About the Episode

Title	Gear Review - Jetboil PCS
About	Review of the Jetboil PCS
Release Date	Feb. 8 2007
Status	Published

Episode 8 - Gear Review - Jetboil PCS∞
Episode Show Notes∞

Alternate Places to View

Blip.tv version of Episode 8∞
Google Video version of Episode 8∞

Episode Components

• What is a Jetboil
  • It is an all in one cooking system that uses isobutane fuel to rapidly cook and boil water.
• Why a Jetboil?
  • One of, if not the, fastest most efficient cook stoves on the market.
  • Packs away neatly inside of itself.
  • Accessories, there are a myriad of accessories that make backcountry cooking easier and better.
  • Mention the Jetboil Recipe Site∞ (thanks MattPacker)
• What can it do
  • Film it boiling a cup of water
  • Film it making coffee
  • Show the frying pan
  • Show the utensils (spatula, fork and spoon)
• Alternatives
  • Firelite Titanium Esbit Wing Stove∞
  • Snowpeak Giga Stove Titanium GST-100∞
  • MSR Reactor∞
• Pros
  • Fast and efficient
  • Self contained
  • Versitile
• Cons
  • Expensive
  • Could be made from titanium
• Grade
  • Very Nice could live without it if I had to but would rather not.
    • Usability/Usefulness (5/5) - Pull it apart attach the cup, press the button and off you go. Very simple.
    • Price (4/5) - It is a bit pricey especially if you buy accessories but for what you get it is a good deal.
    • Quality (5/5) - It is very sturdy and well built. Very few points of failure especially when collapsed.
    • Competition (4/5) - There are a few competitors that have similar products that give the Jetboil a run for its money. However, the Jetboil is currently better than anything available.

MSR Reactor info

I made it over to the local REI the other day to get some ideas about the MSR Reactor. I snapped a couple of shots with a camera phone, so they aren't the greatest, but you can get an idea. In the shot, you can see that we have placed the MSR Reactor (in two pieces, mug/bottom & fuel/stove) next to a fully assembled Jetboil PCS. There are a few other stoves in the background -- MSR Pocket Rocket, Snow Peak Giga Stove, MSR Superfly stove, and Vargo Decagon (alcohol, very UL).



As you can see, the MSR Reactor is noticeably larger. In fact, the Jetboil PCS easily fit inside the MSR Reactor with a good amount of room to spare. The pot to the MSR Reactor is reported as 1.7 litres. The clamp on the top is spring loaded and held into place by the small rubber grommet on the top -- you twist it in line with the slot on the handle to allow it to open up and gain access to the lid. MSR seems quite secretive about what is going on in the compartment below the pot, as it is welded on the bottom and you cannot remove it. However, photos of the unit on MSR's webpage show it without the spot welds, so it may just be welded into place in this demonstration unit. The stove itself has a screen on the top. Again, I'm not sure what all is going on in there, but I'm sure it has something to do with achieving maximum efficiency with the stove. We mentioned in the video review that the MSR Reactor is almost twice as heavy as the Jetboil PCS and the difference is very noticeably. At its weight, the Jetboil has the feel and perception of being light, but the MSR Reactor definitely feels heavy and quite bulky -- especially with such a large canister of fuel attached.

Overall, even with these observations, the MSR Reactor∞ seems to be a nice alternative -- to the Jetboil GCS∞. It has a larger capacity than even the GCS, so in retrospect, I wouldn't even consider it in the same class as the Jetboil PCS∞.