Fire Maple 117T and 118 merge
Posted: Mon 06 Aug, 2012 6:10 pm
I just received a Fire Maple 118 stove which is already one of the lightest invertable remote canister stoves on the market at 148 grams. The parts (burner and legs) are totally compatible with the Fire Maple 117T, a 98 gram remote canister stove that is not invertable. The hybrid (118T) comes in at 119 grams.
The photo shows 3 stoves, on the right the 118T hybrid, on the left the disassembled parts from the 118 and for comparison a 116T (49 grams).
I have found it useful to understand where the weight is in a product; it is sometimes quite surprising where it is. In these stoves:
118 Legs/pot supports 47g, hose and preheat tube 69g, combustion tube 10g, burner head 22g
117T Legs/pot supports 30g, hose and preheat tube 48g, combustion tube 6g, burner head 14g
So there is a savings of about 40% converting from stainless steel to titanium.
The 118 came packaged with a aluminium windscreen (69g) approx 80cm x 15 cm with nicely folded edges. The stove only stands 60mm to the top of the pot supports so a 100mm high windscreen should be ample. One made of Ti foil weighs in at 28 grams. The maximum recommended pot weight is 3Kg so pots of up to 2 litres should cause no problems. The pot supports have a supported diameter of 150mm compared with 110mm on the 116T.
All up cost $50 for the 118 and $58 for the 117T, both purchased on eBay.
The proof of course will be in use but I have had excellent service from the 116T for solo use and the build quality of all three stoves is excellent. Smooth edges, parts fit closely and smoothly together etc. The 117 or 118 should be ideal for 2 to 4 people.
The photo shows 3 stoves, on the right the 118T hybrid, on the left the disassembled parts from the 118 and for comparison a 116T (49 grams).
I have found it useful to understand where the weight is in a product; it is sometimes quite surprising where it is. In these stoves:
118 Legs/pot supports 47g, hose and preheat tube 69g, combustion tube 10g, burner head 22g
117T Legs/pot supports 30g, hose and preheat tube 48g, combustion tube 6g, burner head 14g
So there is a savings of about 40% converting from stainless steel to titanium.
The 118 came packaged with a aluminium windscreen (69g) approx 80cm x 15 cm with nicely folded edges. The stove only stands 60mm to the top of the pot supports so a 100mm high windscreen should be ample. One made of Ti foil weighs in at 28 grams. The maximum recommended pot weight is 3Kg so pots of up to 2 litres should cause no problems. The pot supports have a supported diameter of 150mm compared with 110mm on the 116T.
All up cost $50 for the 118 and $58 for the 117T, both purchased on eBay.
The proof of course will be in use but I have had excellent service from the 116T for solo use and the build quality of all three stoves is excellent. Smooth edges, parts fit closely and smoothly together etc. The 117 or 118 should be ideal for 2 to 4 people.