New Soto Windmaster stove looks like it was previously owned ???????

[litetrek]

I just bought a new Soto Windmaster stove from REI in Alpharetta GA yesterday for full price. Today I took it out of the box and it has clearly be used before. The burner and stand are both heavily discolored which happens to metals after exposure to heat. Does anyone know if this particular stove gets test fired at the factory? I've bought quite a few canister stoves over the years and none of them ever came out of the box looking like this one.

[petedelisio]

Call REI today.

[litetrek]

Call REI today.

I don't want to sound too abrupt with this but do you honestly think I'm not smart enough to do that without help? I went to the store and they took back the stove. The one I bought was the only stove they had in stock so there was nothing to compare to. There was a lot of disagreement among the REI staff whether Soto test fires its stoves or doesn't test fire them. I asked here hoping someone would know since REI couldn't answer the question and I had to drive a long way to buy it and return it with no hope of finding another one in stock any time soon. I have about 5 stoves and none of them came out of the box looking used.

[CalebJ]

Have you tried reaching out to the manufacturer for clarification?

[zelph]

Have you tried alcohol stoves to fill the gap. They are much quieter than canister stoves

[gpburdelljr]

Here is a video that shows unboxing.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tZgQLv71fLQ

Right out of the box it is bright and shiny.
I’ve seen other reviews made by people that have used one for a while, and the used ones have the discoloration mentioned in post #1.

[zelph]

I've bought quite a few canister stoves over the years and none of them ever came out of the box looking like this one.

What has happened to the previously purchased canister stoves? The BRS-3000T stoves have been known to be totally unsafe, buyer beware!!!

The BRS-3000T stoves

[petedelisio]

Here is another unboxing video from the youtubes fore

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=toRD8X...VyIHVuYm94aW5n

[zelph]

Pete....from your video:

Screenshot 2024-03-09 2.19.42 PM.png

[Pringles]

I have taken a stove out of the box, and found that discoloration. But, it came with a note that explained they test a few at the factory, and mine had been tested. The good news was, it worked!

[TheAri]

I’ve had this happen before, and they’ll definitely help you out if you take it back