MSR Windburner or Reactor?

[MAVinWA]

I had gone thru 2 Jetboils. Ignitor malfunctions drove me nuts.

now, never go without my Reactor...it's the best all around.

 

[nrh6.7]

No experience with the Reactor, but have the Windburner and love it. I have the skillet made for it also and it rocks. Won't take it hunting but for camping would be awesome. Cooked my eggs in it for a solid week after it came in.

 

[jkburton08]

I

There are rings/stands you can get that allow you use a frying pan. I don’t know if they work and have only seen them on ebay

I’ll have to check it out. Thanks!


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[NevadaZielmeister]

After my jetboil sol caught fire and melted I went with a windburner, I really like it and it does what it is supposed to, I also like the frying pan which works great as well. I haven’t tried the Reactor but it probably is more bombproof then the windburner but the windburner has worked well for me the last 2 seasons.

My JetBoil Sumo also caught fire but I was able to put it out. It had something to do with the old pressure regulator. Either way, that really ruined my confidence in JetBoil.

 

[BrushyHillGuide]

It’s amazing how many negative reports there are for JetBoil stoves and yet people just KEEP ON buying them. What’s the deal with that? I need my food. Warm food. It’s a necessity for me. I’d be scared to depend on a JetBoil. Especially if I got online and did some reading.


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[gelton]

It’s amazing how many negative reports there are for JetBoil stoves and yet people just KEEP ON buying them. What’s the deal with that? I need my food. Warm food. It’s a necessity for me. I’d be scared to depend on a JetBoil. Especially if I got online and did some reading.


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Most of us that burned them did so by not following directions like melting snow with no heat sink (I did it to mine). That being said, Jet Boil will not warranty this type of damage. But even if it did mess up the fins and pot I normally carry a Snow Peak coffee mug and I used that on top of the burner for the rest of the trip. A bit inconvenient but it worked.

That being said, I want to move away from Jet Boil for their stance towards hunting and their lack of warranty support not so much because of the melting issue.

 

[boom]

It’s amazing how many negative reports there are for JetBoil stoves and yet people just KEEP ON buying them. What’s the deal with that? I need my food. Warm food. It’s a necessity for me. I’d be scared to depend on a JetBoil. Especially if I got online and did some reading.


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yea..mine quit working well. like the valve is plugged. i can only seem to get quarter power. (and this also makes it a B to light, even with a lighter)

but we put my fuel canister on my buddies jetboil, and put his on mine..no change. his stove; however is a friggen jet motor. it works flawlessly. and he is out in the wild every other weekend. he abuses that poor stove. he is back in the Mojave tomorrow. he did 2 months of walking the JMT..he used it daily and it never fails. he got a good one. a really good one.

 

[dreamingbig]

The reactor is a very durable and reliable stove.


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[NevadaZielmeister]

You know, I have absolutely nothing against the Reactor stove. I have never used one and thought that they would work very well, until I read the reviews on the MSR website: Reactor Stove Systems

I stand corrected regarding MSR not making the Reactor any more. But it appears that there has been problems with their manufacturing process during 2017. The last few reviews describe malfunctions and issues with the Reactors. The reviews are great in 2016 and then lots of issues in 2017. I suspect that they had parts issues but that is a guess when piecing the clues together from their site.

My question then is, why take a chance in wondering if the stove works? It was based on this that I purchased another Windburner in 1.8L for my family, then I can get back my 1.0L, which has worked flawlessly throughout the past year.

Just giving people some things to think about and again, I have nothing against the Reactor.

 

[C Bow]

Reactor is a great stove

 

[NevadaZielmeister]

The reactor is a very durable and reliable stove.


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Reactor is a great stove

Curious, what years were yours made?

 

[dreamingbig]

Not sure exactly but this will be season 4 with mine so late 2013 early 2014 would be my guess.


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[Akicita]

I own them both and use them specific to the purpose of my needs. I use them as a snow melter and / or boiler only. If I am solo or with my wife anywhere near or above treeline I take my Windburner. It burns at 7000 BTU, is compact in a small pack and super efficient on fuel. If I am with a group near or above treeline I will take my 1.7 L Reactor. It burns at 9000 BTU and is a snow melting and boiling machine. It's larger capacity is the only small advantage it has for me in this regard. The Windburner however simmers much better than the reactor. Any time of year other than winter and below treeline my Windburner or Snow Peak Giga Power gets the nod.

If I had to choose between the two of them today I would go with my Windburner. It seems to be the one I grab the most and is in my "Everyday / Anywhere" pack.

 

[Mosby]

I have a 1 liter Reactor that I got during a sale. I take it when I only plan on boiling water for dehydrated meals or wind is going to be an issue. It is a great stove and fast when I am hungry and tired. I have other stoves/kits I take when weight is important or I plan on cooking and simmering. I am a bargain shopper though and would probably buy whichever stove I could get the best deal on. Either stove would work for me.

 

[BrushyHillGuide]

If MSR doesn’t get that part for the Reactors soon, I’m going to be forced to get a Windburner. Spring bear is fast approaching!

Can’t believe how much participation this thread has gotten. Thanks so much to everyone who has contributed!


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[NevadaZielmeister]

Just an FYI, I just purchased the Windburner 1.8L stove system. It turns out that MSR is no longer selling this stove system together. Instead, you can buy the 1.0L Windburner stove system and then buy the 1.8L pot separately. I now have 2 Windburner stoves. The struggle is real.

 

[sneaky]

Old thread, but it seems they still haven't gotten that part for the Reactor because no one has them in stock seems like.

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[mrgreen]

Old thread, but it seems they still haven't gotten that part for the Reactor because no one has them in stock seems like.

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Looks like Backcountry.com has them. A couple other places too, but I've used Backcountry without problems.

Access Denied

 

[sneaky]

Looks like Backcountry.com has them. A couple other places too, but I've used Backcountry without problems.

Access Denied

Being a northern Utah resident I buy more stuff from Campsaver than I do Backcountry because I get a discount for being a local when I stop in to the store. It's enough to wait.

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[mrgreen]

Cool, I'm a big fan of Campsaver as well.