With the Rei member coupon starting tomorrow, I am looking for input on the best stove. Main use is boiling water, cooking fish, and some other cooking but nothing elaborate. Here is what I had in mind:

Dragon Fly

Whisperlight

WindBurner

They're all great stoves but I use the Dragonfly as it's got a very stable surface for your pot and it's flame control allows you to simmer.

I'm a dragonfly fan, but for just boiling the whisper light is fine. I do have dragontamers for both of my dragonfly's, which solves the noise.

Dragonfly is my first choice of the options listed.

Limited selection, only really related by brand and price. My personal favorite is Dragonfly. But not my first suggestion.

I'd drop the Windburner due to the system configuration. Best used with matching pot/pans. I prefer the versatility of a stand alone burner with a remote fuel tank.

Whisperlight Universal is a true multi fuel stove, quieter and lighter than the Dragonfly yet as adjustable in canister form as the DF, and simpler to use. It's pot support is about 5.5 inches in diameter.
The Dragonfly is a brute in comparison, heavy and loud, but "strong like ox". Limited to Coleman style fuel or kero. Pot support 7.5+ inch.

All 3 put out similar BTU's and fuel burn rates.

Personally I'd spend the REI points on other stuff and look to used stoves to save some cash. I have a fairly large collection of MSR burners all purchased used, normally 1/2 new price and less.

butthead

Dragonfly, hands down. The adjustable flame on that stove is amazing, and it is a lot easier to cook without burning than the others listed.

But do consider the dragontamer burner cap.

My opinion is slightly different. I have a Dragonfly that I used for several years, but it was overkill for my needs. The roar was getting to be a bit much, and I was coming from a coleman dual fuel 533 (it worked fine for many-a-year and still does, I just wanted a change). The last couple trips I have used a Whisperlight, and for my needs it does exactly what I want.

I'm 90% boiling water, with just a little bit of simmering food, and I'm able to regulate the Whisperlite enough to do that.

I'm comfortable with liquid fuel, so the canister "systems" are out for me.

The difference that I would say though (and I think someone else mentioned this) is that I bought a used Whisperlite off of eBay for fraction of new, and it has been flawless. I could have gone with the dragontamer, but wanted to try the Whisperlite. You can find them fairly inexpensively at auction.

Tim

I'm a Whisperlite user, too. Always have been. I've been with others who have had Dragonfly stoves and they're fine pieces of equipment that work well, but I've always been happy with my Whisperlites.

I use the valve and fuel tank pressure to simmer or cook at lower temps (especially frying fish or cooking pancakes) and the Whisperlite works like a charm. Like anything, there's probably a little bit of a learning curve, but it's not much of one.

billconner: "But do consider the dragontamer burner cap."

Yes! Or earplugs.

Anyone look at current Dragontamer cost? It's back up to $90+ from Imaterialise. Shapeways no longer sell them.

butthead

Thank you all for the great advice!

I may take a look at ebay. Are there any common issues to look out for?

jlang: "Thank you all for the great advice!

I may take a look at ebay. Are there any common issues to look out for?"

I didn’t respond before because this option doesn’t appear to be available at REI and that seemed to be a necessary condition of the original request. But if you’re open to other stove options available elsewhere, the Kovea Spider stove is a good option. I have found it to have very good simmer control, is very compact, and does everything I need a stove to do, including being reliable (tho I always bring a backup, neither has ever failed in any way). I have not personally used the popular MSR stoves, so I can’t compare my Kovea stove to them. I’d certainly be interested in hearing if someone else has used both and has a strong preference one way or the other.

Kovea Spider

Primus Express Spider-affordable-durable-been using it on multiweek trips for years.

Primus Express Spider Pimus Express

Borrowed a Kovea Spider, and am fairly familiar with MSR

Burner head is similar in size to a Pocket Rocket, small and concentrated. Solid build and sturdy but not light weigh the Spider has too small a burner head (but wider flame spread than Pocket Rocket), for general use, best suited with small diameter pots.
I use a wide variety of cookware. and prefer a larger burner head.
My favorite canister burners are MSR Wind Pro, and slightly smaller Alocs G22,

The closest to a Spider that I own is a $10 Chinesium burner with a slightly larger head than the Spider.

butthead

I have had to do more maintenance (unclogging) on my whisperlight. Certainly user error, but the dragonfly just seems to work.

Frenchy19: "

billconner: "But do consider the dragontamer burner cap."

Yes! Or earplugs."

I am quite hard-of-hearing, so I take the hearing devices off and no problem with noise (one of the few upsides to being near deaf).

I had a Dragonfly for years–great stove for cooking (stable, good flame control), but the noise was not fun. I wanted to enjoy using it more so bought a Quietstove burner but the extra weight and complexity weren't worth it for me. The custom burner takes longer to cool and has to be removed before collapsing the stove for travel. Also, they aren't cheap!

I do most of my cooking over fire found that something like a Whisperlite (simple, lightweight and stable) is a great complementary stove. We usually bring a compact Pocket Rocket-style backup too.

Ya bought the wrong cap. Quietstove is a rip off of the Gary Adams Dragon Tamer.
DragonTamer is lighter and can be kept on the burner even when folded. I use an even taller 6 row omni-cap that stays on the burner.

butthead

butthead: "Ya bought the wrong cap. Quietstove is a rip off of the Gary Adams Dragon Tamer.
DragonTamer is lighter and can be kept on the burner even when folded. I use an even taller 6 row omni-cap that stays on the burner.


butthead"

I'm aware of the DragonTamer. That would have been my first choice but he stopped selling them last year–at least on the established marketplaces. The i.materialise.com storefront is an even more recent development. A $90 add-on brings the cost of entry for Dragonfly to more than $300. That's a steep price for what you're getting.

I guess I should name my 2 dragonflys with original dragontamers among my assets in my will. 2 sons, pretty simple.

fenrirrr: "

butthead: "Ya bought the wrong cap. Quietstove is a rip off of the Gary Adams Dragon Tamer.
DragonTamer is lighter and can be kept on the burner even when folded. I use an even taller 6 row omni-cap that stays on the burner.



butthead"

I'm aware of the DragonTamer. That would have been my first choice but he stopped selling them last year–at least on the established marketplaces. The i.materialise.com storefront is an even more recent development. A $90 add-on brings the cost of entry for Dragonfly to more than $300. That's a steep price for what you're getting."

I-Materialize and Shapeways were the original source when Garry began selling in quantity, prior all were hand made to order. Both had term contracts that have run out. Shapeways dropped the item and I-Materialize doubled the prices. I have several different caps from I-Materialize, before the contract expired. The story from Garry is long and detailed but he made little prophet from them. The product will be missed in the market.

butthead

jlang: "
With the Rei member coupon starting tomorrow, I am looking for input on the best stove. Main use is boiling water, cooking fish, and some other cooking but nothing elaborate. Here is what I had in mind:

Dragon Fly

Whisperlight

WindBurner "

Of those I'd take the Whisperlite for sure. You can simmer just fine with it if you practice and if you find one of the older ones (pre-shaker valve) they simmer even better and can be had cheap. One tip to keep the jet from fowling up is to blow the burner out after turning off the fuel before it starts sputtering and turns to a yellow flame rather than letting it go out on its own (trick I learned from a mountaineering guide, holds true for pretty much any white gas stove).

Never been a fan of the Dragonfly it's like they tried to make a winter stove into a good cooking stove and the result isn't really great for either (loud noise and bad burner distribution for cooking, and no pre-heat/generator tube for cold weather) and they're also heavy.

Also not a fan of the stove systems like the wind burner or others except in fairly specific conditions which typically don't apply to canoe tripping.

I'd like to point out the OP listed a Whisperlite Universal not the Whisperlite. This version can use canister fuel as well as Coleman and on canister is very easily adjusted as far as any other burner such as a Dragonfly. On Coleman liquid fuel you need the same tricks as a regular Whisperlite.

The Dragonfly is not as loud as many other stoves with a bell and plate burner. Brunton Vapor AF, MSR XGK, Otimus Nova, Primus Omnilite/Omnifuel and particularly the MSR Firefly are all louder.

butthead

Wow, the dragontamer accessory has an interesting back story.

jlang: "Wow, the dragontamer accessory has an interesting back story."

Sure does and older than a lot think! Hope this discussion has helped in your choice.

butthead

By chance, does anyone have an extra Dragon Tamer they could part with?

I am a Dragonfly guy. I did get a dragontamer knockoff but it caused the fuel to start vaporizing about midway through cooking. It would glow red hot but not put out any flame.

I went back to the standard deflector cup and the noise. Its not like I am trying to sneak up on someone while I am frying fish.

But the simmer is what I love. I have a frybake pan coals on top, dragonfly on low below...nice little baking system.

I use my Dragonfly with a jello mold oven and the easy simmer is fantastic for baking.

whisper light. i have been using mine for over 30 years