Fire-Maple Blade 2 Ultra Light Titanium Stoves with pre-heat tube | Portable Isobutane / Propane Camping and Backpacking Stove

Arrived with the pre-heating tube bent out of position. I was able to straighten, but there is not much to it, so I hope it lasts. Like the heat output, which was needed on our last trip since we were cooking real food as opposed to just boiling water for dehydrated meals and coffee.

Looking for refund but nobody will respond!

The Blade 2 has a very well built feel and weighed in on my digital scale at 134 grams (4.7 ounces). As a remote stove it features a tube for the fuel to run to the stove body. This stove strikes an excellent balance between size/ weight and function. Being remote it can be safely used with a 360 degree windscreen if conditions dictate that is needed. It also features a preheat tube which allows the fuel to change state from liquid to gas in cold conditions. Further the canister can be used upside down or inverted. This allows the stove to pull liquid fuel rather than gas. This is particularly important for cold temperatures use. Basically below 20 degrees a typical “upright” canister stove can struggle or not work at all and will also use the canister fuel in an unmixed fashion. Inverting solves this issue. The stove does not have a built in ignitor which I prefer. Built in igniters fail and are often finicky. The relatively wide base feels very secure on the ground and the stove top area accommodates an 8” pan easily. I bought this stove for use with Fire Maples Island steam kit and it works great with it. Most importantly for me this stove allows very fine attenuation of the flame. That allows me to simmer in pot. If you are rehydrating meals the full flame boils water very quickly. The stove is rated at 9500 BTU.Very happy with this stove.

Stove is arguably one the lightest remote canister stoves available. The burner body, legs and pot supports are all fitted well and of fair quality, however the pre heat tube is largely ineffective at sufficiently heading the fuel prior to making its way to the burner. Compared to other stoves of similar purpose, this pre heat tube was of a much smaller diameter, and was also moderately kinked at the bend where it meets the gas block below the burner head. In warmer temps above freezing, the stove performs well, albeit not as well as even a canister mounted stove. Compared to remote stoves by MSR and other competitors, it’s quite lacking in heat output even at 32* and above. But compared to those models below freezing temps, this stove is anemic at best, and downright dangerous if you’re relying on it to thaw snow or boil water to survive on the trail. In my experience, you’d empty and entire 230g canister just trying to melt and boil a single 2L pot of snow. On the trail or in the backcountry, this can be a game ended. Serious users and adventurers beware!!!!

I waited over 8 months to finally purchase this stove being that it has a 70$ price tag. It was supposed to replace my custom style setup. I can not express the level of my shattered hopes. Now this review to some might sound like bickering but they are legitimate concerns.First off, the hose is way too THICK, so thick the line got crimped in several places during shipping and I am concerned not only for potential holes, but also future ones after continuous use. Additionally the thickness of the line increases its weight and reduces its flexibility. It was unexpected. For refrence I have included pictures of the firemaple line thickness (6.5mm) compared to my current line thickness (6mm) and the hose extended thickness that I purchased (5.3mm).This would not be so bad if I could replace the hose line, however I don't see that being possible without possibly damaging the unit. See last picture above for refrence. Not sure if it's shoved or screwed in.The weight is good, could deffinately be less, but its still 3.9 oz less than my current setup, which is nice.The stabilization is fantastic, and the pot supports are perfectly long and wide, a little too easy to rotate but what ever not a huge deal.What is a huge deal though, is the gas valve. This is 80% of the 1 star review. It didn't work. If you can't open the gas valve the stove is useless. Why didn't it open you ask? Becuase the nob screw with the plus and minus sign screws OFF in the same direction as the + sign. Meaning instead of opening the valve to let gas in, the nob just simply screws off and there is no way to ever open the valve again. Could you use glue? Sure. But what happens when your in the middle of your journey and the nob screws off. You're screwed.Now could this just have been my personal product that unscrewed insanely easy. Sure. I hope it is. However, This is still a MAJOR Manufacturing oversight. This nob should have been designed to loosen towards the minus sign, so that even if the nob screws off, the valve is already closed, and when you screw it back in it simply tightens to the point that the nob will actually open the valve. This design flaw is not an if but a when. Over time, screwing and unscrewing will loosen this nob and render this stove useless, I just hope it's not in a time you truly need it to work.