Butane Stoves

Submitted: Monday, Mar 18, 2024 at 19:22
ThreadID: 147280 Views:2560 Replies:16 FollowUps:9
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Hi All

Looking at a portable cooking solution for short trips. Heading down to Litchfield for a few days in the dry. Last year we just cooked on a fire, didn't take any other form of cooking, we just missed a total fire ban, so got lucky but don't wish to cut it that fine again.
We have a due fuel Colman stove that we have had for many years. Still goes, just trying to keep it really simple, just one pot.
Any thoughts on something similar to THIS?

Read horror reviews on the Bunning's cheap ones. Can anyone recommend a brand that stands out?

The other concern is the talk of exploding cartridges, not just cooking, but whilst stored in the shed. "Store in a cool dry place". I live in Darwin, no such place exists up here.

Thoughts?

Cheers

Lyndon
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Reply By: Member - rocco2010 - Monday, Mar 18, 2024 at 20:01

Monday, Mar 18, 2024 at 20:01
Many brands in many stores at widely varying prices and I think they all come from same factory in China!

There was an issue with them many years ago and they were withdrawn from sale. Any one you buy new will meet the new safety standards.

I think the cheapest is the Campmaster brand that Big W sell. Had one for a few years no problems.

It's been hot in Perth this summer and none of my cylinders not stored in a cool dry place exploded. But I wouldn't leave them lying around in the sun.

Only issue for me is in colder weather the gas doesn't burn so well. If it's really chilly I sleep with a cylinder in my sleeping bag so I can boil the billy at dawn. And you might be reaching for a new cylinder before gas has run out. Burns low as it empties.

Cheers


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Reply By: Member - Roger K (NSW) - Monday, Mar 18, 2024 at 23:34

Monday, Mar 18, 2024 at 23:34
Lyndon,
Rocco2010 has summed it up perfectly. I have two of them which I purchased over twelve years ago. They are different brands and I have used a great variety of butane cartridges in them with no problems whatsoever. For common sense reasons I make sure that any saucepan, frypan etc. I use is not so wide that it reflects the heat from the flame back down onto the compartment where the cartridge is stored as that seems to be a recipe for disaster.
As Rocco2010 said, the performance does drop off in chilly weather but that is hardly likely to be an issue in Darwin!
All in all, I find them very useful for specific applications such as boiling water, heating soup etc. etc. but I don't think I would use one to cook for several people.

Cheers,
Roger.
AnswerID: 645497

Follow Up By: Nomadic Navara - Tuesday, Mar 19, 2024 at 09:05

Tuesday, Mar 19, 2024 at 09:05
They are quite handy for one pot meals for a whole family. A good cook can cook all the veggies in one pot whilst the male is doing his barbecue duties.
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Reply By: AlbyNSW - Tuesday, Mar 19, 2024 at 04:16

Tuesday, Mar 19, 2024 at 04:16
The Bunnings ones are absolutely fine to use, they are a Gasmate brand.
All the butane cartridges you buy in Australia now have a rim vent release safety feature so that they cant explode like has happened in the past.
I use a butane cooker every day and would feel safer using one over a dual fuel stove

The two negatives with butane is the flame is more wind effected than LP gas and they don’t work well in cold climates but are lightweight, cheap and the canisters are readily available everywhere
AnswerID: 645498

Follow Up By: Member - rocco2010 - Tuesday, Mar 19, 2024 at 10:03

Tuesday, Mar 19, 2024 at 10:03
Good point about the wind.
A wind shield is essential.
Mine cost more than the stove!

Cheers
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Reply By: Member - McLaren3030 - Tuesday, Mar 19, 2024 at 06:31

Tuesday, Mar 19, 2024 at 06:31
Hi Lyndon,

My experience with butane canister stoves is similar to the others. Can be more affected by wind, and not effective in cold temperatures. I got rid of mine in favour of a small single burner LPG stove and small LPG bottle.



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Follow Up By: Richard M29 - Tuesday, Mar 19, 2024 at 22:44

Tuesday, Mar 19, 2024 at 22:44
We traveled around OZ for 2 years in the 80's using virtually this same cooker you have, and would do it again except for the bulkiness of the gas bottle, but it was the best cooker we ever used, and cold weather never affected it.
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Reply By: Nomadic Navara - Tuesday, Mar 19, 2024 at 09:10

Tuesday, Mar 19, 2024 at 09:10
How old are your bad reports (or more to the point, the initiation of these reports.) I have not seen or heard of any bad reports of these from any supplier since the regs were changed to make the construction of these stoves relatively idiot proof.
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Reply By: Mikee5 - Tuesday, Mar 19, 2024 at 09:21

Tuesday, Mar 19, 2024 at 09:21
Even Litchfield in the dry can be chilly in the morning. The performance of the butane will drop away. They were useless in the Simpson! Warm the canisters and you should be ok. All the blowing up ones were withdrawn years ago. Do not use a pan which extends over the cylinder housing, will cause drama.
AnswerID: 645502

Reply By: Member - Warren H - Tuesday, Mar 19, 2024 at 09:21

Tuesday, Mar 19, 2024 at 09:21
There are also hiking stoves , metho stoves and Jetboil systems . We used a combination of a hiking stove and a Trangia nested set of pots and metho burner to cook simple meals and boil water. The metho stove was actually the quickest to boil water. I also had a wind shield for the cartridge top hiking stove (burner only).
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Reply By: Batt's - Tuesday, Mar 19, 2024 at 18:52

Tuesday, Mar 19, 2024 at 18:52
I think one of the issues back several yrs ago was that people didn't follow the instructions. They have a max reccommended size pan to use and not indoors which I think one wally didn't follow and burt his van to the ground. I've got 2 that are several yrs old no problems.
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Reply By: Member - nickb boab - Wednesday, Mar 20, 2024 at 11:12

Wednesday, Mar 20, 2024 at 11:12
Colman hyperflame are excellent in the very windy condition with high output .
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Follow Up By: Member - nickb boab - Saturday, Mar 23, 2024 at 06:09

Saturday, Mar 23, 2024 at 06:09
Couldn't see the gas canisters blowing up in your shed it would need to get extremely hot but my concern as well as being when in the back of the ute on a hot day in the sun .
That's why I like the hyper flame as you can use a conventional gas bottle with its better safety features
Cheers Nick b

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Reply By: 2517. - Thursday, Mar 21, 2024 at 11:22

Thursday, Mar 21, 2024 at 11:22
Used one for years,no problems. A wind shield is a necessity as mentioned.
AnswerID: 645527

Reply By: Andrew L - Thursday, Mar 21, 2024 at 12:07

Thursday, Mar 21, 2024 at 12:07
People were putting large frypans on them covering the gas canister area subjecting it to the heat of the flames.
Butane boils at or around 0 degrees, so under that you cant get it alight as it is a liquid in the canister. Ive put one down my jacket and felt it boiling before using it, throwing a canister in the tent also increases reliability.
AnswerID: 645528

Reply By: Gbc.. - Tuesday, Mar 26, 2024 at 13:45

Tuesday, Mar 26, 2024 at 13:45
I bought one off amazon that runs both butane and coleman gas bottles. Simple solution for my ute kitchen with limited space.
AnswerID: 645550

Reply By: Member - Cuppa - Thursday, Mar 28, 2024 at 10:33

Thursday, Mar 28, 2024 at 10:33
I wouldn’t touch one of those butane stoves with a barge pole!
Yes I know they are popular, & that regulations re design were instituted to make them safer, & that using larger pots/pans which overlap the canister area is a no no

BUT

My experience with one was a very lucky escape & it had nothing to do with the design of the stove.

Rather, it had to do with the butane containers themselves. Two 6 packs of butane aerosols, bought at different times from different places, both well known brands - not ultra cheapies …… failed to seal in use & leaked dangerously. All 12 of them! And not just in the stove. I also tried them in a gas blowtorch I had with the same result.

Prior to this I had used the stove regularly with other canisters without issue, so user error was not the problem.

Consequently I decided I would never risk my life, nor my vehicle with them again. Yes it could have been bad batches of butane canisters, but two different brands a couple of months apart was sufficient for my trust in them to be lost.
See 'My Profile' (below) for link to our Aussie travel blog, now in it's 6th year.

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Follow Up By: Allan B (Sunshine Coast) - Thursday, Mar 28, 2024 at 22:46

Thursday, Mar 28, 2024 at 22:46
.
Well, the labels on the cans may be from differing brands, but perhaps the cans came from the same factory?
Cheers
Allan

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Reply By: Member - DarbW - Thursday, Mar 28, 2024 at 14:32

Thursday, Mar 28, 2024 at 14:32
I've used butane stoves since Adam played fullback for Jerusalem. They're useless in cold weather, dangerous in hot, to say nothing about the first generation being deadly as well... I still use one for a quick boil up beside the track though. I have other larger but heavier Primus stoves for the camp.
What I have discovered is a 3000 w inverter will power a portable induction cooker ($70 - $90 at Anaconda or BCF) and that will allow you to cook and cook quickly, even on days of total fire ban. If you get one that can be adjusted for power down to, say 1000 w) you can use a smaller inverter but it takes longer. Check your battery will handle it all and still be good for the fridge.
AnswerID: 645564

Reply By: Member - Ups and Downs - Friday, Mar 29, 2024 at 08:37

Friday, Mar 29, 2024 at 08:37
Despite the small number of instances of failure I can understand the reluctance of some to avoid his product.

I wonder though how many thousands (hundreds of?) are in use without a problem.

AnswerID: 645569

Follow Up By: Allan B (Sunshine Coast) - Friday, Mar 29, 2024 at 09:57

Friday, Mar 29, 2024 at 09:57
.
There are two types of appliances, one is inherently safe, the other requires a degree of care to be safe.

There are two types of users, one takes care, the other does not.

There are two outcomes.
Cheers
Allan

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Follow Up By: OzzieCruiser - Friday, Mar 29, 2024 at 13:23

Friday, Mar 29, 2024 at 13:23
I have used both the old unsafe version and the newer safe version for many years with no issues - even have one in the kitchen to use with the wok.

Cold weather - not an issue - keep the canister warm overnight, windy - not an issue make a basic wind break or move it out of the wind - easy peasy.
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FollowupID: 925853

Follow Up By: Kenell - Saturday, Mar 30, 2024 at 07:29

Saturday, Mar 30, 2024 at 07:29
Now I am really confused.

Why would you use a butane stove with a wok? I always thought a wok was what you throw at a wabbit when you haven't got a wifle.
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FollowupID: 925855

Follow Up By: AlbyNSW - Saturday, Mar 30, 2024 at 08:26

Saturday, Mar 30, 2024 at 08:26
Be werry werry kwiet….we are hunting wabbits
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Reply By: friar - Monday, Apr 01, 2024 at 13:05

Monday, Apr 01, 2024 at 13:05
I also have the old dual fuel stove,still got it but never used these days ,replaced with single dual fuel,Coleman,burner,compact,works great
AnswerID: 645587

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