're very
careful with gas... So far it's the best remote burner gas stove
we've ever used. We haven't been able to try it in seriously cold
conditions, though the pre-heating arrangement looks promising and
it's easier to warm a remote canister.
We'll let you know if things go horribly wrong, but so far it's a
big thumbs up for the low-down burner...
Know more or want to?
If you'd like to add your own experiences of this product check
out our user review system and post your opinions to the world. If
you have questions you can mail
us direct, ask
Richard Gear or try a posting to our gear
forum.
Christof Haefelin
