View Full Version : Snow Peak GigaPower
sleeman13
01-12-2009, 19:30
What's the difference between all the Snow Peak GigaPower stoves?
1) Made w/ titanium
2) Made w/ stainless steel and aluminum
3) Made w/ an autostarter
Any reviews/experiences on any of these are welcome. I'm looking into getting one, and don't know which one is the best.
Thanks.
weight. price. and ability to start without a match or flint. I own and like the titanium giga without the autostarter.
I have the stainless with auto-start... hardly more weight than the Ti version, yet a fair bit less coin.
Good little stove...
Cool AT Breeze
01-12-2009, 23:43
The auto start dosen't seem to last very long. Use a lighter.
Any of the gigpower are fine stoves. The Ti model is slightly lest weight. I don't think it worth the extra cost, but some people care about every fractional ounce. The auto-starter is very handy, but I have found that around 9-10k ft it tends to be unreliable. Along the AT it should be fine.
Overall, I would recommend it. I found it a more stable than a number of the other "on top of canister" stove because it has four rather than 3 "arms" for the pot to rest on. It's a bit slower than some of the other stoves, but tends to be pretty good on the efficiency scale and produces less carbon monoxide than most other stoves.
--Mark
I have the stainless, with autostart, love it, it boils my water in alittle over 2 minutes and simmers nice. They told me it was very important to use the giga fuel only....not sure why, love mine, so lite!
Cool AT Breeze
01-13-2009, 01:29
So that Snow Peak gets the money.
I have and love the SS with the auto ignighter. I couldn't justify the money for the Ti version, but love the auto ignighter and have never had it fail in 4 years and I am out 40-50 nights a year.
buckwheat
01-13-2009, 04:28
They told me it was very important to use the Giga fuel only....not sure why...
'Cuz they don't make $146.00 per gallon on the stove. :-?
It works in the same way that Hewlett-Packard doesn't make money on printers. HP makes its money selling you ink at horribly exorbitant rates.
Isobutane stove manufacturers can make around $146.00/gallon selling you fuel 3.5 ounces at a time.
You could easily substitute any pressurized isobutane fuel canister (for example, from Giga's competitor's such as JetBoil or Primus). They all have the same sized screw attachment at the top of the can. I've compared prices, and you will pay per canister (roughly 3.5 ounces of fuel) about $3.50-$4.00 if you shop around. Nobody offers substantially lower cost fuel than this.
Kerosene
01-13-2009, 08:13
The auto start dosen't seem to last very long. Use a lighter.I concur. In fact, you have to bring matches or a lighter anyway as backup, so I'd go without the auto-starter.
I've used various types of isobutane canisters, including the tiny 100g JetBoil canister, with my GigaPower.
Check out the new LiteMax (http://www.snowpeak.com/back/stoves/ultralight.html), which cuts about an ounce off and offers 10% more BTUs. That's what I'd get if I was going to replace mine.
saimyoji
01-13-2009, 09:09
'Cuz they don't make $146.00 per gallon on the stove. :-?
It works in the same way that Hewlett-Packard doesn't make money on printers. HP makes its money selling you ink at horribly exorbitant rates.
Isobutane stove manufacturers can make around $146.00/gallon selling you fuel 3.5 ounces at a time.
You could easily substitute any pressurized isobutane fuel canister (for example, from Giga's competitor's such as JetBoil or Primus). They all have the same sized screw attachment at the top of the can. I've compared prices, and you will pay per canister (roughly 3.5 ounces of fuel) about $3.50-$4.00 if you shop around. Nobody offers substantially lower cost fuel than this.
coleman fuel cannisters are about half the price i think: twice as big for the same price.
nitewalker
01-13-2009, 09:21
im looking at buying one of the snow peak giga stoves and would like to know what are the coldest temps some of you have used the stove in? will it work in -20* to -50* weather or should i go get a white fuel stove for the true cold temps..
thanks, nitewalker
I have used mine as low as 4*F but they don't work well below about 17*F unless you have a remote canister and invert it (so not the Gigapower). For temps that low, white gas is your friend.
coldspring
01-13-2009, 13:24
coleman fuel cannisters are about half the price i think: twice as big for the same price.
That's what I use with my Gigapower stainless w/ manual ignition, it's available in Wal-Mart. When I go to the city, I pick up Jetboil canisters, as they don't sell Snow Peak ones. I actually think the Coleman brand fuel works better than the Jetboil, although I haven't really tested it over a wide range of temperatures or elevations.
Kerosene
01-13-2009, 14:18
im looking at buying one of the snow peak giga stoves and would like to know what are the coldest temps some of you have used the stove in? will it work in -20* to -50* weather or should i go get a white fuel stove for the true cold temps..Go with white gas. I've used a canister down to 20F successfully, but I warmed it up in my sleeping bag beforehand.
Jack Tarlin
01-13-2009, 14:54
These are fine stoves.
Personally I don't think the weight savings is significant enough to warrant the extra expense of the all-Titanium model, so unless you're some kind of gram weenie, the regular model will do just fine.
And I don't trust push button igniters. Sooner or later, they stop working and you'll need your lighter anyway.
Keep it as simple as possible. The fewer features, the fewer things to break or go wrong. The regular model will do you just fine.
I see this the same way that Jack does. I've got the non-titanium model that has the igniter. My recollection is that we had to return it at one point because the igniter had failed. It's still working on the replacement, but it's not as if I would ever hike with it without also carrying matches or a lighter --- just a matter of slight convenience when firing it up.
slowandlow
01-13-2009, 20:52
I concur. In fact, you have to bring matches or a lighter anyway as backup, so I'd go without the auto-starter.
I've used various types of isobutane canisters, including the tiny 100g JetBoil canister, with my GigaPower.
Check out the new LiteMax (http://www.snowpeak.com/back/stoves/ultralight.html), which cuts about an ounce off and offers 10% more BTUs. That's what I'd get if I was going to replace mine.
I swtched from a white gas stove to the LiteMax and I am very pleased with it.
It's available at WalMart?.... I don't think so....
Great stove.
I agree 100 %
nitewalker
01-14-2009, 07:52
Go with white gas. I've used a canister down to 20F successfully, but I warmed it up in my sleeping bag beforehand.
kero thanks for the input...i have used my msr pocket rocket in temps down to about 5* although i did keep the fuel cylinder inside my sleeping bag overnite. i awoke in the morning took it out and proceeded to boil lots of water for coffee. im just trying to gauge the limits of the snowpeak giga. i have heard that the stove performs better in colder temps than most iso canister stoves. im looking for the lowest possible succesful boil with the giga stove. i assume it must be in the 0* range...:-?