New cook stove on the market

[renagde]

I Tried To Make Something In America

If you don't know what goes into making something in the US you should definitely watch this video.

TLDW: We don't have the skillset to make things at a competitive cost in the US anymore.

There's some truth to that, also titanium is very hard to come by in the US. Most of the titanium that is manufactured in the US goes towards defense.

My point is, for the price, it seems like you should be able to at least do some of the manufacturing state side or at least assembly similar to what MSR does to keep the product serviceable and keep an eye on quality. If you're just buying out of China and slapping your name on it which is what everyone else is doing then the price seems really steep.

But what do I know?

 

[judders87]

There's some truth to that, also titanium is very hard to come by in the US. Most of the titanium that is manufactured in the US goes towards defense.

My point is, for the price, it seems like you should be able to at least do some of the manufacturing state side or at least assembly similar to what MSR does to keep the product serviceable and keep an eye on quality. If you're just buying out of China and slapping your name on it which is what everyone else is doing then the price seems really steep.

But what do I know?

MSR probably has the power of volume and sku #'s on their side. I'm not defending the price of Roughridge just offering perspective. It doesn't look like their stove is just a generic product rebranded.

 

[FGB]

I have zero plans to buy one as my pocket rocket deluxe does what I need it to, but the pricing seems representative of a niche product that isn’t just rebranded from alibaba. And trying to produce the same product in the US would likely be ungodly expensive (or just not possible). You can’t really expect a small/new business to compete with MSR on price when adding a few unique features (whether you think those features are worth it or not). Tough space considering most of the fire maple tier products are perfectly fine for vast majority of people/situations, but no one else is aggressively marketing to hunters so will be interesting to see how it plays out

 

[CMF]

I would say put the total weight on the website, maybe its in the video(i can't view at work), but I only saw the individual piece weights.

 

[BBob]

I would say put the total weight on the website, maybe its in the video(i can't view at work), but I only saw the individual piece weights.

Yeah they should put more detail on the website but he did post it here in this very thread.

Lightweight All-in-one system (includes spork)
Our full cook system weighs 10 oz and includes the stove, pot, removable windguard, and spork.
Without the windguard, the full system weighs 9 oz.

 

[CMF]

Yeah they should put more detail on the website but he did post it here in this very thread.

Thanks, I saw it there. My first thought was whether it was lighter than a JB stash. I just picked up a used one to try.

 

[HighUintas]

@Chris Neville , did you test this same design except with a hex aluminum pot? I can't see how it would be possible for a Ti pot without hex to be better. Typically people choose to go that route because it is much much lighter than a hex. But 9-10oz for the system is somewhat heavy in comparison to a toaks 550 and msr pocket rocket deluxe.

I would think you'd be able to hit 9oz all in with an aluminum hex pot (2c boil capacity ) and windscreen. I think my Frankenstein setup is somewhere around 6oz and works really well. The only thing I'm missing is a To windscreen

 

[Chris Neville]

I want to add some clarity because I can see where the assumptions are coming from, and that’s on us to explain better.

This is not an off the shelf product with a logo slapped on it. We designed this system from the ground up because what we wanted simply didn’t exist.

The design came directly from years of real use and frustration. Stoves that struggled in wind, awkward or unsafe windscreens, systems that wouldn’t pack into one pot, unstable pots, unreliable ignitors, and performance that changed drastically with conditions or canister pressure.

Because this design didn’t exist, we invested in developing our own tooling and molds to maintain tighter control over the manufacturing process and build it the way we believed it needed to be built. We own the design and are patent pending. We explored U.S. manufacturing, but it wasn’t viable for this type of product and the materials involved. Like other premium titanium products, overseas manufacturing was the only way to achieve the consistency and performance we were after.

We also control the QC process with defined inspection and testing requirements before anything ships, and we’ll support the system long term with serviceable replacement parts.

We’re not trying to compete with factory direct products on price, and we don’t expect this system to be for everyone. Our goal was to build the best system we could, the system we wanted to use, without cutting corners.

We appreciate the honest discussion and the chance to explain our thinking.

 

[Josh Boyd]

I'm happy to see another option hit the market and am curious to see how it performs. If this new stove system doesn't check all of your boxes, no one will force you to buy it. Pretty simple concept.

 

[Chris Neville]

@Chris Neville , did you test this same design except with a hex aluminum pot? I can't see how it would be possible for a Ti pot without hex to be better. Typically people choose to go that route because it is much much lighter than a hex. But 9-10oz for the system is somewhat heavy in comparison to a toaks 550 and msr pocket rocket deluxe.

I would think you'd be able to hit 9oz all in with an aluminum hex pot (2c boil capacity ) and windscreen. I think my Frankenstein setup is somewhere around 6oz and works really well. The only thing I'm missing is a To windscreen

@HighUintas Great questions! Happy to get into it.

Yes, we did test aluminum options. The challenge is that with the irregular octagon shape of our pot, aluminum is much harder to manufacture consistently because it’s a softer material than titanium. Titanium allowed us to build the exact shape we wanted, which is what makes it possible to nest the entire cook system inside the pot.

A couple other key points on the pot itself. Our titanium pot is 900 ml, has burn free handles, and includes a silicone lined lid that stays securely in place.

On weight comparisons, our listed weights are total system weights, not just pot plus stove like most setups you’ll see online. Our total system weight is 9 oz without the windguard and 10 oz with the windguard, and that includes the stove, pot, windguard, and the 8.3 inch folding spork.

If you compare other similar sized hex systems and include everything needed to run them the same way, total weights are typically around 15 to 16 oz or more. That puts us roughly 33% to 44% lighter.

We’ve also used the same kind of ultralight “Frankenstein” setup you’re describing, and those definitely work.

In our opinion, there are a few benefits that are worth the small weight penalty compared to an ultralight titanium pot and stove setup like you mentioned. For us, that starts with a titanium pot that nests the entire system inside, so you never have to go digging through your pack to find parts. It also includes an 8.3 inch folding spork you won’t lose, burn free handles, a silicone lined lid that stays securely in place so nothing goes flying, a pot that locks onto the stove for added stability, and much better performance in windy conditions with the removable windguard.

Again, this is all personal preference, but we felt those benefits were worth it.

 

[BBob]

But 9-10oz for the system is somewhat heavy in comparison to a toaks 550 and msr pocket rocket deluxe.

Not him but that Toaks MSR combo sucks in inclement/windy weather. BTDT. A stove system that's better in those conditions is always going to be heavier. Mby not as heavy as their system but it'll be heavier. That's certainly the tradeoff for those performance gains.

 

[HighUintas]

Not him but that Toaks MSR combo sucks in inclement/windy weather. BTDT. A stove system that's better in those conditions is always going to be heavier. Mby not as heavy as their system but it'll be heavier. That's certainly the tradeoff for those performance gains.

Ya I realize that, but it's nearly double the weight. I'd think it could be done under 9-10oz, but maybe not considering some of the design constraints Chris mentioned.

@HighUintas Great questions! Happy to get into it.

Yes, we did test aluminum options. The challenge is that with the irregular octagon shape of our pot, aluminum is much harder to manufacture consistently because it’s a softer material than titanium. Titanium allowed us to build the exact shape we wanted, which is what makes it possible to nest the entire cook system inside the pot.

A couple other key points on the pot itself. Our titanium pot is 900 ml, has burn free handles, and includes a silicone lined lid that stays securely in place.

On weight comparisons, our listed weights are total system weights, not just pot plus stove like most setups you’ll see online. Our total system weight is 9 oz without the windguard and 10 oz with the windguard, and that includes the stove, pot, windguard, and the 8.3 inch folding spork.

If you compare other similar sized hex systems and include everything needed to run them the same way, total weights are typically around 15 to 16 oz or more. That puts us roughly 33% to 44% lighter.

We’ve also used the same kind of ultralight “Frankenstein” setup you’re describing, and those definitely work.

In our opinion, there are a few benefits that are worth the small weight penalty compared to an ultralight titanium pot and stove setup like you mentioned. For us, that starts with a titanium pot that nests the entire system inside, so you never have to go digging through your pack to find parts. It also includes an 8.3 inch folding spork you won’t lose, burn free handles, a silicone lined lid that stays securely in place so nothing goes flying, a pot that locks onto the stove for added stability, and much better performance in windy conditions with the removable windguard.

Again, this is all personal preference, but we felt those benefits were worth it.

Thanks for the reply. That all makes sense. I guess it comes down to the user and their priorities. Weight, nesting, etc.

Did you look into the possibility of a hex Ti pot? I would think that would increase efficiency a lot, but maybe increase mfg cost too much.

Being able to stretch that small canister as far as possible is huge... Especially if it actually performs efficiently in wind.

If you're looking for testers, let me know.