Gear Review:
Brunton Crux Canister Stove

 

Manufacturer:  Brunton
Model:  Crux
Price:  $70
Weight:  3.1 oz.

When I first started doing my research on stoves, I was leaning heavily towards the Primus Omnifuel.  It seemed to be the best of all worlds, being the only stove to burn both liquid and canister fuels.   I even bought the stove.  But before lighting it even once I decided it was just too heavy.  The initial intrigue of being able to burn just about everything faded as I asked myself how I would actually use the stove.

I realized that I wasn't planning on doing any mountaineering in sub-zero weather and that I didn't plan on any international trips.  What really sealed it for me though was watching some other folks fight hard to prime their liquid stoves, battle flare-ups, and watch their stoves sputter when trying to simmer.   I was sold on going the canister route ... the weight savings would be a bonus too!

As I looked at the various options I was drawn to the Brunton Crux.  This tiny little stove weighs only 3.1 oz. and folds flat enough to fit snugly into the concave depression on the bottom of most canisters:

Now, there were a couple of concerns I had with this stove initially.  First, I was concerned about stability.   Did the light weight mean flimsy design?   Would the small head mean I'd eventually have a lap of boiling water?  I was also concerned that the smallish flame head, would there be hot spots?  Could this little stove really boil water fast?

I tested this stove both with and without the foldable supports that attach to the canister (sold separately).   The supports definitely help with overall stability.  However, the design of the head itself, the fact that it has a foldable joint, means there is still potential for a pot to tip.  That said, I have not any *any* trouble after a dozen meals or so.   The pot holders are serrated and so will grip the bottom of a ridged pot quite well.   I used the GSI Hard Anodized Extreme cookware and find it works very well.   I was able to tilt the stove/pot probably 10 degrees or more without loosing grip.    So stability doesn't really appear to be much of a concern .  But I do recommend using pots with a grooved bottom. 

This rules out titanium pots but honestly I don't find them worth the weight savings.  A 1.3 titanium pot runs about 4.5 oz, but isn't non-stick and isn't as good a heat conductor as aluminum.    One study lists the following thermal conductivity results for a few common metals:
 

Element Result (Watts cm ° C)
Copper 4.83
Gold 3.45
Silver 4.5
Aluminum 3.0
Titanium 0.312

Clearly Titanium isn't that great.  But, on the other hand it is strong, so despite the metal itself being heavier than aluminum, you can make a sturdy pot that is much thinner.  But are they really that much lighter?   I've witnessed several meals scorched and stuck to those plain bottomed titanium pots.  You can get non-stick versions but now you are up to about 6 oz., which is in the same range now as the GSI Anodized Extreme 1.5 liter pot.   So, go with the Anodized Extreme, which is a larger pot, potentially conducts heat better, and has a nicely grooved bottom surface.

What about the flame pattern?   I found that on my large 1.5 liter GSI pot, with the stove full open, the flame very evenly covered the entire surface of the pot.  Even turning the stove down considerably still created a flame that was evenly dispersed.   Was I watched the water come to a boil I looked for the small ring of bubbles that can initially appear when the flame pattern is small and tight.  Not the case here... the initial bubbles were evenly spread across the bottom of the pot.

As for boil time.   Starting with about 65 degree water in a 70 degree room, I brought 1 liter of water to boil in my large 1.5 liter pot in about 4 minutes and 10 seconds.   I want to do some more trials but this is pretty respectable, certainly fast enough to boil all the water I need for a meal and then some in less time than it takes for me to decide what I want to eat.

In summary, this is a great stove that will make many folks very happy.  The only thing lighter would be an alcohol stove. 

I've already ruled those out for a few reasons:
  1. The stoves themselves, with pot supports, are rarely lighter than this stove.
  2. I averaged less than 1 oz. of fuel per meal with this stove, about the same or less than required for the alcohol stoves.
  3. This stove brings my water to a boil in about 3 minutes or so (I don't usually boil a full liter), compared to 12-15 minutes for alcohol.
  4. I can go from pack to ignition to pot on flame in about 5 seconds.
  5. Clean burning!!  You won't have any residue on your pots or stove after using a canister of isopropane!

This stove is plenty stable with the appropriate pots,  it boils quickly, and stows away in a nice small little package.    But how does it cook?   Well obviously it boils water, which will suffice for most meals.  But I have also done scrambled eggs, which came out beautifully after being cooked on a nice, low flame.   And the real test was the pancakes.   With the flame keeping a nice steady low flam, the pancakes were evenly cooked to perfection!

This stove is highly recommended!

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Outside Magazine:  2002 Gear of the Year