Forum Index > Gear Talk > the reactor is out and windboiler is in
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kenbee
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PostTue Sep 23, 2014 11:23 pm 
I almost feel that I need to quit backpacking until I go back and get my Engineering degree.

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HitTheTrail
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PostWed Sep 24, 2014 10:24 am 
kenbee wrote:
I almost feel that I need to quit backpacking until I go back and get my Engineering degree.
I did that a couple of times. Except I went in the other direction.

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Dante
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PostWed Sep 24, 2014 11:22 am 
BigSteve wrote:
See my previous comment re lighting a Reactor many times with an empty Bic lighter, i.e., using only the spark mechanism.
Hmm . . . I think I have an extra Spark Lite Firestarter around that I can keep with my Reactor up.gif I'm pretty sure it's even lighter than a mini bic.

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Riverside Laker
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PostWed Sep 24, 2014 11:50 am 
HitTheTrail wrote:
kenbee wrote:
I almost feel that I need to quit backpacking until I go back and get my Engineering degree.
I did that a couple of times. Except I went in the other direction.
I have a masters degree in engineering thermodynamics. But I think I need a degree in marketing.

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mgd
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PostWed Sep 24, 2014 8:13 pm 
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hikin_jim
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PostWed Nov 26, 2014 11:08 pm 
Ranger Rock wrote:
HitTheTrail wrote:
BTW, Ti fins can and do melt/burn. On my recent trip to Abernathy Lake my little hand held MSR Piezo sparker conked out so I was lighting the modified Snow Peak stove with a fire steel sparker and then setting the cup filled with water down on top of the lit stove. Once I got it cocked at an angle and the fins burned before I could get the cup back off. So beware.
Melted Ti fins
Melted Ti fins
I wonder if that really is titanium? When I put titanium right onto a fire it changes colors but it does not melt.
The pot on a Ti Sol is titanium but the heat exchanger is aluminum. Jetboil had to do a lot of work to get them to bond to one another. But as noted here and elsewhere, they fail and flame out often enough that the failures are fairly common knowledge. Plenty of people have had no problem, but still there are a lot of examples of the HX on a Ti pot failing. HJ

Backpacking stove reviews and information: Adventures In Stoving
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hikin_jim
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PostWed Nov 26, 2014 11:08 pm 
mgd wrote:
You mean like a B.S. in Marketing?
Is there anything else in marketing? wink.gif HJ

Backpacking stove reviews and information: Adventures In Stoving
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hikin_jim
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PostWed Nov 26, 2014 11:18 pm 
I haven't been on NW Hikers for a while, but I see some of the same people are still active. up.gif I've been reviewing the MSR Windboiler. I'm not completely finished with my review, but I'm about 85% there. Here's my First Look report and Wind Testing report if anyone is interested. There are links on the blog to other posts about the Windboiler.
Looks like a nice stove. Will it replace the 1.0 L Reactor? Now, that's an interesting question. It is $60 cheaper, so that's going to weigh heavily in its favor. However, the Windboiler has one and only one pot option (1.0 L), at least for now. It'll be interesting to see if the Windboiler kills the Reactor the way the Jetboil Zip appears to be killing the Jetboil Sol (Jetboil is supposedly in the process of discontinuing the Sol, both the Ti and Al versions). Best regards, HJ

Backpacking stove reviews and information: Adventures In Stoving
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iron
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PostThu Nov 27, 2014 12:38 am 
looks promising for summer trips. probably not as much for snow melting. thanks for the post!

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hikin_jim
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PostThu Nov 27, 2014 10:09 am 
iron wrote:
looks promising for summer trips. probably not as much for snow melting. thanks for the post!
Sounds about right. I mean it should do a reasonable job of snow melting but not as good as a Reactor. The Reactor is the BTU powerhouse. The Windboiler has been stepped down a bit and is the fuel efficiency winner. The Windboiler's more narrow base also makes it less amenable to snow melting. Really nice "human factors" on the Windboiler. Very polished. HJ

Backpacking stove reviews and information: Adventures In Stoving
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Ski
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PostThu Nov 27, 2014 1:47 pm 
welcome back, hikin jim! up.gif

"I shall wear white flannel trousers, and walk upon the beach. I have heard the mermaids singing, each to each."
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hikin_jim
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PostThu Nov 27, 2014 5:05 pm 
Thanks, Ski, I suppose unemployment has its benefits. Yes, I'm out of work again. I guess the side benefit is more stove reviews. smile.gif HJ

Backpacking stove reviews and information: Adventures In Stoving
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contour5
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PostThu Nov 27, 2014 5:35 pm 
Thanks for the review of the Windboiler, HJ. Wouldn't mind seeing an in depth review of the MiniMo... Kinda looks like the technology is stagnating, though with recent changes being mostly cosmetic or style oriented. Looking forward to new, lighter designs based on laser, microwave or perhaps ultrasonic mechanisms. Maybe a little keychain fob that you point at a pot to create an instant boil.

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hikin_jim
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PostFri Nov 28, 2014 6:06 am 
There's actually more than cosmetic changes going on with the Windboiler's burner. It looks the same from the top, but underneath, it's a very different design. VERY different. It has a much more controllable flame, and the carbon monoxide should be greatly reduced. I say "should" because I have no way of verifying the actual CO numbers. I can just a) look at the design and b) know that MSR is painfully aware of the CO problems of the Reactor and make an educated guess that they've cut CO. HJ

Backpacking stove reviews and information: Adventures In Stoving
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contour5
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PostFri Nov 28, 2014 7:36 pm 
I thought that the emissions problem with the Reactor had been corrected with some kind of revision to the burner... can't remember where I read it, though...

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