The next generation Jetboil Flash 1.0L with turn-and-click ignition and ceramic-encased igniter is a worthy evolution of the well known brand, writes Mike Gormley.
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It is a while since I have had a Jetboil model to try and this latest variant of the very well-known stove is a definite improvement. If you need a ‘hot wet’ in a hurry, and we often do, this new evolution from Jetboil will help to make this happen ~ potentially in just a couple of minutes.
Jetboil has generally tidied up the design of their popular stove and hence the name, as with it things happen just a little bit faster. Two stand-out improvements for me are the well-protected piezo igniter and the controller / igniter. What so often on stoves is a vulnerable and quite fragile ‘bent wire’ which produces the spark, on here is now encased and has a wraparound design over the burner, so you would need to be pretty careless or unlucky to damage it. A real improvement.
Also in the same area of stove functionality is the combined gas controller and igniter, which is now of much more user-friendly design and, as the web info says, is just like the stove at home. This is tucked away and finger-friendly, so less likely to get damaged, and it is good to operate. The all-in-one control turns on and then adjusts the gas flow and finally initiates the igniter when required. Very smooth. To help all this under field conditions, the area behind this controller now has a soft grip area so you can more safely hold and handle things in the wet or dry.
The area where the one litre capacity pot connects to the stove has been redesigned, so is much easier and less faffy in use; important, as normally one will be handling very hot to boiling water. Additionally, the flux ring design has also been improved to make the Flash heat faster and more efficiently.
This Flash version of the familiar Jetboil has, without doubt, some good and practical improvements, but it is also still of the familiar Jetboil design and concepts with insulated and removable cooking cup with a soft handle which has the filter / pourer top cover. There is also the familiar folding stand to aid stability that fits onto the gas canister, of whichever size. The smaller canister will also fit into the cup so everything packs away neatly giving a compact stove for backpacking which weighs in at only 371 grammes (excluding gas cannister).
For Jetboil fans this next generation model will, I am sure, be a welcome upgrade.
[images © Mike Gormley]
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