Primus EtaSolo

Would you recommend this over the Jetboil Flash?  I'm trying to decide between the two.  If so, what are the advantages/disadvantages?

Posted: 07/07/2010 at 03:43

Posted: 07/07/2010 at 08:43

Would you recommend this over the Jetboil Flash?  I'm trying to decide between the two.  If so, what are the advantages/disadvantages?

Posted: 07/07/2010 at 21:47

Posted: 07/07/2010 at 22:01

Posted: 08/07/2010 at 09:17

Thanks Derek.  Are you referring to the Eta Packlite, or the Eta Solo, when you're talking about weight? 

 I also heard Primus used to make the jetboil before they went elsewhere to cut costs--and then ran into some quality control issues.  

 It sounded like Primus makes quality stoves (I've never tried one), maybe better than Jetboil.  However, Jetboil has been around longer. 

 I appreciate the fact that the Primus comes with a few accessories like the stabilizer and pot holder, while Jetboil doesn't.

Posted: 08/07/2010 at 18:48

Well, I just ordered a Primus EtaSolo on a sale.  As it comes with the stabilizer, pan supports, and hanger, it was a much better bargain than Jetboil's Flash Cooking System.  Primus was the original company who was making parts of the Jetboil PCS, and their other stoves are great, so I think it'll work nicely. 

 Can't wait to get it and try it out. 

Posted: 09/07/2010 at 01:43

Posted: 09/07/2010 at 11:09

Glad you made the choice. Primus as a company have of course been around donkey's years compared with jetboil even if the eta solo is newer. I was referring to the weight of the etasolo as in the OM review. The original said the weight included a 100 cartridge which would have been incredibly light but was plain wrong. Nonetheless the primus seems lighter than the jetboil. I have lost mesh from the burner of my jetboil though use and had it replaced by the wholesaler but as Primus made it and both stoves have the same structure I do not consider that a difference.

My eta packlite has been cut down to 400 grams and I really only use it in winter and when weight does not matter. It is great for melting snow.

Posted: 09/07/2010 at 11:23

Thanks Liam and Derek.  Yeah, I just saw mine shipped out this morning, so hopefully I'll get it within a few days.  Looking forward to testing it out at several campsites in the national parks this summer.  Keep me posted, Liam, on what you think.

Posted: 09/07/2010 at 15:09

Posted: 09/07/2010 at 21:33

As promised i took my solo stove onto Skiddaw today to do a bit of a test. The summit was extremely windy (almost knocking me off my feet!) After a couple of clicks, the stove soon roared to life. It seemed almost impervious to the wind, though i had sheltered behind a cairn offering some protection. The wind seemed to have very little effect on boil time. However, on packing up my stove i noticed to my horror that one of the plastic buttons for the clips had melted somewhat and warped! Furthermore, when I returned home i realised that the piezo ignition was also broken. Needless to say i am very displeased as this was the stoves first use. 

Posted: 13/07/2010 at 15:24

Oh my...this does not bode well.  I was excited to read your review, and almost as horrified to hear how it ended.  Good grief.  Any contact with Primus about this? Not one problem, but two.  Was it the wind blowing the flames that warped the plastic button, and how did the ignition break?

Thanks for sharing with us your thoughts.

Posted: 14/07/2010 at 05:41

Just an update.

Paul, i think there is a chance that the wind may have blown the flames onto the plastic, but at the same time the flame seemed unaffected by the wind. I'm so confused. The piezo cracked on the white plastic that leads to the burner itself, meaning the spark discharged into the piezo's housing rather then the burner. It isn't all doom and gloom though, I emailed Primus yesterday evening and received a reply asking the circumstances around the problem, and requesting my address so they could send replacement parts. I'm very impressed with their customer service so far.

Posted: 14/07/2010 at 17:37

Posted: 14/07/2010 at 17:39

I've heard good things about their customer service, and I'm glad to hear they're very prompt on addressing your issues.  I'm amazing, though, that on your very first use you had these problems.  Mine is supposed to come in the mail tomorrow, and then in the beginning of August we're doing a trek across the country, visiting several national park locations.  I'd like to have a stable stove for that time.

Keep us posted on the fix, and I'll post any information when I receive mine.

Posted: 14/07/2010 at 17:51

Posted: 14/07/2010 at 23:36

Bummer on that one, Liam.

Alright, I just received my stove today. Interestingly, I received a black and white version of the red and black cover that you see in all the pictures.  The place I ordered it from did not specify it was black, and I must admit I wish I had the red one as a splash of color doesn't hurt, and red aids the appetite. So just a heads up for those of you who are expecting red; there is another color.

Being new to these kinds of stoves, it actually took a bit longer to assemble than I thought it would. Some people have mentioned the connection between the stove and pot didn't feel strong. Mine feels solid, although I don't have fuel connected yet. The major critique, however, is that the bottom half (more like 4/5ths) of the stove is plastic, and doesn't seem to be connected to the top metal portion very well. So if you are screwing on your fuel or pulling down too hard when disconnecting from the pot, it feels like it could come apart. I don't like that all.

My ignition seems to work fine at the moment...

One of the reasons I went with this stove is that it came with the stabilizer and pot supports. We already have a nice pot that we want to be able to use with it. The pot supports stick into a hole at the top of the stove. One of the three pot supports, however, didn't seem to fit into any of the 3 holes, like the metal was too large.  I literally was trying to cram it in with quite a bit of force, almost twisting off the plastic (as I noted above) in the attempt. It finally fit into one of the three holes, barely.  Frustrating. I suppose I could file it down, but I'd rather not have to spend the time doing that.  Once they are in place though, they felt solid enough to hold heavier pots.

My pot also seemed to have some discoloration inside, with one part of it lighter than the rest of it.  Like part of it wasn't completely anodized, but I'm not an engineer and can't tell why it looks that way.

A note on the plastic that melted on Liam's stove--I could see that happening. The plastic "button" covers the part that you squeeze to engage/disengage the stove from the pot. If you use the stove to heat up water for several people in a row, it doesn't seem too difficult to imagine it heating up enough for the plastic to melt some.  Again, I'm not an engineer, and don't know what kind of plastic is on there, but plastic is plastic after all. The plastic also protrudes into the middle through a hole in the metal and is flattened out on the inside so that the plastic will stay in place.  If that part melted, the plastic "button" could fall off potentially.

Now I'm probably not giving any helpful comments, but these are my observations thus far.  From playing with the Jetboil PCS and Flash in the store, it seemed to be a bit more solid than the Primus, though other reviewers have indicated the opposite. The insecurity of the plastic parts worry me. But in price and weight these win out.

Posted: 15/07/2010 at 20:13

Posted: 15/07/2010 at 22:59

Posted: 15/07/2010 at 23:36

Me again,

just returned from a very very windy overnight trip to Blencathra for a wild camp on Scales Tarn. I used my Eta Solo stove for evening pasta, and for boiling water for porridge in the morning. There is little more for me to add to my review other than:

1) I wish the pot supports and stabiliser fitted inside the cooking cup . This would just make my life a lot easier

and 2) I have noticed that a couple of times the cup didn't quite click onto the burner. Obviously I was paying extra attention due to it being mentioned previously, had I not there could have been a mini catastrophe as I repositioned the stove.

Again, in terms of boil times I was fairly impressed, but cannot compare to Jetboil. Finally, due to previously mentioned reasons, I am very likely to be switching to Jetboil in future.

Posted: 16/07/2010 at 13:50

Posted: 16/07/2010 at 14:49

Posted: 18/07/2010 at 15:04

Posted: 20/07/2010 at 04:39

Posted: 20/07/2010 at 10:45

Posted: 21/07/2010 at 05:33

Posted: 21/07/2010 at 13:21

Welll...

Handed back my Eta Solo, and my Jetboil Flash has arrived. I haven't used it yet, but it feels much more sturdy and well manufactured than the Solo. From the bottom up...

The stabilising legs are great, and actually fit in the stove.

The plastic of the burner unit feels much more secure.

The burner itself seems a hell of a lot more robust than the Solo Stove, with only the tiniest piece of the piezo actually exposed through the burner. The Primus stove had the piezo running alongside and broke on my stove very rapidly. I Honestly cannot see it being a problem with the Flash 

The bayonet fitting feels very very secure, especially compared to the Primus. However, there is no real windshield built into the bottom, unlike the solo

The plastic cup attaches to the bottom of the mug very nicely, and offers some protection for the bottom on the mug.

The cosy obviously incorporates the Flash system to show when the contents are at 80 degrees C, as I haven't used it yet I can't comment on the usefulness of this feature. However, the cosy seems much more flexible/stretchy than the Primus. The cosy does not come right to the very top of the mug, leaving a few mm's to fit the lid (which the Solo stove did not). The Flash does not feature an integral hanging arm bracket, which was of limited use to me anyway. However, a hanging kit can be bought for the Flash.

The Primus comes with three pot supports and a reflector. The Jetboil Flash does not. The Primus pot supports are very fiddly, and I found myself simply holding a pot above the flame rather spend ages trying to fit the pot supports. Also, there is no easy way of putting them inside the mug when packed up, short of dropping them in loose. For the extra few quid, Jetboils folding method seems much better and fits inside the mug when packed, along with everything else that goes with the stove.

The lid on the Jetboil Flash fits much better than the lid of the Primus, which i found was prone to coming off when stored in a pack. The lid of the Jetboil is also see through meaning you can see when the water is boiling or food simmering without removing the lid. It would also appear that the pour system is better on the Jetboil.

In my opinion, as much as I wanted the Primus to be the better of the two it simply isn't. Jetboil have the experience in this type of stove, and it shows. The Jetboil is of a higher quality in my opinion. Between the two? Jetboil wins, hands down. The main features that swung it for me are the seemingly better manufacturing and design, and the fact the stove and its accessories all fit into the mug when packed.

I Hope this rather long and rambling post has helped someone. By all means, i'm not saying the Primus is a bad stove just that the features on the Jetboil seem much better to me. 

Liam 

Posted: 30/07/2010 at 14:53

Posted: 04/08/2010 at 21:00

 The Outdoorshop in Milton Keynes had the old jetboil at £55 and Jetboil Flash at £55 too. Good prices for this - particularly as the  jetboil flash with stand normally seems to sell for £70-80.

Edited to say that their website is now showing £60 for both. 

Posted: 08/08/2010 at 14:51

Posted: 08/08/2010 at 21:29

Posted: 08/08/2010 at 21:50