Jetboil Sol or MSR Reactor?

[SeanO]

Looking for an integrated canister stove system. The new Sol Ti heats up to .8L of water, weighs 8.5oz. without canister, and outputs little CO. The MSR Reactor heats up to 1.7L of water, weighs 19oz. without canister, and outputs a lot of CO. I'm a member of BackpackingLight and their latest roundup of stoves from a few months ago shows that the Sol Ti is very competitive in terms of time, though the Reactor is definitely faster and uses a little bit more fuel. Another big plus for the Reactor is that it isn't affected by wind.

 

Use is for spring/summer Cascades mountaineering, always just heating water for one or two, with occasional shoulder-season jaunts at temps near freezing. Also need to melt snow. It's a tough choice. Anyone have an informed opinion?

Edited December 6, 2011 by whitenoise

[Dannible]

The reactor is faster at melting snow and is more convenient for that because of the size, so if you are gonna be doing that most of the time I'd say go with the reactor. It's also kind of neat how quiet it is. Otherwise go with the sol because it is a lot lighter. For your purpose, I'd suggest sol for sure. It works fine in the wind if you put a little effort into blocking it (I often will hold it close to me for the warmth and let my body block the wind) and I have used it with fine results below 0 degrees (again, holding it in my lap). It is so light and melts snow so fast that I carry a lot less or no water when I have it with me because I know I can stop and have a liter in 5 minutes or so.

[robertjoy]

I own both stoves. I purchased the REACTOR for two reasons: 1. greater wind resistance which can be VERY important when cooking high above treeline, and 2. the larger capacity is necessary for efficient snow-melting. I actually use the Reactor on only two or three climbs per year (for melting snow). Melting snow for a party of TWO could be very time consuming using the SOL, especially if windy. If, like me, you need to melt snow only a few time per year, I would suggest you get the SOL plus a good windscreen, and have your climbing partner bring his own stove setup if snow melting will be required.

[Le Piston]

I used to have the pre-Ti Jetboil and moved on to the MSR Reactor...love it! The Reactor wins hands down for melting snow, where a bigger pot is much better. If you're only heating water for one person, go with the Jetboil, but .8 liters of water doesn't go very far between two or more people. Just curious though how the Jetboil manages to minimize carbon monoxide output more than the MSR?

[SeanO]

Thanks for the feedback everyone. It confirms my suspicions that you can't do better for fast snow melting than the Reactor. As most of my overnight trips will involve melting snow, I think it's the better purchase. Ironically though, I could see myself ideally owning both the Sol and the Reactor.

 

Do any of you cook inside your tent with this thing? Seems to be a lingering concern about CO poisoning. You can read the article about it on backpackinglight.com if you're a member. Basically, the Reactor outputs many times more CO than competing stoves. Slightly concerned about needing to cook inside my tent and dying, heh.

 

 

[ryanb]

You can get the 1.8 L sumo cup for the jetboil. I think they are even supposed to start selling it in a package with the sol base eventually.

 

Last winter I used a standard jetboil for melting snow during one of the cold snaps for two people and the (1L) pot was a bit small. Keeping the canister warm enough was also a pain.

 

I bought the sumo cup this summer and it is great for cooking enough water to do a meal, drinks and have soem left over for washing or bathing but I haven't melted snow with it yet.

 

The sol is supposed to be more cold resistant and I will probably upgrade at some point.

[layton]

anyone got both the Sol Ti, and the Reactor?

if so, please PM me, I have a science experiment for you.

[Bigtree]

I bought the Ti ~ 7 months ago. Set it up on work bench at home for test burn and was disappointed at how floppy the burner was when mounted to the canister. Struck me as an accident waiting to happen ( ie spilled boiling water in tent). Immediately returned it and bought the Reactor. Have been very pleased with performance so far. Was camping this past weekend in the local mountains in very windy conditions (bivy bag and cooking outdoors). Every JetBoil in group was having trouble staying lit but the Reactor performed flawlessly. I have 4 stoves in the workshop and have had an older JetBoil (unregulated version) but the Reactor is my hands down favorite. Get one.

[ASmith]

I recently took both stoves, one for drinks, one for food, up Rainier for 5 days for three people and by day three we were doing everything with only the Reactor as it was just so much more efficient and faster. The Reactor was even melting water for the 2 tents next door at 3:1 of what their white gas stove was doing.

 

I have used mine in my Katium 3GT vestibule several times using common sense and venting. I was always more concerned with the rising heat melting the tent fabric.

[Water]

2nd the reactor. a total beast for speed and making water/melting snow/ice. there is a weight penalty and I can see your hemming and hawing from the perspective of backpackinglight, as the reactor gets poo-poo'd there in a lot of respects. The real test is in the field though, and as you'll read above the anecdotes lauding it.

 

have a reactor too and hell we use it in the summer too, i honestly dont mind the weight penalty. we haven't cooked in a pot in years other than making cider mix/tea so the fact that the reactor is best suited to just boiling doesn't bother us at all.

 

[layton]

i keep my reactor in my truck with a french press for coffee on the go, or for winter camping. it's powerful and reliable, but it isn't the most efficient stove (power and reliability are more important than fuel savings in the situations where the reactor shines).

 

For ice routes with a bivy in which keeping a canister warm would be a seious issue, over a week of glacier base-camping to keep the canisters from piling up, or areas where getting canister fuel is not possible I would opt the MSR XGK-EK over the reactor.

 

if I had to get a new non-winter stove, I would seriously consider the new jetboil Ti over a micro canister such as the "pocket rocket" or the Soto. Looking at its weight compared to a micro canister stove + pot, it's pretty damn close. Add a bit of fuel savings and some serious boil time convenience, I'd rather pack an extra once or two. I think the fuel savings would come into play more by using it car camping since most folks rarely do long enough backcountry Climbing trips to notice any weight savings by bringing less canisters. And if that is the case, probably best to bring a whisperlite. I'll let the folks over at backpacking light fight it out.

 

 

[SeanO]

Thanks everyone for your replies. It sounds like based on your opinions and others that for melting snow or just boiling water in the mountains, you can't beat the Reactor. And that's primarily what I'd be using it for.

 

Just placed my order. I would like to see someone here who owns both stoves do an experiment still...

[layton]

super bored at work, here's the experiment i figured that would recreate how these area actually used.

 

Start with a sluryy of ice and water, straining the ice off. This should make the water 32 degrees. since the jetboil is only .8 oz, get out a timer and digital thermometer (since it's hard to say when something is truly boiling). Pick a temperature just below boiling (remember boiling point is lower the higher you are - maybe test on a stove top pan of boiling water first). Record the time it takes .8L to come to an almost boil (say 200 degrees).

Immediately turn the stove off and let it cool to room temp, and let the canister warm to room temp. Repeat with a new slurry.

Repeat until you are out of gas. I'd use a small MSR gas canister for each since a.)it will take less time b.)the fuel mixture is blended for 4 season use due to its fuel blend.

 

How many liters boiled will let you know which stove would be better for fuel savings over time when compared to the weight of the stove/pot combo(a chart showing weight of stove, weight of canisters, and liter boiled should show at what point it becomes more efficient to carry a heavier stove, assuming the heavier stove is more efficient).

 

It would be a shame to not have the same data with the Soto stove, windscreen, and a 0.8L titanium pot, which is supposed to be a very efficient mirco canister stove (a' la pocket-rocket).

 

Finally, for the "A+" grade, repeat the experiment by sticking everything in the freezer each time and putting a huge fan in the way.

 

[Ryan Spivey]

Full disclosure: I rep for Jetboil

 

Jetboil will be adding a Ti Sumo pot this spring which should bring the total stove and pot weight to 12oz. That's compared to 19oz. for the Reactor and pot and the Sumo-Ti is .1 liter bigger which is really basically the same.

 

The Sol burner is tuned to run down to roughly 20 degrees before there's a drop off in output. In those sames tests the MSR Reactor starts dropping off at 30 degrees.

 

The Sol burner/pot is also more fuel efficient boiling you an extra 1-2 liters per 100 gram canister. The Reactor will boil a liter of water about 30 seconds faster but to me the 7oz. of extra weight and the 10-20% fuel efficinecy savings are more important that those 30 seconds. Wind is absolutely the enemy of the Jetboil though and the Reactor shines here. If you can't get out of the wind go with a Reactor. If CO and weight are a concern get a Sumo Ti.

 

I will say the Ti pots are almost too eficient. You need to have water in the bottom of the pot to start melting snow or you will literally melt the flux ring off the bottom of the pot. Colin Haley confirmed this for me in Alaska last spring.

 

Ultimately you're comparing a Lamborghini and a Ferrari. They're both great stoves and have their merits. Some people swear by one or the other and have good reasons for it. Close your eyes and pick one and you'll probably be psyched.

 

[SeanO]

Thanks for the info Ryan. I bought a Reactor and it's pretty darn awesome, but I'll definitely consider the Jetboil when I'm in the market for a lighter stove come summer.

[layton]

Ryan, why doesn't the collective "they" make the bottom of Titanium pots out of aluminum and the outside titanium? seems like that would be the perfect compromise between weight savings and efficiency.

 

 

[Coldfinger]

Thanks for the info Ryan. I bought a Reactor and it's pretty darn awesome, but I'll definitely consider the Jetboil when I'm in the market for a lighter stove come summer.

 

Soto od1r!

[dberdinka]

A 2/3rds size and weight Reactor would be the shit for those of us who spend most of our time somewhere other than the Himalaya or AK. MSR listen up!

[Ryan Spivey]

Ryan, why doesn't the collective "they" make the bottom of Titanium pots out of aluminum and the outside titanium? seems like that would be the perfect compromise between weight savings and efficiency.

 

 

That's been my thought and I imagine that will be the direction or it just isn't realistic from a materials/construction standpoint. Unfortunately for both these brands the meat of the market is in people who are not looking for the most extreme performance and the cost that comes with it. MSR sells a lot of Pocket Rockets and Jetboil sells a lot of Zips and Flashes. We've been fortunate in the last five years or so to see so much innovation in what was a fairly dormant category.

 

Oh and Soto seems to be doing interesting things as well. As a biased rep I don't have a lot of respect for some of the models out there that are incrementally different to dodge patent issues but there's always somebody that's going to do that.

 

I will say that most non-integrated stoves use Jetboil's 1.5 liter pot when they set they're boiling and efficiency numbers so buyer beware when using a regular pot.

[Coldfinger]

Gotta say having used a pressure regulated stove (and also a pressure regulated coleman heater for that matter) I am NEVER going back to a non-regulated canister stove....

[tvashtarkatena]

Aluminum + any other metal = rapid corrosion.

 

Critical pot diameter to flame diameter ratio for maximum cooking efficiency is 2:1 minimum. Efficiency drops off rapidly when with that ratio. Jetboil pots are invariably tall and skinny, however - the worst shape for efficiency. What gives?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Coldfinger]

Ryan, why doesn't the collective "they" make the bottom of Titanium pots out of aluminum and the outside titanium? seems like that would be the perfect compromise between weight savings and efficiency.

 

 

That technology already exists, google "Teflon® with Radiance"; folks are perfecting the pan coating, seems like titanium is NOT the ideal pan material with the exception of true ultralight applications (i.e. using a titanium pan with an xgk doesn't make much sense, but with the simmerlite or OD1R might).

 

Besides aluminum pans are now quite durable as they are anodized, which is why MSR seems to be shifting towards anodized uncoated aluminum and away from titanium.

[layton]

I actually own the 1L pot with the teflon technology. unfortunately it's super thick and the weight savings just don't seem worth it for anything but prolonged winter camping, and the reactor does a better job.

[stever]

I noticed Jetboil has the sumo group cooking system now:

http://www.mec.ca/AST/ShopMEC/HikingCamping/StovesFuel/Stoves/PRD~5027-179/jetboil-sumo-group-cooking-system.jsp

How does this compare to the reactor now that the pot is the similar size?

 

[Eric K]

Jetboil Sumo Ti looks like my next stove. It has the same pot size, a similar boil time/efficiency, weighs 6oz less, and it puts out less carbon. I cook in my tent so that sounds perfect. I hated melting snow with my friends old jetboil because the pot would never hold enough water. But I do like that the pot actually attaches to the stove. This whole system look much better to me, but I have not seen it in person yet though. Sumo Ti

 

Eric