That $20 Amazon camp stove melted my breakfast and my pride

I grabbed one of those cheap single burner stoves off Amazon for $20 thinking I scored a deal. First time using it at Big Bear Lake, the plastic fuel valve started warping after 2 minutes of cooking bacon. Lost a whole pack of expensive bacon and had to eat cold granola bars for the trip. Has anyone else had luck with those budget stoves or should I just save for a proper one?

3 comments

3 Comments

davis.noah29d ago

Did you check if the valve was actual metal or just painted plastic before you bought it? Tbh a lot of those cheap stoves use plastic parts that can't handle real heat from cooking. Ngl you're better off saving for a used Coleman stove off Craigslist, those things are tanks that'll last forever.

julia_patel28d ago

90 bucks for a new stove and the valve melted shut on my second trip out with it. @davis.noah you're totally right about metal vs plastic, but the real hidden issue nobody talks about is the gaskets on these budget stoves. The rubber gasket between the valve and the burner tube dried up and crumbled away after maybe three uses, then the whole thing started leaking gas out of the connection point. I had to ditch it in a parking lot and borrow a buddy's stove for the rest of the weekend.

oscarb7727d ago

Wait @davis.noah talked me out of budget stoves before and I honestly thought he was being dramatic but now I'm with you on this? Tbh I had the exact same gasket problem on a cheap stove last summer and it was terrifying having raw gas just venting out near the flame. Ngl I'm never buying anything under a hundred bucks again for camping gear after that experience.