Sterno Dynamo?

[Farfyter]

Went into a local Walmart last night and found Sterno Dynamo. Looks like a Pocket Rocket style stove,folds up real small into a green plastic storage box. $24. Never heard of this before. Not on Sterno website. Also has pizeo ignitor. Anybody familiar?

[Starchild]

Good little stove, is it a bit rough around the edges but fine in the field, got mine direct from china for about $6, many sellers out there, some branded some not, all comes from the same place AFAIK. There is another stove going for around $15 or so that is under 1 oz and made of titanium.

[Wil]

There is another stove going for around $15 or so that is under 1 oz and made of titanium.Thanks. I just ordered one of those from gearbest.com for $10.96 including shipping. We'll see.

[Starchild]

Thanks. I just ordered one of those from gearbest.com for $10.96 including shipping. We'll see.

Would love a report on that stove, have not gotten any feedback yet.

[Wil]

Would love a report on that stove ("There is another stove going for around $15 or so that is under 1 oz and made of titanium.") , have not gotten any feedback yet.Got mine today. 0.89 oz., 0.96 with included bag. Advertised at 25 grams so at 25.14 that's accurate.

Though simple (the jets are simply triangular stamped out fins), it's not shoddy in any obvious way. It works. In a very casual quick tryout, boil time seemed ballpark with my other gas stoves. Haven't done any precise tests yet at all; no opinion about fuel efficiency. Put it out in a light breeze and it kept going. Flame is pretty concentrated in the center and the pot supports don't go out very far so this is for relatively small pots (mine is 5" diameter and I wouldn't go much wider) or a cup. Simmered surprisingly well, better than my memory of at least some other gas burners I've used, significantly below boiling (sea level), though the flame yellows that low and is probably inefficient.

It's certainly not going to last forever. The three swing out pot supports, attached by rivets, with a locking (when deployed) dimple, look like potential points of failure as there's going to be mechanical and heat stress. I would wrap a tiny rubber band around the supports when packed because they do not lock "closed." Two of the supports rest against the sides of the circular fuel cart screw-on and so have some mechanical support in storage, but the third support just kinda hangs out there loose. And valves on even mainstream lightweight burners are always vulnerable in my experience (particularly at the low simmer end, which is at least initially a strength here). But this is not an heirloom I plan to pass on to the great grandkids someday.

Overall first impression is pretty good, especially given the price and weight.

[Wil]

Used it for first time on a trip. Three meals. In terms of fuel efficiency it was about exactly the same as the typical 3 oz. burners. Simmer continues to impress; I used it a bit more than usual, specifically rewarming all three lukewarm meals (I am a slow eater), with no observable increase in overall fuel usage (three meals is a small sample size). Rewarming a meal is a bit of a pain for some alcohol stoves. Very warm weather and no wind at all, so not a stressful test.

I am impressed enough so I will continue using it for awhile instead of my usual (in recent years) alcohol stove. I noticed that the small fuel canisters pack in a little more fuel than a few years ago when I used to use them all the time. The combo of this added capacity plus a 2 oz. saving on the burner itself make this seem at first try a very attractive alternative to alcohol.

[Wil]

Don't know exactly why I keep providing info on this economy ultralight gas burner, but just in case:

Used it on a second trip, four dinners. Fuel efficiency remains in line with previous heavier gas burners. Some wind this time and no problem but nowhere near a severe test yet. The simmer continues to greatly impress me; wonderful for rewarming and the fuel usage is so low on simmer I'm increasing the "on stove" time slightly and thus decreasing the "in the cozy" time drastically.

For trips short enough for one canister, this is now my choice over alcohol; never thought that would happen.

I tuck the stove into a plastic bathroom cup (3 oz. capacity) I use as a measuring cup, and slide the cup into my cook pot alongside the canister. A tight fit but there is very little stress on the swing arms which I had previously identified as a potential point of failure.