Brunton Crux Stove Review
Review by Dan James
- Product:
- Brunton Crux Stove (company site)
- What's Good:
- Small and Light, Simmering Capability, Fast, Easy to Pack.
- What's Bad:
- Support arms warp from the heat, Can't use a windscreen.
I bought this little stove from MEC last year and it’s been with me in my pack ever since. I initially bought the stove for two reasons: it’s small and it’s butane. I won’t get into the raging battle of butane vs. other fuels, but for an average three season low altitude hiker like myself butane gives you less headaches.
Size and Weight
The stove did turn out to be very light. It is also amazingly tiny. It also comes with a neoprene case that straps to the bottom of most butane cannisters for easy storage and packing. The case is great. The stove tucks into the case and it is snugged up inside the hollow of the cannister. This keeps the stove safe while in your pack and is a great use of the hollow shape of cannisters.
Cooking
The stove is powerful. It will boil a liter of water in three minutes. That seems to be above average. The simmering capabilities are great. The stoves valve is very accurate and you can finely adjust the flame to simmer your delicious batch of bland white rice. The stove can balance fairly large pots with little difficulty (I’ve used up to 2.5 liters on it). I would suggest getting a cannister stand to help you balance it when it’s cooking. As with almost all cannister stoves you cannot use a windscreen. This is a little annoying as you’ll burn more fuel without the added shelter.
Other Things
The only downside specific to this stove would be the supporting arms (the three arms that the pot sits on) . The flame from the burner heats up the arms and they get red hot. Mine have actually changed shape a little. They warp different amounts depending on the shape and size of the pot. I’ve had to use pliers to get them back into shape to fold up. This is VERY annoying and makes me second guess the stability of the stove while cooking. For that reason alone I’ll probably try out a different stove next time around.
Comments
H. Tomson - December 17, 2004 5:28 am
How much did it cost?
Jake - May 3, 2005 10:43 pm
Take some grammar lessons and go back to school! I cringe every time I read something you write - if you write so much you should follow at least some of the rules! It's irritating!
Ed Miller - January 15, 2006 2:13 am
Dan, your grammar is fine! Hey dude, Jake, why don't you get on a writer's chat line if your so bothered by grammar. Don't sweat the small stuff.
Ben - April 9, 2007 1:03 pm
Who cares about grammer. You wrote a great review. The Brunton Crux is a great lightweight stove that you can take anywhere.
Edwin - July 21, 2007 5:59 am
Grammar's fine. Jake'd better comment about the content if he were an adult.
Very good review, thanks a lot Dan James. How would you compare it to the MSR pocket rocket?