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Reviews > Cook Gear > Stoves > Primus EtaExpress > Test Report by Rick Dreher
Primus EtaExpress Integrated Stove System
TESTER INFORMATION
I enjoy going high and light and most often take shorter "fast- packing" trips; my longest trips are about a week. I've lightened my pack load because I enjoy hiking more when toting less, I can go farther and on tougher terrain, and I have cranky ankles. I use trekking poles and generally hike solo or tandem. I've backpacked all over the west and now primarily hike California's Sierra Nevada. My favorite trips are alpine and include off-trail travel and sleeping in high places. When winter arrives, I head back for snowshoe outings in the white stuff.
INITIAL REPORT
PRODUCT INFORMATION & SPECIFICATIONS
Manufacturer: Primus Year of Manufacture: 2008 Manufacturer's Website: Primus Sweden MSRP: US$90.00 Listed Weight: 14.7 oz (418 g) Measured Weight (incl. stuffsacks): 15.2 oz (431 g) Measured Burner Weight: 3.2 ounces (91 g) Measured Pot Weight: 7.2 ounces (204 g) Measured Lid Weight: 2.6 ounces (74 g) Measured Windscreen Weight: 1.4 ounces (40 g) Measured Stuffsacks Weight: 0.6 ounce (17 g) Measured Pot Width/Height (excl. heat-exchanger): 4.5 inches (11.5 cm) x 4.375 (11.2 cm) Measured Lid Width/Height: 4.5 inches (11.5 cm) x 1.25 inches (2.8 cm) Listed/Measured Capacity: 1L (38 fl. oz.) INITIAL IMPRESSIONS
The EtaExpress comprises a canister-top isobutane-propane gas stove, a cookpot with heat-exchanger bottom, a pot lid/frypan, a rigid windscreen and stuffsacks. The design, notes Primus, is intended to supply high fuel efficiency in a small and "extremely low total weight" package. The Unboxing EtaExpress comes boxed complete, sans fuel. The stove and windscreen fit easily inside the pot and lid with room left over for a canister. Two stuffsacks are provided: one for the whole works and one for the little stove burner. There's an instruction sheet for the burner, which also has a safe use hangtag. The stove burner appears fashioned entirely from brass and steel, other than the plastic knob and a plastic bit around the piezo assembly. The pot, lid and windscreen are fashioned of spun aluminum, anodized gray. The pot and lid are lined with what Primus calls "triple layer Titanium non-stick" coating. It looks and feels like Teflon-type ptfe* to me. Pot and lid have foldaway, rubber-insulated steel wire handles. The lid's single handle locks open or closed; the two pot handles swing open and closed freely. The lid doubles as a minuscule frypan, and its rolled lip sits inside the pot's contoured lip for a reasonably snug fit. The pot has a very small pour spout. Pot, lid and windscreen all seem sturdy; my impression is they're made of thicker aluminum than some backpacking cookware, and are considerably thicker than the titanium pots I own. Up to now I'm describing an ordinary pot set. However, on the pot bottom is what makes it part of the Eta system: a heat-exchanger ring. This is a circle of continuous aluminum fins welded to the pot bottom and protected by a facing welded ring. Primus documentation doesn't describe the ring's function, but it's easy to conclude it functions as a sort of reverse radiator, capturing and directing what would otherwise be waste stove heat into the pot, increasing heat transfer to breakfast or dinner. The heat exchanger's actual welded surface area can't be very great, however.
The windscreen is rigid aluminum formed into a nearly half-cylinder that's open on top and closed on the bottom. Keyhole slots in the side are for poking two of the three stove pot supports through, for support. Below those are airflow slots to supply burner air. The windscreen fits on the opposite side from the fuel valve and sits atop the piezo switch. It wraps a third or more of the way around the Eta pot and about halfway up the side. Clearly, the stove must be rotated to keep this partial screen facing the wind, as the other side remains completely open. As noted and in keeping with the EtaExpress' mission to provide a very compact cook system, the works fit inside the pot along with a small or medium fuel canister. Primus thoughtfully supplied a cloth to keep the system bits and a canister from grinding off the non-stick coating. The burner has its own nylon stuffsack and the whole works has a large, mesh stuffsack. * ptfe = polytetrafluoroethene, a common form of Teflon-type fluoropolymers. READING THE INSTRUCTIONS
Thorough stove burner instructions are also provided but, surprisingly, there are no EtaExpress system instructions or even usage pointers, other than what few tidbits can be gleaned from the box. The Primus, Sweden Web site has an Eta system video that doesn't address the Express at all. A large and stiff stove safety label dangles annoyingly from the control valve shaft, rather like an oversize mattress warning tag. It will need to be removed. The paper stove instructions cover (by my count) eleven languages, making this quite the international product. So international is the EtaExpress it's made in Estonia, the only such item I've ever seen. TRYING IT OUT
The Express model 3214 stove (isobutane-propane burner) is very compact and relatively light. Its three pot supports swing around the vertical axis to open at 120-degree angles to one another, and swing back together for storage. A single plastic control knob juts out from the stove base and on the other side is the piezo igniter switch. The flat burner head aims the flame directly upwards, not to the sides as with many compact stoves. This design makes a tall, skinny flame rather than a broad one. Setup and Lighting The instructions only cover operating the burner, as follows: Spin the burner onto a Lindal-valve fuel cartridge. Open the pot supports (one of the supports is fixed, one swings open and locks into position and one swings open to a stop but doesn't lock). Next, but not covered by the instructions, place the windscreen onto the two pot supports opposite the valve. Then open the fuel valve and pull the igniter switch to light. Adjust the flame as required. Place the pot and lid. Note: the pot doesn't lock onto the stove. To hang the stove using a Primus accessory kit, the cables must be connected to the pot supports. Despite the photo on the Primus box, the lid is intended to be used inverted on the pot; otherwise, a tight seal can't be had. Even then, the handle must be unlocked and swing upward a bit to ensure the fit. Face-up, the lid/pan doesn't fit snugly because the handle base itself interferes with a good fit and could scratch the pot's finish. It might, however, occasionally be used this way to keep food stored in the pan warm while cooking continues in the main pot.
TESTING STRATEGY
I'll perform time-to-boil tests using the system pot and a second, non-system comparison pot. I'll also measure fuel consumed by weight. I'll also note any difficulties lighting the stove using the piezo igniter. Then, I'll figure out a scheme for cooking with the relatively tall, narrow pot and tiny frypan and go hiking. Over the course of the test, I'll consider the system's flexibility, ease of use, fuel efficiency and resistance to normal wear and tear. SUMMARY
Compact and complete, the Primus EtaExpress system appears to be a well-made, clever cooking system. It would be possible to assemble the equivalent system bits for less money and weight so the question arises, does the heat-exchanger technology provide sufficient efficiency and speed to warrant the extra cost and mass? Read more reviews of Primus gear Read more gear reviews by Rick Dreher Reviews > Cook Gear > Stoves > Primus EtaExpress > Test Report by Rick Dreher | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
