View Full Version : No-name knockoff of MSR rocket
newToThrough
06-01-2015, 01:14
Has anyone used one of these: http://www.amazon.com/Etekcity-Ultralight-Portable-Backpacking-Compatible/dp/B00B4FY8YO/ref=pd_sim_468_5?ie=UTF8&refRID=0SSZG6N9ZCHF49ECM446 OR: http://www.amazon.com/Ultralight-Backpacking-Canister-Burner-Ignition/dp/B004LUZCQM/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top?ie=UTF8 Did it hold up? I'm planning to hike the Colorado Trail, and wonder if this could handle it. Thanks!
Rocket Jones
06-01-2015, 06:36
I bought one that's very similar - no brand name on mine. I had to tweak the folding arms a little bit with a file and pliers so the pot would sit flat and stable, but after that it's been a solid stove.
Starchild
06-01-2015, 07:19
Works great, but have not really put it through it's paces yet. I have heard positive things from those who have.
Just Tom
06-01-2015, 08:43
A few scouts in our troop have those. Unfortunately we've seen problems with the pizeo on some of them. Pretty much a roll of the dice if you get a good one or a bad one. I'd lean towards a non pizeo, simpler design no-name one like this if you were going that route: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B006GT50EA?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o05_s00
Tuckahoe
06-01-2015, 09:09
I bought one of those no-name Chinese canister stoves back in 2013 -- http://www.amazon.com/Ultralight-Backpacking-Canister-Ignition-silvery/dp/B00ENDRORM/ref=pd_bia_nav_t_2?ie=UTF8&refRID=0DYR0Z6SVRDY1WW69WBV
And there has been somewhat of an on going thread about the stoves -- http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/showthread.php/99365-No-Name-Chinese-Stove?highlight=
I think that the one thing to take away on these stoves is that the piezo igniters simply suck, and I would therefore purchase one with the understanding that it is not an auto igniter.
Otherwise, at $6 to $10, they are great stoves. They are especially ideal for somone on a tight budget, kitting out kids/scouts, and those on their first hikes. I keep mine around as a hurricane preperation stove and to kit out friends when I take them on hikes.
I bought one in October of 2013...it shipped from mainland China and I didn't receive it until after Christmas, so keep that in mind if you're ordering...there are some sellers that ship from the US but they are more in the $9 to $12 range if you want it fast...if you can wait for overseas shipping you're looking in the $6 range. So far I've run 2 canisters of fuel through mine without any problems. Like others have said, don't count on the igniter working...I've always been in the habit of lighting with a lighter anyway so I don't usually remember to try the igniter.
I've used mine on weekend backpacking trips just boiling water and also used it on canoe trips where we did full scale cooking. Some have questioned whether one should depend on a piece of $6 Chinese crap when out in the woods, but none of these people have actually used the stove in question and I have yet to see where somebody reported that the stove failed on them while in the field. I think this stove is a bargain, and its cheap enough that if it does fail you aren't out much...but like I said, from all the doubts and criticism I have yet to hear somebody say "this stove blew up on me" or "I was on an overnight trip and had to eat dinner cold because the stove wouldn't work."
newToThrough
06-01-2015, 15:19
Thanks for the replies and the link to the other thread. Overall, the reviews seem good so I'm going to order the one that's labeled with the Electek brand name, only because it ships "Amazon Prime," and not from China directly. It's only 3 dollars more anyway, and this way I know it'll be here when I'm ready to go.
I've got one and used it for over a year. The only issue I had was the piezo igniter, which worked twice and then no more. I took mine off (the igniter) while on a multi day hike and never looked back. No tools aside from my hands were used, and removing the igniter knocks the stove weight down to 2.4oz. I used it quite a bit across a year, and had no issues with it at all. Would typically get 16 boils per small canister on trail.
u.w.
Firesong
06-01-2015, 20:52
Bought two. One for both kids. 2 years later and several hikes and canoe trips they are both working great including the igniter.
I took one on 5 week long trips and a JMT thru last year and I intend on bringing that same one on my SOBO AT thru this year. Works just as well as the pocket rocket and the ignitor has not caused me any issues. Works every time. I will be keeping a spare at home just in case. I would highly recommend this stove! Good luck!
newToThrough
06-12-2015, 02:57
I just got one of these and it's very impressive so far. Haven't used it at all but everyone's comments helped me decide. Thanks!
sethd513
08-14-2015, 09:30
Got mine yesterday to supplement our windboiler and the Pizo failed after first boil but we have an msr igniter in the gear pile so I just removed it off the stove and am taking the portable one. Boiled 12oz in 2.5 minutes with a wind screen and lid so I'll have to get use to that but saving 10 oz is worth it.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
I'm almost done with my third canister and I've had no issues aside from the igniter as others have said. I should also mention that on canoe trips I use this to cook in a cast iron skillet...you have to get the skillet centered on the stove but it is strong enough to support that heavy pan.
Mouser999
09-16-2015, 11:06
I have used one on many of my bicycle trips. Always werked fine for me
Piezo lighters even on some higher priced canister stoves are sketchy. On these very cheap models even more so IMO. I don't know how anyone else feels about it but I don't like hauling a more complex stove designed with added wt/volume, no matter how minimal, that is just useless and unduly unreliable.
IMO, there are better canister stoves designs out there than what I've seen linked to on this thread that ship free originating from the U.S. being at your doorstep within 5 biz days w/ up to 2 yr guarantees that are better quality all around gas stoves in several categories(lower wt, greater heat output, lower gas usage, greater reliability, compactability, ease of shipping, guaranteed, with less complexity that can go wrong, etc) in that $10 price range.
rocketsocks
09-16-2015, 14:40
Piezo lighters even on some higher priced canister stoves are sketchy. On these very cheap models even more so IMO. I don't know how anyone else feels about it but I don't like hauling a more complex stove designed with added wt/volume, no matter how minimal, that is just useless and unduly unreliable.
IMO, there are better canister stoves designs out there than what I've seen linked to on this thread that ship free originating from the U.S. being at your doorstep within 5 biz days w/ up to 2 yr guarantees that are better quality all around gas stoves in several categories(lower wt, greater heat output, lower gas usage, greater reliability, compactability, ease of shipping, guaranteed, with less complexity that can go wrong, etc) in that $10 price range.
Do tell, do tell.
limehollow
11-21-2015, 09:03
I've used a tiny BRS stove that cost 12 dollars when traveling this summer and it worked perfectly. Not as durable as MSR, but if used carefully, seems like it will last just fine. I plan to take it out west this winter. In the East I use a firefly wood stove now, which is probably my favorite piece of gear. Can't describe how much I enjoy not having to take any toxic alcohol or canisters with me while hiking. The boil times with the firefly are just as good in my experience.
3271132712
Kaptainkriz
11-21-2015, 16:16
Both the BRS-3000t and the oilcamp vector are great.
squeezebox
11-21-2015, 17:36
One question you have to ask yourself. This probably Chinese company bought some pocket rockets, took them apart, completely ignored the copyright laws. made their own, and started selling them for 1/4 price. Sticking MSR in the butt. By buying one of these you also ignored the copyright laws. Do you feel okay about it?
Yea! I bought one also.
Tuckahoe
11-21-2015, 21:47
One question you have to ask yourself. This probably Chinese company bought some pocket rockets, took them apart, completely ignored the copyright laws. made their own, and started selling them for 1/4 price. Sticking MSR in the butt. By buying one of these you also ignored the copyright laws. Do you feel okay about it?
Yea! I bought one also.
Pure bunk and BS. What unique technology is included in the design, manufacture and use of a MSR canister stove that is not already well known and used across all stove designs that would amount to a patent infringement?
squeezebox
11-21-2015, 23:26
Geez!!! What's the hissy fit about??
I paid $5.48 for mine! Works great once lit but it sprays fuel for a split second until the canister is totally screwed on. I've never used one of these, so probably user error. Seen the same one at walmart for like $20-$25 bucks. The canister was bought at walmart too. It's a primus power gas 8.9 0z. canister, 370 grams full. Brings 2 cups cups of water to a boil using 9 grams of fuel.
Tuckahoe
11-22-2015, 08:19
Geez!!! What's the hissy fit about??
I dont think it was a hissy fit, as much as it was calling BS on your claims of an infringement of intellectual property. Tace aut face!
4eyedbuzzard
11-22-2015, 10:35
One question you have to ask yourself. This probably Chinese company bought some pocket rockets, took them apart, completely ignored the copyright laws. made their own, and started selling them for 1/4 price. Sticking MSR in the butt. By buying one of these you also ignored the copyright laws. Do you feel okay about it?
Yea! I bought one also.
Pure bunk and BS. What unique technology is included in the design, manufacture and use of a MSR canister stove that is not already well known and used across all stove designs that would amount to a patent infringement?
FWIW, MSR Pocketrocket is manufactured in China. Typically the knock-offs are being produced in an adjacent factory/shop, or maybe even in the same one. What's the difference? Cheaper metals, looser machining tolerances, testing, meeting safety standards for the market country, design criteria, engineering and quality standards, technical documentation, construction, quality of component parts, machining tolerances, etc.
A potential issue is that MSR stoves are CSA and CE certified - certified as to design and construction for use in US, Canadian, and European markets. This could prove to be a liability issue if the stove is used by someone and they get injured (such as scouts), or if your stove malfunctions and causes some other sort of damage.
Tuckahoe
11-22-2015, 10:47
Small correction in that the Pocket Rocket is manufactured in Korea.
4eyedbuzzard
11-22-2015, 11:26
Small correction in that the Pocket Rocket is manufactured in Korea.I stand corrected. I saw both Korea and China listed, although on further checking around it seems most do say Korea.
For example http://www.dickssportinggoods.com/product/index.jsp?productId=4008945 shows China as country of origin.
Some of these cheap stoves may be very well made, but some are probably not so well made. The problem is how do you know?
squeezebox
11-22-2015, 14:57
Pure bunk and BS. What unique technology is included in the design, manufacture and use of a MSR canister stove that is not already well known and used across all stove designs that would amount to a patent infringement?
I can't answer your question. But I have heard of a lot copyright infringement out there. More pirate CDs & DVDs, but other stuff as well.
squeezebox
11-22-2015, 15:27
When a multi-national company moves it's factory(s) overseas to get the best bottom line. And tries to claim intellectual infringement, when the same workers make "knock offs". There's most of the BS is. I'll support the workers. The only work the executives do in on the backs of the workers.
I still think there is no easy answer.
4eyedbuzzard
11-22-2015, 22:06
When a multi-national company moves it's factory(s) overseas to get the best bottom line. And tries to claim intellectual infringement, when the same workers make "knock offs". There's most of the BS is. I'll support the workers. The only work the executives do in on the backs of the workers.
I still think there is no easy answer.I don't have a big issue with a small company of workers getting together and making and selling a gas stove for standardized canisters. But where I disagree with you is when a foreign manufacturer knocks-off an established patented design almost as an exact copy. There's a lot of money invested in design, engineering, tooling and marketing to bring an item to market that consumers find desirable. Copying a product outright isn't just a matter of wage workers cutting out the "surplus profit" inherent in capitalism so to speak. Most of these knock-offs aren't being made by entrepreneurial machinists, they're being made by cutthroat businessmen setting up sweat shops and hiring the lowest wage workers who wind up working under worse conditions than the workers at the legitimate business. Companies like MSR typically inspect their foreign operations and/or contractors to avoid quality issues, worker abuse (really bad PR), etc. If anything, if you really care about the workers, you'll typically find they enjoy better wages and treatment when they are employed making the legitimate name brand products.
Starchild
11-22-2015, 22:26
I don't have a big issue with a small company of workers getting together and making and selling a gas stove for standardized canisters. But where I disagree with you is when a foreign manufacturer knocks-off an established patented design almost as an exact copy. There's a lot of money invested in design, engineering, tooling and marketing to bring an item to market that consumers find desirable. Copying a product outright isn't just a matter of wage workers cutting out the "surplus profit" inherent in capitalism so to speak. Most of these knock-offs aren't being made by entrepreneurial machinists, they're being made by cutthroat businessmen setting up sweat shops and hiring the lowest wage workers who wind up working under worse conditions than the workers at the legitimate business. Companies like MSR typically inspect their foreign operations and/or contractors to avoid quality issues, worker abuse (really bad PR), etc. If anything, if you really care about the workers, you'll typically find they enjoy better wages and treatment when they are employed making the legitimate name brand products.
That is not the case here, AFASK there is no real name brand stove remotely similar to these. It appears a unique design, and hopefully will not be counterfeited as they deserve to make some money on it, as it really helps out us not to enrich the shareholders of MSR (and others) and the CEO of those companies, when all we need is a simple stove to backpacking.
squeezebox
11-23-2015, 12:54
I still don't know. Here in St. Louis At Washington University St. louis there has been a large increase in the Asian student population for a while. So more of the burgeoning Asian Bourgeois can afford to send their kids to American Universities. Do they treat their workers any better than the multi-nationals that have set up in Asia. My guess is their workers are probably treated worse, but the multi-nationals are not far behind.
I'm just pissing in the wind and guessing.
I still don't know. Here in St. Louis At Washington University St. louis there has been a large increase in the Asian student population for a while. So more of the burgeoning Asian Bourgeois can afford to send their kids to American Universities. Do they treat their workers any better than the multi-nationals that have set up in Asia. My guess is their workers are probably treated worse, but the multi-nationals are not far behind.
I'm just pissing in the wind and guessing.This is a good reason to buy Chinese stuff. I've never bought into the whole "buy American" thing. The best way to defeat communism isn't to isolate them, its to let them get rich on capitalism, send their kids to American universities, learn more capitalism, learn freedom, learn rights...and then go back to their home country and set brushfires in the minds of their fellow man.
4eyedbuzzard
11-24-2015, 12:59
This is a good reason to buy Chinese stuff. I've never bought into the whole "buy American" thing. The best way to defeat communism isn't to isolate them, its to let them get rich on capitalism, send their kids to American universities, learn more capitalism, learn freedom, learn rights...and then go back to their home country and set brushfires in the minds of their fellow man.Which would be a good thing - in moderation. The difficult part is in managing that process so as not to sacrifice your own country in the process. And we aren't doing a particularly good job at that.
rocketsocks
11-24-2015, 15:19
This is a good reason to buy Chinese stuff. I've never bought into the whole "buy American" thing. The best way to defeat communism isn't to isolate them, its to let them get rich on capitalism, send their kids to American universities, learn more capitalism, learn freedom, learn rights...and then go back to their home country and set brushfires in the minds of their fellow man.Been many years since the big one, and several generations removed...what are they waiting for? Perhaps they didn't buy into the whole buy America thing either.
squeezebox
11-24-2015, 19:20
My ex-wife is all but dissertation in Political Science. She has a 1/2 a bookshelf dedicated to ethics and capitalism. I serious think we are not going to find the answer here. But it is something that I think we should all think about.
RIP
OhioHiker
03-03-2017, 09:09
I use that exact stove. I used a wind shield and it trapped enough heat to totally melt the starter. I still use the stove, just have to light with a lighter now.
seems to work well and boil fast.
I am currently looking to expand my cook system past only boiling water. I am probably going to get a MSR Windburner and fry pan.